Allen County Health Commissioner to retire in July

For immediate release

Fort Wayne (April 19, 2022) – After nearly two years helping to guide the community through an unprecedented public health emergency, Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Matthew Sutter announced plans Monday to retire from public service later this year.

The announcement was made at Citizens Square, during the Executive Board of Health regular meeting. A search committee made up of several Executive Board members, the Department Administrator and a representative from the Allen County Board of Commissioners soon will begin the process to find a replacement. Sutter expects to leave his position in July.

“Being health commissioner is among the greatest professional privileges I have experienced,” Sutter said. “The decision to leave was incredibly difficult. I have worked for two years with dedicated and hard-working Allen County Department of Health staff, and I am grateful for the opportunity. But now is the right time for me to make the move.”

Department Administrator Mindy Waldron and members of the Executive Board of Health thanked him for his service and efforts to protect public health in Allen County.

“Dr. Sutter’s passion for public health is clear, and we are grateful for his work during and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Waldron said. “The past two years were filled with uncertainty and near-constant change. His calm, steady leadership and easy ability to effectively communicate difficult topics will be missed.”

Sutter was appointed health commissioner by the Executive Board in May 2020, taking office in June – just weeks after the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Allen County. Much of the focus of his tenure as health commissioner was the pandemic, and he regularly provided timely and accurate information to the community about the coronavirus, life-saving vaccines and other preventive measures such as physical distancing and wearing masks.

“We thank Dr. Sutter for his service to the community, and we wish him well in the future,” Executive Board President Dr. William Pond said. “His wonderful work during exceptionally difficult times was outstanding.”

A practicing physician with more than 25 years of health care, public safety and leadership experience in Northeast Indiana, Sutter earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Purdue University in Fort Wayne in 1991. He earned a medical degree from Indiana University in 1997 and an MBA from IU in 2019.

Before becoming a physician, Sutter worked as a firefighter and emergency medical technician for the St. Joseph Township Fire Department and paramedic for the Three Rivers Ambulance Authority. He has had multiple leadership roles in health care administration and public safety.

Sutter currently is the Chief Medical Officer at IU Health Fort Wayne and a practicing emergency physician with Adams County Health Network.

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