Mindy Waldron, administrator for the Allen County Department of Health, has been named the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Raymond Rosenberger–Minette Baum award.

The St. Joseph Community Health Foundation Board of Directors recently nominated Waldron for her diligent and faithful service to improve the health of vulnerable populations.

Waldron has dedicated her career to protecting and promoting public health and was named the Health Department Administrator, responsible for all day-to-day operations of a department with a $6.5 million budget and 70 full and part-time employees, in 2005. She has worked at the Allen County Health Department since 1995.

In 2020, the Journal Gazette named Waldron its Citizen of the Year for her tireless work during the pandemic. In the article about that recognition, Dr. William Pond, president of the local board of health, hailed Waldron as an example of “exemplary leadership (who) brings hope and comfort to those enduring the effects of the COVID pandemic. Mindy Waldron’s work is a bright example of service and dynamic leadership in our community; we are truly enriched by her selfless dedication to the health and welfare of our citizens,” Pond said.

Meg Distler, executive director of the St. Joe Foundation, has worked with Waldron for years to serve the public, especially those who are most vulnerable. Since 2002, the St. Joe Foundation has partnered with the Allen County Department of Health to help protect children living in older housing from the effects of lead poisoning, assist refugees of Burmese Nationality in accessing quality local healthcare, and help underserved populations access vaccines during COVID-19. The Foundation was recognized in 2008 with the Lead Safe Indiana Award for its work in partnership with the Department of Health.

“Mindy is an extraordinary advocate for public health,” says Distler. “She brings together many partners to address concerns like lead poisoning. Her collaborative approach and unwavering dedication to the health of Allen County residents has helped improve the lives of many people.”

The St. Joe Foundation nominates the Raymond Rosenberger – Minette Baum Awardee each year after identifying individuals who provide diligent and faithful service to the community. PNC Financial Services manages the Raymond Rosenberger Trust, determines the actual recipient, and annually distributes the financial award to the recipient and/or their charitable organization(s).

Raymond Rosenberger was a longtime St. Peter’s Catholic Church parishioner and a Kunkle Valve employee. He lived frugally and invested nearly all of his income. At his passing, his estate established a foundation that funds four individual service awards, each granted by a different local northeastern Indiana organization. The Rosenberger Award Foundation funds the St. Joe Foundation’s Minette Baum Award, along with annual awards given by Parkview Hospital, The Lutheran Foundation, and the United Way of Allen County.

Minette Baum was born in Russia in 1879 and came to Fort Wayne when she was three. She was a prominent social worker and helped found the Jewish Federation, Fort Wayne Woman’s Club, League for the Blind, and the Inter-Racial Commission.