Health Care
Regional president of Gundersen region
Gundersen Health System and Bellin Health | La Crosse
In December, Heather Schimmers became regional president of the Gundersen region following the merger of Green Bay-based Bellin Health and La Crosse-based Gundersen Health System. The merger created a $2.4 billion system with a total of 11 hospitals and 14,000 employees.
Schimmers previously served as chief nursing officer and chief operating officer for Gundersen since 2021. Prior to the merger, Gundersen had revenues of $1.54 billion in 2021 and over 9,000 employees, including about 2,000 nurses. Its footprint includes seven hospitals and over 60 clinics throughout western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota and northeast Iowa.
Schimmers previously worked for Ascension Wisconsin, including as its chief nursing officer and earlier as vice president of patient care services for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and director of nursing at Mercy Medical Center. She is also past chair of the Ascension Wisconsin Nursing Executive Committee. From 2014 to 2016, she completed an executive leadership fellowship program with the Advisory Board in Washington, D.C.
Education: Associate, Cardinal Stritch University; Bachelor’s and MBA, Kaplan University/Purdue University Global