Ashley Wenger-Slaba, the senior vice president of employee experience, education, and workforce relations at Sanford Health, has been appointed as a commissioner to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WICHE is an organization that supports higher education and workforce needs across 15 Western states and U.S. Pacific Territories.
Wenger-Slaba will represent South Dakota on the WICHE Commission along with Nathan Lukkes, executive director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents, and Larry Tidemann, a retired state senator. The 48 commissioners are appointed by their respective state governors or leaders in freely associated states. Since its inception in 1953, the Commission has guided WICHE’s direction to benefit the Western region.
“Being part of the WICHE Commission is a valuable opportunity to share insights about workforce trends and employee pipeline needs within health care,” Wenger-Slaba said. “As our future workforce, students are an incredible resource in postsecondary education to sustain and strengthen healthy communities in South Dakota and beyond, and I’m looking forward to advancing the Commission’s important efforts.”
Sanford Health is recognized as the largest rural health system in the United States. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it serves over 2.4 million patients and nearly 425,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest. Wenger-Slaba holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and a juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
“WICHE is fortunate to have Commissioner Wenger-Slaba on board — someone who is professionally focused on an individual’s experience, education, and relationships,” said WICHE President Demarée Michelau. “Her broad experience and strategic mindset are enormous benefits to not only the Commission but also to the ever-changing educational and workforce needs of residents and policymakers in South Dakota and across the WICHE region.”
In addition to her professional commitments, Wenger-Slaba participates actively in community service within Sioux Falls where she resides with her four children. She also contributes as a board member for Volunteers of America, Dakotas.