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BOARD OF ORGANIZERS

On February 29, 2024, seven prominent business and community leaders in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties concerned about access to and the cost of healthcare across the region joined together to form the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative.

Robert “Bob” Krause – Board Chair – is a retired technology company business owner, an active Partner in Musky Tank, LLC, and an investor in many start-up companies in Western Wisconsin. He has extensive boardroom experience having served on many non-profit and private boards of directors, including Sacred Heart Hospital, YMCA, the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Eau Claire Inc., Chippewa Valley Angel Network, Regis High School Foundation, and the Medical College of Wisconsin (development), among many others. A Certified Public Accountant, Bob is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He resides in New Auburn, WI.

Patti Darley – Vice Chair – retired, from Xcel Energy’s Customer Service Department and before that Cray, Inc.’s Technical Training Department. Patti is a long-time resident of Chippewa Falls, and is well known for her volunteer service in the community. She has been an elected or appointed member of the board of directors of HSHS St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart Hospitals, the Community Foundation of Chippewa County, and Give Chippewa County, as well as in many other volunteer organizations. She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University. 

Lori Geissler is Chief Transformation Office and Board of Director member at the 120-year-old Mason Companies, a family-owned multi-channel retailer headquartered in Chippewa Falls. She serves in leadership roles for Mason Family related organizations as a 5th generation family member. Lori is also an active board leader and volunteer at many community non-profits. She has served on the boards of Friends of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce, Parents for Learning, Boys and Girls Club, McDonnell Area Catholic Schools, and the Community Foundation of Chippewa Falls, among others. She earned her B.A. from Lawrence University and her MBA from St. Thomas University. A native of Chippewa Falls, she lives there with her husband and two daughters.

Peter Hoeft is CEO and Owner of Hoeft Builders Inc, a 40-year-old construction management firm he has led for the last 20 years. Raised in Eau Claire, Peter attended Regis High School, where he met his wife, Jill; they have twin boys. Peter has served on many community boards including Chippewa Valley Airport Commission (current), WNB Bank (current), Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, and the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Committee. He holds a B.S. in Construction Management from Colorado State University.

Mickey Judkins is the CEO of Details, Inc. and a recognized business and entrepreneurial consultant. She has served on many boards in the Chippewa Valley and Madison, including as President of the Eau Claire Economic Development Corporation, and as a director of the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce board. She also served on Business Forward’s Local Leadership Council in Washington, D.C., working to bring the small business perspective to the President’s policy making. She was active on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Advisory Board for Chancellors Mash and Levin-Stankevich. In 2007, Governor Jim Doyle appointed Mickey Executive Director and Administrator of the Investment and Export Division of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. She graduated magna cum laude from UW-Eau Claire with a BA in Sociology. She lives in Eau Claire with her husband Jeff Rochon.

Thomas Larson is the President/Principal of Larson Management, Inc. and President of several affiliated companies. He has a long history of serving as an elected and valued member of numerous community-oriented committees and Boards of Directors, including the Eau Claire Foundation, Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Chippewa Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Eau Claire Economic Development Corporation, and Confluence Council Inc/Pablo Center, among many others. A native of Wisconsin, Larson attended Montana State University and the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire studying Engineering & Finance.

Eric Rygg President of 4th generation Silver Spring Foods and Huntsinger Farms, lives in Eau Claire with his wife and three children. Among his volunteer community service, Eric has served as Host and Executive Committee member for the 2021 Wisconsin Farm Days, and currently serves on Eau Claire Confluence Arts/Pablo Center, and the Culinary Advisor Committee for Chippewa Valley Technical College. He earned his BA from Middlebury College, and an MBA, Food Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University – Erivan K. Haub School of Business.