Amy Vetter likes variety of opportunities at her job with JCHC

FAIRFIELD – No two days of work are the same for Amy Vetter, and that’s one reason she loves her job as Marketing and Community Relations Manager at Jefferson County Health Center.

Vetter has been in the position for 18 months, and in that time she’s fostered strong connections between the health center and the community.

“Whether it’s working on public relations, developing marketing campaigns, or organizing community outreach efforts, I love the challenge of finding new ways to communicate the importance of quality healthcare and making it accessible for everyone in our community,” Vetter said.

Vetter said the opportunity to work at JCHC felt like a perfect fit for her, since she’s always been passionate about connecting people with resources and building strong community relationships.

“As someone who returned to Southeast Iowa to raise my family, I feel a deep connection to the area and want to contribute to its growth and health,” Vetter said. “JCHC’s mission and vision aligned with my own values, making it an exciting opportunity to make a difference.”

Vetter was born and raised in Brighton and attended Washington High School, graduating in 2000. She attended the University of Northern Iowa to study sociology and get a certification in nonprofit management. She did a number of internships, such as with the United Way of Cedar Valley and other institutions. Vetter saw the value that nonprofits brought to the community, and made her want to get involved with them after college.

Vetter worked in fundraising and volunteer development for multiple nonprofits for the next few years, including the American Red Cross and a children’s cancer organization. In 2008, she returned to her home county to become the first director for Main Street Washington, which had just won its Main Street designation.

“Main Street really focuses on a very specific area, so it’s a downtown revitalization program,” she said. “In Washington, it included the downtown square and a few blocks off. It has four focus areas, one of which is the promotion of that area, trying to bring in new businesses and finding grant programs for them.”

Vetter said she enjoyed working with a wide variety of people in her role as Main Street Washington Director, ranging from the managers of large corporations to mom and pop shop owners, all of whom were dedicated to improving Washington’s downtown.

Vetter later worked as Washington County Hospital and Clinics’ marketing and foundation director for 10 years, and then worked for an online startup called Ferrum based in San Francisco. She worked with a staff from all over the world, while working from her home. After doing that for a year, she realized that remote work was not for her, but luckily the position with JCHC came open.

Vetter commutes to Fairfield from her home in Washington. She didn’t like the commute at first, but she’s come to enjoy it since it gives her a chance to listen to audio books or podcasts.

“Those 40 minutes are my time to decompress for the day,” she said. “And I should point out that my husband [Jeff] makes it easy to go back and forth because he does the laundry and cooks almost all of our meals. Jeff is pretty perfect.”

Vetter’s parents, Melvin and Cathy Rich, live in Brighton, so it’s easy for her to stop in for a visit after work.

Amy and Jeff have two sons: Isaac, a sophomore at the University of Iowa, and Cole, a senior at Washington High School. In her free time, Vetter likes to read or spend time with her friends and family. With one child in college and another about to leave for college, Vetter said that their dog, a Saint Berdoodle, feels like her “new child.”

Vetter said another way that she spends her free time is by getting involved in the community, such as by serving on the Board of Directors of the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce. She said she enjoys partnering with other health care organizations in the area.

“Not any one organization can do it all, so I ask how I can connect to all of them to make sure the education and resources are available to our whole community,” she said.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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