THIS KINDA GIG DOESN'T COME AROUND EVERY DAY. With Lieske Giese's retirement slated for this winter, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department is now accepting applications in search of its next health director.

For the first time in over a decade, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department’s (ECCCHD) top health officer role – the director position – is open for applications. From Aug. 3-31, qualified applicants are encouraged to apply online.

Elizabeth “Lieske” Giese, an Eau Claire native, has held the health director role for nearly 14 years. She returned to her hometown after a six-year stretch as the State of Wisconsin’s Public Health Director and has remained since. Giese saw the department and community through the COVID-19 pandemic and its inaugural national accreditation process in 2018 (and re-accreditation in 2025) and intends to retire around December this year.

Once she shared these retirement plans to the Eau Claire-City County Board of Health (BOH) in May, staff and board members have worked to update the position’s description and recruitment profile. The BOH approved those documents at its meeting on July 22.

Job seekers will apply to hold that top staff role at ECCCHD, a Level III, nationally-accredited health department which employs 60 full-time staff members. The director leads the departments' seven divisions with support from an assistant director and leadership team. 

Qualified candidates must have one of the following: 

• A master’s degree in public health, public administration or health administration, or a similar field with three years of experience in a full-time administrative role within a public health agency or public health work
• A bachelor’s degree and 16 graduate semester credits towards a master’s degree in aforementioned fields; or a similar field and five years of experience in a full-time administrative position within a public health agency or public health work.
• A license to practice medicine and surgery and at least one of the following:
  • Three years of experience in a full-time admin position within a public health agency or public health work.
  • Eligibility for certification by the American board of preventive medicine in public health or general preventive medicine.
  • A master’s degree in public health, public administration, health administration or a similar field.

The hiring process is not being executed with a third-party recruitment firm. 

Assuming a solid pool of candidates by the end-of-August application period, the BOH may enter closed session at its September meeting to review applicants and offer interviews. The BOH may choose to offer employment following the interviews process or at a future board meeting.

Learn more about the Eau Claire City-County Health Department online. The application and full job description for this role are both available online at www.eauclairewi.gov/jobs.