John Eich directs Wisconsin’s Office of Rural Health, which works to improve the access to, and quality of, rural healthcare in the state. His experience and skills are primarily in systems analysis and design, program planning and evaluation, and community development. He founded the annual Rural Health Data Summit, and led a national team developing an assessment of EMS capacity, used by states across the country. Prior to this he directed a County Health Council in southern New Mexico—which assessed county health and wellness needs, built and maintained community coalitions to address them, and advocated for the county on a regional and statewide basis. During his tenure, the Council was selected as a model Council for the state, and recognized for its leadership in developing evaluation and data assessment tools. His larger professional background is quite broad, and includes experience in the social services, advertising, and teaching. He grew up in rural Wisconsin.