Meet the VA’s New Chief of Staff

Dr. John (Jack) Wempe, the new Chief of Staff for the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, says 

he came to South Dakota because of the people. Wempe, who spent 3 decades in the military, says he especially appreciates the “Midwestern values” and work ethic of the VA staff with whom he now works.

Dr. Wempe has experienced much of life, and of higher education, since leaving Parkston to earn his BS at South Dakota State University. He went on to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Kansas State University, MPVM and MS degrees from the University of California-Davis, a PhD in Pathobiology from the University of Illinois–Champaign, Doctor of Medicine from the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, and a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

During his 30 years in the U.S. Army, he had multiple leadership positions in the United States and overseas. He most recently served as the Assistant Dean of Medical Student Affairs for the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine prior to coming to VA.

Having spent his career in the military, Dr. Wempe says coming to the VA is an extension of his service to the country and he praises VA providers and other staff who also regard Veterans and their service with admiration.