Andy Wessel

Ron Hering Award – 2025

“To tend the fire of our humanity so all of us can be safe and fully alive.”

Andy has spent the last 20 plus years making sure people have a community that feels like home and treats them with the dignity. His work began in 2004 at Noah Central working with people living on the streets of Detroit. It continued at the Douglas County Health Department in Omaha, where his efforts to improve living conditions helped many thrive. Andy experienced burnout twice and is dedicated to “fire tending” — finding ways to nurture our spiritual and emotional health so we feel safe and fully alive. 

Andy has an incredible wife, Leslie, and five kids (Nora, Jonas, Manny, Hank, and Paul) who keep him young and force him to grow up.