Chud Wendle named executive director of the Hutton Settlement children’s home

Chud Wendle will be the next executive director of the Hutton Settlement children’s home, the private nonprofit organization announced Tuesday.

Wendle, who is currently Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ district director in Spokane, will be the Hutton Settlement’s fifth director in nearly 100 years. The facility was founded as an orphanage in 1919, but most of the children living there now have parents or other caregivers who are unable to care for them for reasons ranging from illness to incarceration.

Wendle will join the Spokane Valley facility in July and work alongside current executive director Michael Butler until Butler retires in November, a news release said.

Wendle’s mother, Carol Wendle, served on the organization’s board of trustees for more than 30 years, retiring in 2014. Chud Wendle said in the release that Hutton’s mission “aligns so closely with my personal passions – ‘to nurture, educate and prepare children who are in need of a safe and healthy home.’ ”