Christopher Paquet

Christopher Paquet joined the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, his priorities are focused on advancing our journey to make NACCHO a better place workplace for staff by focusing on continuous quality improvement; looking deeply at our policies, practices and processes and offering solutions; and assisting with aligning the coordination of NACCHO’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The intent of all this work is to improve how staff, and others who interact with us, experience NACCHO.

Paquet comes to NACCHO after serving 15 years in several leadership roles at the New York City Department of Health, including his most recent position as the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Healthcare System and Community Readiness, where he worked with his team to build out, maintain and find innovative ways to strengthen the key capabilities needed to prepare, respond, and recover from emergencies with the primary goal of protecting the public’s health. Paquet also led his team to address policy issues, provide strategic direction, build out technological solutions, and implement critical communication initiatives. He worked closely with government agencies, healthcare delivery systems, community-based organizations, and state and regional health departments to prepare for the unexpected, including COVID-19, infectious diseases (Mpox, Ebola, meningitis, etc.), terrorist attacks, and natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy. On a national level, he chaired the National Preparedness Initiative started by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Readiness and Response. Before his role in NYC, Paquet was a COO and consultant for Flanagan Consultants and Flanagan Social Initiatives, among other positions.

Paquet is originally from Biddeford, Maine. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he serves on the Board of Trustees. He has a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, and he is a graduate of both Harvard’s National Preparedness Leadership Institute and the Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security.

Learn more about other senior leaders at NACCHO.

To reach out for an interview with Christopher or another member of our senior leadership team, please email [email protected].