Washington, DC, July 28, 2025 — The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the over 3,300 local health departments across the country, announces Dr. Patrick McGough, DNP, MSHR, RN, CHA, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health Officer for Oklahoma City-County Health Department, as President-Elect of its Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 term. Dr. McGough assumed the role on July 1, 2025. Following his term as President-Elect, he will become NACCHO Board President on July 1, 2026.

“I am deeply honored to serve as President-Elect of NACCHO, an organization that champions the essential work of local public health across our nation,” said Dr. McGough. “It is a privilege to listen, lead, and advocate for public health departments and professionals. NACCHO will continue to elevate the voice of local public health and pursue innovation in our most challenging times, with both urgency and compassion. I am excited to share in that service.”

Dr. Patrick McGough (Dr. Mac) became CEO and Chief Health Officer of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD), after serving as Deputy Director and in numerous ascending executive leadership roles. Additionally, Dr. Mac is founder, President and CEO of the newly established OCCHD Foundation.

Dr. Mac has served over 28 years in public health and 26 in executive leadership. With vast clinical and executive level leadership experience in both public and private health care, Dr. Mac created, implemented, and provided oversight to numerous hospices in North Texas and Oklahoma. He also served as co-owner and administrator of the third largest privately held home health business in Dallas-Fort Worth. 

Dr. Mac has more than 40 years of experience as a Registered Nurse. As a nurse practitioner, Dr. Mac holds a doctoral degree in Nursing Practice/Executive Leadership and he was awarded the highest academic, student, graduate, and alumni honors, including Alumnus of the Year. He completed three fellowships in public health leadership and obtained a Certificate of Leadership Excellence from Harvard in 2023. He is licensed to practice in 41 states and two territories through the Enhanced Registered Nursing Licensure Compact.

During his time on the NACCHO Board of Directors, Dr. Mac has served on the Executive Committee and chaired several NACCHO board committees. He has been recognized locally and nationally for his efforts and contributions as a leader (The Unsung Heroes of Public Health). He is a member of the Big Cities Health Coalition and serves on local, national, and international boards providing oversight and direction to various aspects of health care and public health.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Patrick McGough as the new Board President-Elect at NACCHO,” said Lori Tremmel Freeman, NACCHO CEO. “Dr. McGough has built an impressive and distinguished career in executive leadership roles across both public health and health care. He brings clear insight and vision, and we look forward to his continued service and contributions to the board.”

NACCHO’s Board is led by four executive officers:

• Damōn Chaplin, MBA, President; City of Minneapolis Health Department, MN
• Patrick McGough, DNP, MSHR, RN, CHA, President-Elect; Oklahoma City-County Health Department, OK
• Bisola Ojikutu, MD, MPH, FIDSA, Vice President; Boston Public Health Commission, MA
• Michael Kilkenny, MD, MS, Immediate Past President; Cabell-Huntington Health Department, WV

NACCHO is governed by a 22-member board comprising local and tribal health officials who are elected by their peers, as well as one ex-officio member representing partner organizations. As the governing body, NACCHO’s Board of Directors establishes the association’s strategic direction and initiatives, sets the annual legislative agenda, approves official policy statements, ensures that annual goals are met, and provides financial oversight. The Board is NACCHO’s public face and represents members in matters of policy, public health practice, and collaboration with health partners in the public and private sectors.

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About Oklahoma City-County Health Department

The Oklahoma City Health Department was set up in 1910 to deal with the basic sanitation and disease control problems of Oklahoma City’s rapidly growing new community. In 1939, Oklahoma County set up its own much needed health department. The two departments merged in 1954 and today is serving 1.5 million lives in the Oklahoma City MSA.  The Oklahoma City-County Health Department was in the first cohort of public health departments in the nation to be awarded accreditation status by the Public Health Accreditation Board. For more information, please visit www.occhd.org. 

About NACCHO

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the over 3,300 local governmental health departments across the country. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.