State Associations of County and City Health Officials (SACCHO)

Arizona: Diana Gomez is the Chief Health Officer for Yuma County Public Health Services District. She has worked in public health for over 25 years and has served on various local, state, and national committees and workgroups to build and sustain collaborative partnerships that promote safe, healthy, and resilient communities. She is a member of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council, President of the Arizona Local Health Officer Association and is co-president of the Binational Health and Environmental Council. She has an interest in community-health research and policy development and actively mentors students interested in public health career.

California: Jake Hanson is the Executive Administrator for the California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO) at the California Department of Public Heath (CDPH) and served in this position since 2018. CCLHO provides a state/local forum for the discussion of significant health issues in order to develop recommendations for appropriate health policy, including legislative and regulatory review. Jake has been with CDPH since 2016 and prior to his current position has worked in multiple capacities in program and policy for the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch's (NEOPB). Prior to his state service, he worked as an entrepreneur serving as the President and CEO of a community-based organization offering nutrition consulting, physical activity services, and family wellness services. Jake also served as a First 5 Commissioner for Placer County, which focused on four strategic areas: Maternal and Child Health, Child Abuse Prevention, Oral Health, and Early Childhood Literacy. Jake has Master's in Public Health from the San Jose State University, is a Certified Health Education Specialist, and is a Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist.

California: Michelle Gibbons is the Executive Director of the County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC). Prior to her role at CHEAC, Ms. Gibbons served as the health and human services legislative analyst with the California State Association of Counties. Ms. Gibbons also served in various capacities within the California Department of Health Care Services, working on Section 1115 Waiver financing and Realignment activities. CHEAC is a statewide organization of local Health Department and Agency Directors, who are responsible for the administration, oversight and delivery of a broad range of local public health and indigent health care services.

California: Kat DeBurgh has been working with Health Officers Association of California (HOAC) since 2005. She earned her undergraduate degree in politics from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2000. With assistance from the HOAC Board of Directors, in 2011, she earned her Master's in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was inducted into the Delta Omega Honors Society for Public Health. Kat was trained by former executive director Bruce Pomer over a three year transition period. She was appointed executive director of HOAC on October 1, 2014.

Colorado: Cara Bradbury became Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) in July 2021. She is responsible for day-to-day operations of the association, advocating for local health departments before the Colorado legislature, and representing local interests to the state health agency and others. Prior to joining CALPHO, Mrs. Bradbury was the Care Coordination Initiative Lead for the Colorado Office of eHealth Innovation, overseeing statewide contracts for social-health information exchange. Mrs. Bradbury has a diverse background in health IT, early childhood development, and mental health. Mrs. Bradbury holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Philosophy from the University of Utah and a Master of Public Administration degree from Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

Connecticut: Laurence Burnsed is Director of the Department of Health & Human Services for the Town of East Hartford and has served in this role since 2020.  He is responsible for the daily operations of Health Administration, Environmental Health, Community Health & Nursing, Crisis Intervention Division, Youth & Social Services, Senior Services, Parks & Recreation, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Laurence is a board member of the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health, and will serve as the 2026-27 president.  Prior to working for the Town of East Hartford, Laurence served as an epidemiologist for 20 years for the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), including 12 years as the director of the Communicable Disease Division where he was responsible for the planning and operations of infectious disease surveillance, investigation and control activities for the State of Oklahoma. During his time with OSDH, Laurence also served as the State Epidemiologist overseeing divisions involved in surveillance, investigation, all-hazards preparedness, and laboratory operations. Laurence earned a Master of Public Health degree from Florida A&M University, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma, and a bachelor's degree in dietetics from Florida State University.

Florida: Sarah Catalanotto, MPH, CTTS serves as Association Manager for the Florida Public Health Association, where she leads efforts focused on membership engagement, strategic partnerships, conference planning, advocacy coordination, and organizational development to strengthen Florida’s public health workforce and infrastructure. Through her work with FPHA, she collaborates with public health professionals, academic institutions, community organizations, and state partners to advance public health policy, leadership development, and health equity initiatives across the state.

Idaho: James Corbett serves as Director of Eastern Idaho Public Health (EIPH), where he oversees financial management, operational planning, policy governance, and organizational strategy for a regional public health district serving 8 counties in eastern Idaho. He has more than ten years of experience in public health leadership, healthcare innovation, emergency preparedness, and public-sector administration. Prior to serving as Director, James held roles as Division Administrator and Project Manager at EIPH, leading healthcare quality improvement initiatives and collaborative efforts focused on population health and systems improvement. During the COVID-19 response, he worked closely with healthcare systems, schools, universities, local governments, and state partners to support regional coordination and public health operations.

Illinois: Amanda Mehl is a registered nurse and has a Master’s Degree in Public Health. Amanda earned her BA from Beloit College, her MPH from the University of Illinois Chicago and her AS in Nursing from Rock Valley College. She has worked in public health for 14 years and currently oversees the operations of the Boone County Health Department (BCHD) in Belvidere, IL as their Public Health Administrator. Over the past two and a half years, Amanda has developed her department as a “teaching health department”, mentoring students from different disciplines at the undergraduate/graduate level. Amanda is also leading her department through PHAB Accreditation and the merging of the County's Comprehensive Plan and Health Department's Community Health Improvement Plan. Amanda has restructured departmental operations to reflect a shift to Public Health 3.0 principles and a population health focus. Amanda serves on several regional and state administrative boards including the Illinois Public Health Association's Executive Council and as president for the Illinois Public Health Nurse Administrators. She has presented at various conferences including the Illinois March of Dimes Perinatal Conference, the Illinois Pubic Health Association Conference, the Public Health 3.0 Workforce Development Forum, the 2019 NACCHO Preparedness Summit and Annual Conference, and the National Public Health Improvement Training (PHIT). 

Indiana: Shandy Dearth is the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP) at the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health in Indianapolis. In this role she manages the state’s NACCHO chapter while leading the center’s work with various governmental and non-profit partners. She is an epidemiologist and has spent most of her career focusing on infectious disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, and public health informatics. Prior to joining the FSPH, she was the director of an international public health association that brought together public health practitioners and public health researchers who focused on health data surveillance projects. Prior to her work with the non-profit, Ms. Dearth the spent several years as an environmental health specialist in a small local health department and then as the administrator in the epidemiology department in a large urban local health department. She earned her MPH in Epidemiology from the IU School of Medicine.

Kansas: Randy Bowman is an executive leader with over 30 years of experience in public service, state governance, and non-profit management. He became the Executive Director for the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments in November 2023, where he directs organizational strategy, operations, and legislative advocacy. Previously, he held multiple leadership roles within the Kansas Department of Corrections, including Executive Director of Public Affairs and Deputy Secretary of Juvenile Services. In these positions, he managed agency communications, shaped state policy initiatives, and provided executive oversight for statewide programming. His career also includes significant leadership with the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority, where he served as the Director of Community-Based Services, Public Service Executive, and Public Service Administrator. During this tenure, he helped increase statewide utilization of evidence-based practices, led juvenile justice reform initiatives, and managed compliance with state and federal requirements. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Washburn University and is a Certified Public Manager through the University of Kansas.

Massachusetts: Teresa Wood Kett is the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, a nonprofit professional membership association for the local public health department workforce. Prior to joining MHOA in December 2022, she was the managing editor of an online public health magazine and student writing fellowship program, and managed municipal public health programs for 15 years. Her local public health department work varied widely and included community vaccination, school health, emergency preparedness, tobacco prevention, mental health, communication, and COVID-19 pandemic response. She’s an alum of both the Boston University School of Public Health and the University of Florida, and worked as a daily newspaper reporter prior to finding her way to public health.

Maryland: Ruth Maiorana is the Executive Director for the Maryland Association of County Health Officers (MACHO). MACHO is part of the Public Health Practice & Training Office at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In this capacity, Ruth has oversight of all aspects of MACHO operations, management, budget, assessment and evaluation, and policy implementation. Ruth provides administrative support to MACHO, the current President, and all association Standing and Ad Hoc Committees. As primary legislative staff, she monitors and tracks state and federal legislative sessions on public health issues of interest to MACHO, drafts position papers, and is responsible for coordinating testimony on public health issues supported by MACHO. Ruth has served NACCHO as Chair and member of the Annual Meeting Workgroup, Healthy People and Survive and Thrive Workgroups. She currently serves on the LHD Profile Workgroup.

Michigan: Norm Hess joined the Michigan Association for Local Public Health (MALPH) as Executive Director. in January 2021. Immediately prior to coming to MALPH, he worked closely with local public health and community partners as the lead implementation manager for Community Health Innovation Regions at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The primary focus of this program was to improve population health by addressing social determinants of health and by changing community conditions that impact health and health equity. From 2002-2017, Norm directed maternal and child health program planning and evaluation efforts at the March of Dimes Foundation – first at the Greater Kansas Chapter and then at the March of Dimes National Office. He also has experience as a director of legislative affairs at the state level and as a community health assessment specialist in a local public health department. Norm earned his bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Eastern Michigan University and his master’s in health care administration from Central Michigan University. Norm and his wife, Martha, are the parents of three adult children and live in DeWitt, Michigan.

Minnesota: Kari Oldfield-Tabbert, JD, is the Executive Director for the Local Public Health Association (LPHA) of Minnesota, working with more than 265 leaders from health departments across the state. In her role, Kari works statewide to improve and protect the health of the population of Minnesota by providing leadership and advocacy on behalf of local public health. Prior to her role at LPHA, Kari worked four years in tobacco prevention. Kari received her JD from Hamline University School of Law where she focused on health law and compliance and her BA from Coe College focusing on communications and political science.

Montana: Lisa Dworak Casper brings nearly 15 years’ experience of working collaboratively at the intersection of local government and community to her role as Executive Director. She has worked hand-in-hand with community members on a variety of social determinant of health, healthy built environment, and active transportation initiatives in Western Montana and the Midwest. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she managed multi-sector stakeholder communications throughout Missoula County as well as the health department’s role in providing shelter and services to unhoused individuals and families in need of a safe place to isolate. As Executive Director of Confluence, Lisa works to make sure the professional development and policy and advocacy needs of Montana’s local environmental and public workforce are met as well as building support for members through strategic local, state, and national partnerships.  

North Carolina: Patrick Brown has served as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors since 2022. Patrick is a pharmacist by training and worked with independent pharmacies and pharmacy advocacy organizations before transitioning to public health. Patrick also leads the North Carolina Public Health Association (NCPHA) and the North Carolina Alliance of Public Health Agencies, which together with NCALHD form the North Carolina Public Health Collaboration.

North Dakota: Mary Korsmo has served as the Executive Director for the North Dakota State Association of City and County Health Officials (NDSACCHO) since 2014. Mary oversees all aspects of NDSACCHO including daily operations, management, budget, communication and government relations. Legislative activities include developing local public health priorities with members, monitoring and tracking legislation, as well as preparing, providing and coordinating testimony. Additionally, Mary organizes and implements Public Health Day at the Legislature and other Legislative activities with partner organizations. Mary is able to magnify local public health advocacy through her position within the North Dakota Association of Counties (NDACo). Appointed by the Legislative Management Chair in January 2023, Mary continues to serve on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee established as a requirement for the state to receive and spend opioid remediation settlement funds.

Nebraska: Susan Bockrath is the Executive Director of the Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors (NALHD) where she applies her experience in public health, education, project management, evaluation, and health literacy to amplifying local health departments’ efforts to make “the good life” a healthy one for all Nebraskans. Since being hired in 2013, Susan has overseen a ten-fold growth in NALHD’s scope of work and budget. NALHDs’ work today includes broad efforts to 1) support health departments in their roles as regional health strategist, 2) advocate for local public health, and 3) promote whole community wellbeing. Susan holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health (1998) and is a Certified Public Health Education Specialist.

New Jersey: Linda Brown, MPH, CHES, has been the Executive Director for the New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials (NJACCHO) since 2022, working in different capacities with the organization since 2014.  This role utilizes her experience in education, communication, project management, program development and evaluation, as well as grant administration to support day-to-day operations and work to support the 102 local health agencies in New Jersey. Prior to working with NJACCHO, Linda has experience running programming and leading community based non-profit organizations and as a health educator for various local health departments. She has provided adjunct instruction for public health for several universities and is currently a part time lecturer at Rutgers University.  Linda has a Master of Public Health (MPH), concentration in Community Health, from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and holds a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) certification.

Nevada: Dr. Chad Kingsley serves as the Director of the Nevada Association of Local Health Officials (NALHO), a statewide organization that unites Nevada’s local public health leaders to strengthen and advance public health systems across urban, rural, and tribal communities. As Nevada’s official association of city and county health officials, NALHO serves as a collaborative voice for public health policy, emergency preparedness, workforce development, health equity, and resource-sharing while partnering with state and national organizations to improve community health outcomes and build resilient, healthy communities throughout Nevada.

New York: Sarah Ravenhall, MHA, CHES assumed the role of Executive Director at New York State Association of County Health Officials (NYSACHO) in December 2017. With over ten years of experience working in the field of public health, she most recently worked for the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, a hospital membership association, to manage and implement its population health improvement program. This work entailed optimizing program processes, setting strategic program vision, oversight of fiscal management, leading workgroup projects, measuring program impact and increasing program visibility at the national and state level.

Ohio: Susan Jagers joined AOHC as its Executive Director in March 2025. Prior to joining AOHC, Susan served as a director of a nonprofit, was a partner in a government affairs consulting firm, and managed a government relations department for a large health nonprofit. She co-chaired the successful 2006 Smoke Free Ohio campaign of which AOHC was a key partner.

Oklahoma: Jessica Imotichey, MPH, is the Health Policy & Legislative Analyst for Chickasaw Nation Department of Health. Ms. Imotichey also leads the Oklahoma Alliance of Tribal, City and County Health Organizations (OATCCHO), serves as Co-Chair of the Policy Committee for the Oklahoma Public Health Association (OPHA) and is a national public health policy advisor on both the CDC and NIH Tribal Advisory Committees (TAC), including as Vice Chair of the CDC TAC’s Policy Committee. 

Oregon: Sarah Lochner received her Masters in Political Science from Kansas State University and has since worked at all levels of government. She worked for Congressman Dennis Moore (D-KS), Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, the Oregon Health Authority, and Multnomah County before landing at OCLHO in 2021. She is passionate about primary prevention, books, and rescue dogs. 

Tennessee: Dawn Ford is Managing Director of the Tennessee Association of County and City Health Officials. She has worked in local public health in the areas of environmental health, emergency preparedness, and epidemiology. Dr. Ford is past president of the Tennessee Public Health Association. She holds the PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and is Certified in Public Health (CPH). She served as Chief Epidemiologist during the pandemic at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). She works with Men's Health Network and Acclaro Research Solutions. She is faculty at Walden University (PhD Public Health) and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 

Texas: Sharon Shaw was named as the new Executive Director of the Texas Association of City & County Health Officials (TACCHO) in November 2023. Sharon previously held the position of Administrator at the Angelina County & Cities Health District (ACCHD) located in East Texas. As Administrator for 24 years, she oversaw all public health operations of this progressive public health department, more than doubling the programs and services offered, staff size and budget. During her tenure she and her teams served, educated, and protected citizens during numerous hurricane evacuation and sheltering events, infectious diseases such as West Nile, Zika, Ebola and COVID-19, formed partnerships and created initiatives that encouraged education and wellness that provided for better health outcomes. Sharon served as a link between the East Texas healthcare community and public health due to a unique management agreement/partnership between St. Luke’s Health Memorial – Lufkin and ACCHD.  Prior to ACCHD, Sharon had the tremendous opportunity to work as a physician/medical recruiter, clinic operations consultant, medical community liaison, and clinical manager for women’s health and imaging.

Utah: Jill Parker has been working in the field of public health for over 25 years providing prevention services in 32 states. She is currently the Executive Director of the Utah Association of Local Health Departments and Utah Association of Local Boards of Health. In this role she coordinates with and supports the 13 local health departments across the state of Utah, serves as a legislative liaison, and works to spread the message of the essential role of public health in communities. Jill has coordinated messaging and policy on issues including COVID-19, air quality, water quality, tobacco, and healthy equity. She has also worked with the Cache County Attorney’s Officer and the Cache County Victims Advocate Office as a public information officer and spokesperson for victims of crime. Jill has provided training in multiple states and CDC on utilizing social media to share public health messages. She helped to establish the Social Media Club of Cache Valley and served on the Top of Utah Chapter of the American Marketing Association. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Utah Coalition for Opioid Overdose Prevention and the Utah Poison Control Center Advisory Board.

Washington: Jamie Bodden has been the Managing Director for the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO) since 2017. Before working for WSALPHO, Jaime was the Director for a small health department in rural Wisconsin. Jaime earned BA degrees in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from Marquette University and her Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. In her role with WSALPHO, she works to elevate local public health’s role in making Washington State a safe, health, and vibrant place though advocacy, systems collaboration, and partnerships.

Wisconsin: Jamie Michael is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), with almost 15 years of association management and public health experience.  She currently serves as the Executive Director for the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB) at Badger Bay Management Company. She manages various aspects of policy, governance, and workforce development not only for WALHDAB, but for other public health related clients as well. Jamie received her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education and a Minor in Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and resides in Appleton, WI. She is also a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). She enjoys spending her spare time with her husband, Andy, twin boys, Alex and Ayden, and daughter Hayley.
 

SACCHOs Represent the Grassroots of Local Public Health

Do you want to get to know other professionals in your area and contribute to developing an active, vibrant local public health community? Then consider whether joining a state association of county and city health officials (SACCHO) or forming one in your state would be right for you.SACCHO membership complements NACCHO membership and provides a vital link between local and national public health. The leadership structure of SACCHOs varies widely and allows for numerous involvement options. SACCHO membership may be purchased directly through a local SACCHO. With 38 SACCHOs affiliated with NACCHO, public health professionals can become visibly engaged members of a local SACCHO while developing new contacts and increasing knowledge. Ways to get involved include the following:

1. Expanding the circle of colleagues and contacts.
2. Networking at local meetings, luncheons, receptions, and programs.
3. Exchanging knowledge with local experts.
4. Stepping into leadership roles.
5. Advocating for the public health profession.
6. Learning about professional development and job opportunities in the community.

Is there someone at the decision-making table with local health departments' best interests in mind? Is there a place where local health officials in your state can meet and share ideas or current events? If the answer to these questions is no, then consider forming a SACCHO. SACCHOs are important because (1) local health departments and their staff can work together and organize more effectively to impact public health in the places where they live; (2) local health departments need a voice in decisions that affect the services they provide, and often the best place to maximize opportunities for participation is at the local or state level; and (3) NACCHO needs a strong local base of members to change policies at the state and national levels.