Robyn Taylor is a nationally recognized public health professional specializing in promoting equitable projects, programs, and policy for all people. Robyn has an extensive background in public service including public health, policy development, education, corrections, and food access to communities experiencing the greatest need.
Robyn leads NACDD’s Center for Justice in Public Health. The Center diligently manages projects/programs that focus on advancing health equity, racial equity, and/or social justice. Robyn previously served as the Health Equity Consultant and is a former Board Member for NACDD. As the Health Equity Consultant, Robyn provided technical assistance and support to state chronic disease programs through the NACDD Health Equity Council. She also has led the Reaching Minority Men Where They Are research project, the Reducing Breast Cancer Disparities in States: Creating the Bridge from Data to Action project, and various other NACDD health equity projects. She also co-wrote the NACDD Foundations of Health Equity: Creating a Culture of Health for All two-day training, the Moving to Institutional Equity: A Tool to Address Racial Equity in Public Health tool, and An Assessment of Funding and Other Capacity Needs for Health Equity Programming Within State-Level Chronic Disease Programs public health journal article. Robyn is also a founding member of NACDD’s Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Alliance.
Robyn served the State of Ohio for more than 20 years. In her last role, as the Assistant Director of the Office of Health Equity, she led the organizational-wide cultural competency training and standards development project, which resulted in 99% of staff completing the assessment and training.
In addition to co-founding Epic Health Solutions, now THINK EQUITY, Robyn has worked with the New Jersey Nicholson Foundation, Horizon Health, and the National Recreation and Parks Association in developing the NRPA Health Equity Framework.
Robyn believes in helping and encouraging others because others have helped and encouraged her along her journey. She has traveled to four continents exploring the interconnectedness of humanity, as well as ancestry roots in Ghana and Nigeria.
Robyn also has served on various social service agency boards and led the Columbus Council of PTAs, representing more than 3,000 members. She has trained, organized, and encouraged parents throughout Ohio on how to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to promote positive measurable academic impact as the first statewide project manager for the Parent Leadership Institute with Parents for Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati.
Robyn shares her life with her husband, three children, parents, her beloved family and friends, and two dogs, Max and Marley.
Pascale D. Edouard, DrPH, MPH, the Program Manager for the Center for Justice in Public Health at the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, is a public health enthusiast committed to advancing practices and policies that address health inequities. Her passion lies at the intersection of public health and social justice, focusing on how historical injustices against racial/ethnic and marginalized populations contribute to poor health outcomes and how to appropriately address these systemic injustices.
Dr. Edouard has more than a decade of experience in public health, working with non-profits, local health departments, government agencies, and academic institutions. She served in key roles at the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota and Manatee counties, first as Community Health Coordinator and later as Health Equity Coordinator. As the Healthcare Services Program Manager at Manatee County Government, she managed over $2 million in funding for underserved adult healthcare services, including substance abuse, mental health, HIV care, and services for the homeless. Notably, she led the creation of a community health worker program and led the development of a county proclamation declaring racism a public health crisis.
Dr. Edouard also served as a visiting professor in Illinois, teaching public health courses focusing on racism and health. Before her current role, she managed NACDD’s inaugural Public Health AmeriCorps program, a 3-year, $2 million grant fostering the next generation of public health leaders. Her work continues to bridge social justice and public health, striving for equity and improved quality of life.
Dr. Edouard’s dedication to public health transcends her professional roles and is illustrated through her extensive community engagement. She has held prominent positions on numerous boards, including Vice Chair of the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center, President of Manatee Bridging the Gap, and Curriculum Chair for the New Leaders Council of Tampa Bay. Presently, she serves as the Health Equity Co-Chair of the Public Health Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA).
A proud Haitian American, Dr. Edouard’s roots trace back to Miami, Florida, where she was born, raised, and continues to reside. In her spare time she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with family and friends!
Margaret Chaykin serves in the role of cardiovascular consultant for the Washington State Department of Health within the Prevention and Community Health Division. In this position, Margaret works through the conduit of cardiovascular health to foster collaboration across chronic disease programs within and beyond the Department of Health. As part of these efforts, Margaret endeavors to coordinate and increase access to evidence-based programming within Washington State through building partnerships with intention and through a process that is authored by the communities the work serves. Bringing both lived experience and over 20 years of providing direct clinical care to chronic disease patients to this position, Margaret understands the real-world barriers to health priority populations navigate. As such, ensuring public health approaches are community informed and driven are tantamount to Margaret’s public health practice.
Margaret is academically accomplished with a graduate degree in public health and in nutrition and dietetics from Bastyr University. Margaret has a long history of serving on community and nonprofit boards, including as the president for New Beginnings, Seattle’s largest and oldest domestic violence survivorship and advocacy agency. Margaret serves on NACDD’s Health Equity Council as the Chair-Elect and will assume the Chair position in 2024.
As a lifelong learner, Margaret has an enthusiasm for mentorship and knowledge sharing. Margaret is proud to be an instructor at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health where she has led transformative and thought-provoking graduate-level projects centering the inclusion of trauma-informed approaches and harm-reduction principles in food service guidelines and public health application. Margaret is passionate about applying trauma-informed approach and harm-reduction principles to public health to curate healing centered engagement within communities, particularly to address chronic disease prevention and management through a lens of equity.
Margaret is a Southern California native residing in NE Seattle. When not addressing the social injustices that may lead to chronic disease, you might find Margaret where she is happiest — near the sun, sand, and sea.
Retired from service with the Washington State Department of Health – leading staff on training to achieve health equity. Have served on the Health Equity Council since 2008 as a member, council chair and consultant.
Currently I am providing mediation services through the Pierce County Center for Dialog and Resolution.
Ms. Square is the first ever New York State AIDS Institute Health Equity Coordinator and an Executive Team member for their Health Equity Initiative. The goal of the Initiative and for the coordinator is provide educational opportunities related to health and racial equity and to identify opportunities to improve the application of health equity principles in the work of the AIDS Institute. She also serves as the current Co-Chair for the National Association of Chronic Disease Director’s (NACDD) Health Equity Council. Ms. Square’s public health career spans more than 30 years.
Dr. Farmer has over twenty years of experience working in a variety of educational and health system environments where both oral and written communication skills are valued. From academic environments to hospital settings, clinic and home visits, community meetings, and state public health environments, all these experiences have provided her with numerous opportunities to lead and facilitate both small and large groups of people and work with individuals from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, and professional backgrounds. Dr. Farmer has strong leadership and team building experience with more than fifteen years of management experience. Additionally, she has clinical and public health experience working with a variety of academic and community medical personnel to address Chronic Diseases. She has collaborated with others in the application and development of protocols and processes for the Standards of Care, Quality Improvement, Medications/Pharmacology adherence plans/protocols that apply to all patients with a focus on those covered by Medicaid and Medicare. These experiences are just a few highlights from Dr. Farmer’s years of work that she can leverage in any position. Due to her Public Health experiences, Dr. Farmer is comfortable and successful with writing CDC-grant applications, annual progress reports, and monthly reporting documents. She has significant experience in creating and maintaining a strategic work plan with updated processes documented to contribute to successful grant maintenance. Current medical professional focus includes cardiovasculardisease and diabetes prevention and management. Currently, Dr. Farmer is the Founder, Chief-Wellness-Officer, CEO, Keynote Speaker, and Professional Executive Coach for the Farmer-Ludwell Institute, LLC in Raleigh, North Carolina.
