ATLANTA (Oct. 1, 2021) —The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is pleased to introduce seven new incoming Board Members for NACDD’s Fiscal Year 2021-2022. The following will serve as At Large Directors with their term beginning Oct. 1 and continuing through Sept. 30, 2022.

• Linnea Fletcher (Utah) – Program Manager for the Healthy Environments Active Living (HEAL) Program at the Utah Department of Health
• Marisa Lara (New Hampshire) – Administrator at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services
• Patrick Luces (Guam) – Program Coordinator IV, Guam Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Control Program, Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services
• Melissa Martin (Louisiana) – Director, Louisiana Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Healthcare Access, Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health
• Morgan McDonald (Tennessee) – Deputy Commissioner, Population Health, Tennessee Department of Health
• Jennifer Sousa (Florida) – Deputy Bureau Chief, Chronic Disease Prevention, Florida Department of Health

And Dr. Leslie McKnight (Illinois – Peoria County) – Director of Community Health Policy and Planning, Peoria City/County Health Department, will serve as an Associate At Large Director.

The Board’s incoming President Kristi Pier, MHS, MCHES, is the Director of the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at the Maryland Department of Health. Pier has worked in public health for more than 20 years, in diabetes prevention extensively since 2007.

Ryan Lester, MPH, Kansas was elected as President-Elect for the new term. Lester is the Director of the Bureau of Health Promotion at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and is the current Treasurer of the Board.

Sonja Schriever, RN, the Chief for the Bureau of Community and Environmental Health (BCEH) in the Division of Public Health at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and current At Large Director of the NACDD Board, was elected Treasurer for the 2021-2022 term.

Linda Scarpetta, MPH, Director of the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Control at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will remain in her role as Secretary.

Susan Kansagra will move to the role of Past President. During her term, Dr. Kansagra’s President’s Challenge focused on advancing racial equity as a core component of state chronic disease programs.

“NACDD has benefitted greatly from Susan’s steady hand, dedicated support, and extraordinary commitment to helping our field grow and evolve with the times,” NACDD CEO John Robitscher said. “We are beyond grateful for her leadership in the Association’s continued drive toward excellence.”

NACDD also is thankful for the service of its outgoing Board Members: Cassandra Dove Brown (Mississippi), Monica Morales (California), Dr. Shamarial Roberson (Florida), Mary Manning (Minnesota) and Laurie Schneider (Colorado).

The complete FY 2021-2022 Board:

Officers

President: Kristi Pier, MHS, MCHES,Maryland

President-Elect: Ryan Lester, MPH, Kansas

Past President: Susan Kansagra, MD, MBA,North Carolina

Treasurer: Sonja Schriever, RN,Idaho

Secretary: Linda Scarpetta, MPH,Michigan

At Large Directors

Teresa Aseret-Manygoats, MPA, Arizona

Linnea Fletcher, MPH, MPA, CHES, Utah

Marisa Lara, MPH, RD, CLC, New Hampshire

Patrick Luces, BBA, Guam

Melissa Martin, MBA, RDN, LDN, Louisiana

Morgan McDonald, MD, FACP, FAAP, Tennessee

Jill Myers Geadelmann, Iowa

Tari O’Connor, MSW, Alaska

Lea Susan Ojamaa, MPH, Massachusetts

Bala Simon, MD, DrPH, MPH, FAAFP, Arkansas

Jennifer Sousa, MPH, BS, Florida

Associate At Large Directors

David Hoffman, DPS, CCE, New York

Leslie McKnight, PhD, Illinois

About the NACDD Board of Directors
NACDD is a Member-driven and Member-led organization. Board service is a two-year term, with Board Members able to serve up to four consecutive years. NACDD Membership evaluates Board Members based on several qualifications, including industry expertise, leadership, commitment to the Association, fiscal responsibility, ability to provide strategic vision and guidance to NACDD, and willingness to work within anti-racist and anti-oppressive frameworks and actively engage in ongoing learning about these frameworks. 

***

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors

Promoting Health. Preventing Disease.

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and its more than 7,000 Members seek to strengthen state-based leadership and expertise for chronic disease prevention and control in states and nationally. Established in 1988, in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NACDD is the only membership association of its kind to serve and represent every chronic disease division in all states and U.S. territories. For more information, visit chronicdisease.org.