Brian Castrucci, DrPH, MA, "Skills and Strategies for Where the Puck is Going -- Wait, Is it Even Still a Puck?"

Brian Castrucci is a disruptor, instigator, and fierce advocate for public health. Inside Philanthropy once described him as a “fount of knowledge and passion when it comes to health” who speaks with “sound-bite-perfect urgency” on the social determinants of health. Over the past eight years, Brian has helped build the de Beaumont Foundation into a national powerhouse in public health philanthropy and advocacy, and he now serves as the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer. An award-winning epidemiologist with 10 years of experience in state and local health departments, Brian brings a unique background that allows him to shape and implement visionary and practical initiatives and partnerships that bring together research and practice to improve public health. Under his leadership, the de Beaumont Foundation is driving change to improve population health, foster collaboration between public health and other sectors, and strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure. CityHealth, the BUILD Health Challenge, and the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey are among the national projects he has helped to create while at the Foundation.

Jennifer McKeever, MSW, MPH, "Making the Connection: How the Drive to Connect in a Socially Distanced World Could Improve our Approaches to Learning in Public Health”

Jennifer McKeever is an independent consultant with over 15 years of experience turning big ideas into actionable programs. She specializes in creating teams, systems, and processes to successfully implement large public health initiatives. Jennifer is well-known for her ability to design, convene, and facilitate meaningful conversations and learning events. Most recently, Jennifer led the creation of NNPHI’s National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT), guiding the organization's investment in the public health workforce. Through innovative learning technologies and proven approaches grounded in adult learning theory, NCCPHT serves all public health professionals by expanding access to high-quality training, tools, and resources they need to effectively respond to complex public health issues. She also created the www.phlearningnavigator.org and NNPHI's Project ECHO network. Jennifer’s work is driven by the belief that the workforce is public health’s most valuable asset, and we should demonstrate that value through funding and quality workforce development. 

Douglas Taren, PhD, MS, "The Post-COVID Workforce of the Future"

Douglas Taren is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. He has more than 30 years of experience conducting research and training students in international health. His research and teaching activities have included projects in Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, China, Nepal, Kenya, Senegal, and the US Associated Pacific Islands, and more. Dr. Taren currently directs the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) for HRSA Region 9 (Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii and the US Affiliated Pacific Islands). The WRPHTC works to strengthen the public health workforce through interactive, skill-based training.

Betty Bekemeier, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, "The Post-COVID Workforce of the Future"

Betty Bekemeier is a professor at the University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing and Director of the UW School of Public Health’s Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. She is a distinguished public health systems researcher focused on improving the effectiveness of our prevention systems and related workforce.  She has led numerous studies regarding local health department services and their impact on health outcomes and equity. She emphasizes the inclusion of rural public health jurisdictions to generate evidence that will improve the reach and distribution of services to underserved communities and meet the needs of the rural workforce. Dr. Bekemeier is also PI of the Public Health Activities and Services Tracking (PHAST) Study, initiated in 2010 through the RWJF. PHAST is a highly regarded, growing database of uniquely detailed and linked data regarding LHD services and financing, including the PHAST Uniform Chart of Accounts which is helping local health departments have better access to meaningful financial data for decision-making. Dr. Bekemeier’s projects and studies are carried out in close partnership with public health practice leaders and have been immediately relevant to addressing current policy issues. She has also held many leadership positions in, including those in the Washington State Public Health Association, the American Public Health Association, NACCHO’s Profile Workgroup.

Michael Fraser, PhD, CAE, "Mitigating the Fear of the Unknown: Strategies to Build Resilience in the Face of COVID-19"

Michael Fraser is chief executive officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the national nonprofit organization representing state and territorial leaders of public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in state‐based public health practice. Dr. Fraser is a dynamic leader in the health care and public health fields. Prior to joining ASTHO, he served as the executive vice president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Medical. Michael has been a distinguished leader in public health for over twenty years. He served as CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) from 2007 to 2013, he was the deputy executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials from 2002 to 2007 and served in several capacities at the US Department of Health and Human Services, including positions at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tracy Delaney, PhD, "Advancing Equity During COVID-19: Lessons and Opportunities"

Tracy Delaney is founding director of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, a regional coalition of eight local health departments whose members have statutory responsibility for the health of 50% of California’s population. Her work advances population health and equity through multi- sector initiatives addressing policy, systems and environmental change. She has spearheaded multidisciplinary projects integrating land use and transportation, food systems, climate and water resources and community equity indicators. During her tenure at the County of San Diego, she was Principal Investigator for Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, the nation’s largest federal obesity prevention award, and the CDC’s Community Transformation Grant. She holds a doctorate in Nutrition from University of California, Davis.  Dr. Delaney was honored with the Leadership Award by the Southern California Public Health Association. 

Lisa Villarroel, MD, MPH, "Arizona Surge Line: A 24/7 Transfer Service that Crosses Counties, Regions, and Hospital Systems"

Dr. Lisa Villarroel serves as the Medical Director for the Division of Public Health Preparedness at the Arizona Department of Health Services.  She received her Bachelors in Biology at Princeton University and her Doctor of Medicine at Northwestern University before getting her Master’s in Public Health and becoming board certified in Family Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona.  At the Department she has served as the Medical Director for the Arizona emergency response to Ebola, Zika, Opioid and COVID-19 Crises.  She was a lead for the Arizona Opioid Prescribing Guidelines (2018), the Arizona Pain and Addiction Curriculum (2018), the Arizona Surge Line, and the Arizona Surge Staffing Initiative.  In addition to her work at the health department, she is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a practicing locum tenens.