The CDC Leaders

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

- Albert Einstein

Crayton Lankford, MBA

Chief Management Officer, Coordinating Office of Global Health

As Chief Management Officer (CMO) for the Coordinating Center for Global Health (COGH), Crayton Lankford helps CDC maximize health impact per dollar invested through the use of modern business systems and practices. Mr. Lankford provides business management and strategic planning support to the COGH to achieve CDC's global goals and objectives, with measurable results. His top priority is improving global business services—specifically, improving the effectiveness of hiring and recruitment, travel, procurement, financial management, and computer connectivity.

Mr. Lankford came to CDC from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) where he was the Deputy Regional Administrator in Atlanta. He also served as the acting Regional Administrator for six months in Atlanta and New Jersey prior to joining CDC. FNS's mission is to reduce hunger and improve nutrition and health, so he worked to not only feed people, but also to reduce obesity and improve nutrition education. In his 29-year career with USDA, Mr. Lankford also served as the director of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as the WIC Program, which works with local health departments and clinics to provide pregnant women, infants and children up to age five years with nutritious foods to supplement their diets. He also directed the Financial Management staff at USDA, and later he headed up the southeastern regional Food Stamp Program.

During his tenure as Deputy Regional Administrator, Mr. Lankford was selected for the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program and participated in an 18-month course of study, which included a four-month developmental assignment assisting the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Resources with strategic planning. He and his staff at the Southeast Regional Office were the winners of the Office of Personnel Management´s PILAR (Performance Incentives Linked to Achieving Results) Award for their work linking employee work plans to the agency's strategic plan.

He and his wife Becky have three adult children and two grandchildren.