The CDC Leaders

“The majority see the obstacles; the few see the objectives; history records the successes of the latter, while oblivion is the reward of the former.”

—Alfred Armand Montapert

Bill Nichols, MPA

Interim Deputy Director for Management and Budget
Acting Chief Operating Officer

As the acting chief operating officer for CDC, William (Bill) Nichols, is responsible for the overall operations of CDC. He has direct and substantial impact over the agency's entire 10,000 staff, approximately 5,000 contractors, and fiscal resources of $10 billion.

Prior to assuming this responsibility, Nichols served as the Acting Chief Management Official for the Coordinating Office for Global Health. Previously, he served as Director of the agency's Procurement and Grants Office (2004-2006), as Director of the Financial Management Office (2006-2008), and as Chief Management Official for the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (2002-2004) and the National Immunization Program (1995-2001).

Over the course of his 25-year career at CDC, Mr. Nichols has attained a wealth of program experience combined with extensive procurement and budget expertise.

His first job at CDC was as a Disease Intervention Specialist in the Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, based in Cleveland, and later he worked to implement immunization programs in Santa Ana, California, and Raleigh, North Carolina. From 1995-2001, he served as the Associate Director for Management and Operations (ADMO) for the National Immunization Program where he was responsible for all human, financial, and information technology resources. During his tenure as ADMO, the United States achieved the highest immunization coverage levels and lowest vaccine-preventable disease incidence recorded up to that point.

In 2001, he was detailed to CDC′s Financial Management Office as the Acting Branch Chief of FMO′s Congressional Legislative Branch, which interfaces with Congressional appropriators and helped orchestrate the myriad Congressional visits to CDC following the World Trade Center catastrophe and the anthrax incidents. He also served as ADMO for NCHSTP, where he focused on internal management improvement activities and implementing the Advancing HIV Prevention initiative.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Georgia State University.