CDC - About CDC Leadership

Ileana Arias, PhD

Acting Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Acting Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Ileana Arias, PhD, serves as Acting Deputy Director for CDC/ATSDR. In this role, she serves as the principal advisor to the director on all scientific and programmatic activities of CDC/ATSDR. Dr. Arias, is responsible for advising the director in the executive responsibilities of shaping policies and plans for CDC/ATSDR, including overseeing the organizational improvement activities.
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Lynn Austin, PhD

Chief Management Officer, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response
Dr. Austin has been with the federal government for over 32 years, including experience at EPA and OSHA and has been at CDC since 1988. With CDC, she has served as the Chief of Staff to the CDC Director from 2005 to 2008, where she managed day-to-day operations of the Director’s inner office.
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Stephanie B. Coursey Bailey, MD, MS

Chief, Office of Public Health Practice
Stephanie B. Coursey Bailey, MD, MS, began her appointment as CDC′s chief in the Office of Public Health Practice in October 2006. Though this is her first position at CDC, Dr. Coursey Bailey shares a history of affiliations with CDC beginning in 1999.
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Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH

Director, National Center for Health Marketing
Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH, became director of the National Center for Health Marketing in August 2005. He is passionate about mentoring students and was an original founder of the National Public Health Student Caucus of the American Public Health Association (APHA), now the Student Assembly of APHA.
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Richard E. Besser, MD

Director, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response
Richard Besser, MD, took the helm as director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, two hours before Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005.
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Stephen B. Blount, MD, MPH

Director, Coordinating Office for Global Health
Stephen Blount, MD, MPH, became director of the Office for Global Health in 1997. As part of an agency-wide transformation began in 2003, he has led the reorganization of his office′s international activities.
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Christine M. Branche, PhD

Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Christine M. Branche, PhD, is the Acting Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Dr. Branche began her career at CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in the Division of Injury Epidemiology and Control.
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Burma Burch, MSA, BBA

Associate Director for Management, Office of the Director
Ms. Burch began her CDC career in 1978 working in personnel management. She then worked in the immunization program where she learned to appreciate the dynamics and power of communities, participated in the effort to eradicate smallpox, and addressed many issues associated with the emergence of Legionnaires′ disease.
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Deborah Birx, MD

Director, Global AIDS Program
Deborah Birx, MD, is a renowned national and international expert in the field of HIV/AIDS. Since 2006, Doctor Birx has served as the Director of the CDC′s Global AIDS Program which implements integrated HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support programs and services and works with Ministries of Health to develop sustainable public health systems. » Read the full biographical sketch.

Gilbert Camacho, MS

Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity
Gilbert Camacho, MS, is director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. His appointment, which began October 2005, is his first position at CDC.
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Galen P. Carver, MS, PE

Director, Atlanta Human Resources Center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Galen Carver is responsible for providing strategic and operational direction to ensure effective human resources services for the CDC and ATSDR. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Carver was responsible for business and management innovations within the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response. Prior to joining CDC, he was a civilian with the Department of the Navy for 23 years.
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Rear Admiral Mitchell L. Cohen, MD, USPHS

Director, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, Assistant Surgeon General
In 2004, Mitchell L. Cohen, MD, became director of the Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases. He is a fellow in the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American Academy of Microbiology.
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Janet Collins, PhD

Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
In July 2005, Janet Collins, PhD, was named director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Most recently, she had served as acting director of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.
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George Chandler, MRP, MPA

Director, Buildings and Facilities Office (BFO)
As the Director, Buildings and Facilities Office, Chandler, is responsible for planning, design & construction, leasing, real property acquisition & disposal, and operations & maintenance of CDC′s 6.6 million square-foot nationwide facilities portfolio, valued at around $2.6 billion (2008$). BFO houses approximately 15,000 total staff in over 300 owned and leased assets nationwide.
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Carlton Duncan, MSPH

Deputy, Chief Operating Officer
As Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Carlton Duncan provides leadership and guidance in management and operations to CDC′s coordinating centers, institutes and offices, specifically in the areas of security, alternative dispute resolution, facilities, equal employment opportunities, ethics, and human resources issues. One of his top priorities is to work closely with management officials to make sure that the organizational transitions go as smoothly as possible.
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Retired Rear Admiral Henry Falk, MD, MPH, USPHS

Director, Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention
Henry Falk, MD, MPH, serves as the director of the Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention. A 30-year veteran of the US Public Health Service, Dr. Falk′s service culminated with his promotion to rear admiral and an appointment as Assistant US Surgeon General.
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Nicholas Farrell, BS

Acting, Chief Management Officer, Coordinating Office for Global Health
Nick Farrell is the Acting Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Global Health at CDC. In this position he is responsible for collaborating with global programs, and relevant business services offices, and is accountable and responsible for all business services that global programs require. Farrell is also charged with facilitating resolution of business service and management issues that are presenting as obstacles to achievement of mission objectives.
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Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD

Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD, serves as the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), a position he has held since November 2005.
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Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH

Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, took the helm as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on May 15, 2009.
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Howard Frumkin, MD, MPH, DrPH

Director, National Center for Environmental Health, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
On September 2005, Howard Frumkin, MD, MPH, DrPh, was appointed director of the National Center for Environmental Health, ATSDR. He is also an internist, environmental and occupational medicine specialist, and epidemiologist.
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Louise Galaska

Acting Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Louise Galaska, MPA, is the Acting Director for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), where she works to prevent injuries and violence and reduce their consequences. The Center′s current program priorities are preventing child maltreatment, older adult falls, and residential fire injuries and deaths.
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Donna Garland

Director, Office of Enterprise Communication
Donna Garland serves as the first director of CDC′s Office of Enterprise Communication. Since January 2005, she has assumed responsibility for the development and functioning of the office, which became an officially recognized function in September 2005.
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Anne C. Haddix, PhD

Acting Chief of the Office of Strategy and Innovation
Anne Haddix, who has been CDC′s Chief Policy Officer since May 2006, provides leadership and long-term perspective on policy development, review, and analysis for CDC′s role in improving the public′s health. She also serves as CDC′s Chief Regulatory Policy Officer. Anne is a member of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research and is playing a pivotal role in CDC′s efforts to influence health reform.
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Barbara Harris, CPA

Chief Financial Officer
As the Chief Financial Officer for CDC, Harris helps to ensure that the agency exhibits the highest degree of financial integrity and fiscal stewardship of the public funds entrusted to it. She joined CDC as a Management Analyst with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in 1988.
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Walter Harris, MBA

Chief Management Officer, Coordinating Center for Health Information Service
Walter Harris began his position as the Chief Management Officer for the Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service (CCHIS) in February 2008. He brings with him more than 20 years of leadership experience in the private sector and in the federal government in managing healthcare management, information technology (IT), and organizational development for large and small organizations.
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Ed Hunter

Acting Director, CDC - Washington
Ed Hunter represents CDC in Washington before HHS, other Administration officials, and non-governmental entities. He also directs and oversees CDC′s legislative strategy.
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Judy Kenny, MS, MPA

Director, Information Technology Services Office
As director of CDC′s Information Technology Services Office (ITSO), Judy Kenny oversees IT infrastructure. She came to CDC in 1971 as a clerk stenographer in the Immunization Program. A few years later, she accepted a position as a computer trainee.
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Rima Khabbaz, MD

Director, National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases
Rima Khabbaz, MD, serves as the director for the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases (NCPDCID). She is also a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Emory University and is board-certified in internal medicine.
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Muin J. Khoury, MD, PhD

Director, National Office of Public Health Genomics
Muin J. Khoury, MD, PhD, is the founding director of the CDC′s National Office of Public Health Genomics, formed in 1997. The office is responsible for assessing the impact of the advances in human genetics and the Human Genome Project on public health and disease prevention.
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Lonnie King, DVM

Director, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases
Lonnie King , DVM, is the agency′s senior veterinarian and the director of the newly formed National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases (ZVED). ZVED provides leadership, expertise and service in laboratory and epidemiological science, bioterrorism preparedness, applied research, disease surveillance and outbreak response for infectious diseases.
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Denise Koo, MD, MPH

Director, Career Development Division
Office of Workforce & Career Development
Denise Koo, MD, MPH, is the Acting Director of the Office of Workforce and Career Development (OWCD). In this position she leads the CDC program responsible for improving health outcomes by ensuring a competent and sustainable workforce through excellence and innovation in workforce and career development.
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Alan A. Kotch, MBA

Director, Procurement and Grants Office
Mr. Kotch began his career at CDC in June 2002 as a team leader in PGO. Recently, he has been involved in the business process re-engineering of PGO, which began in 2004. These efforts included reorganizing the structure of PGO to be better aligned with their customers, and implementing a knowledge management tool through the PGO Intranet website.
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Crayton Lankford, MBA

Acting Director, Financial Management Office
Prior to becoming the Acting Director of the Financial Management Office, Lankford was detailed to the position of Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Before that, he served as Chief Management Officer (CMO) for the Coordinating Center for Global Health (COGH) where he focused his energies on improving global business services to support CDC′s overseas offices and international programs.
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Ruth Martin

Chief Management Officer, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion
Ruth Martin serves as the Chief Management Officer (CMO) for CDC′s Coordinating Center for Health Promotion (CCHP). In this role, she is responsible for CoCHP′s business operations, including human resources, budget, finance, information technology, health and safety, procurement, facilities and administrative services.
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Reginald R. Mebane, MS

Chief Management Officer, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases
As Chief Management Officer for the Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases since February 2005, Reginald Mebane has direct authority for business operations, including human capital, information technology, grants, facilities, administrative services.
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James A. Nelson, PhD

Chief Diversity Officer, Office of the Chief Diversity Officer
James A. Nelson, Sr., Ph.D., was appointed Chief Diversity Officer on October 1, 2007. Dr. Nelson has achieved a distinguished career in the field of Diversity Education and Training and Development. He received a Master of Science degree in Management from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Ohio University.
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Bill Nichols, MPA

Interim Deputy Director for Management and Budget
Acting Chief Operating Officer
Bill Nichols serves as CDC′s senior management official, responsible for improving business services, practices, and systems through effective and efficient strategic thinking, critical analysis, resource and performance management, change leadership, business policy development, communications, and customer relations management.
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Tanja Popovic, MD, PhD, F(AAM), AM(AAFS)

Chief Science Officer
Tanja Popovic, MD, PhD, serves as CDC′s chief science officer. She is also an associate editor for Emerging Infectious Diseases, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and associate member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
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William T. (Bill) Porter, JD

Director, Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness
As the director of the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness, William Porter′s responsibilities include "safeguarding the science" and those who conduct it by providing the CDC with the professional protection necessary in a post “9/11” world. Mr. Porter came to CDC in November 1979 as the chief of Real Property and Space Management.
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Roberto Ruiz, MPA

Acting Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity
Roberto (Bob) Ruiz is a graduate of the HHS/CDC SES Candidate Development Program. Prior to his selection in the program he was the Management Officer at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta GA. Bob is a native of New York City with family history rooted in both Puerto Rico and Portugal.
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Louis Salinas, BA, MPA

Acting Chief of Staff, Office of the Director
As the acting chief of staff for CDC, Louis Salinas is responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the Office of the Director. He helps resolve issues that cross organizational lines, determine policy and program objectives, coordinate decision-making processes, and maintain a focus on the highest priority initiatives.
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Dr. Martin Sanders, PhD, RBP, CBSP

Acting Director of the Office of Health and Safety
Dr. Martin Sanders, PhD, RBP, CBSP, is the Acting Director of the Office of Health and Safety for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this capacity he is heavily involved in biosafety and biosecurity issues nationally and internationally and has traveled to numerous countries in support of biosafety and biosecurity activities.
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Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, MD, USPHS

Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service
Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Anne Schuchat, MD (RADM, USPHS), became director of CDC′s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in November 2005.
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Jim Seligman, MS

Chief Information Officer
As Chief Information Officer since June 1999, James Seligman provides leadership for the agency′s overall information technology program, including IT architecture; IT capital investment management, policy and standards development; information security; IT workforce development; and other enterprise activities.
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Katie Shebesh

Chief Management Officer for the Office of the Director
Katie Shebesh has served as the chief management officer (CMO) for the Office of the Director since October 2006. Previously, as CMO for the Coordinating Center for Health Information Service, she was responsible for improving business services, practices, and systems for three national centers—the National Center for Health Marketing, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the National Center for Public Health Informatics.
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Donald Shriber, JD, MPH

Interim Deputy Director for Policy, Legislation and Communication
Shriber is the lead for developing, communicating, and implementing CDC′s global and domestic policy. He coordinates the activities of the Office of Strategy and Innovation, the Office of Enterprise Communication, CDC′s Washington Office, and the Congressional activities currently managed by the Financial Management Office.
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Rear Admiral Steven L. Solomon, MD, USPHS

Director, Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service, Assistant Surgeon General
Steven L. Solomon, MD, has served as the director of the Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service since September 2005. He also has a clinical appointment at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
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Edward J. Sondik, PhD

Director, National Center for Health Statistics
Edward J. Sondik, PhD, came to CDC in 1997, when he began his appointment as the director of the National Center for Health Statistics. His center conducts a number of nationwide surveys that provide information on health status and on the healthcare system.
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Ed Sontag, EdD

Acting Chief Management Officer, Office of Workforce and Career Development
Ed Sontag, serves as the acting Chief Management Officer for OWCD. Prior to this position he was Special Advisor to the Director, Centers for Disease Control an Prevention (CDC) working with globalization activities among CDC, Health & Human Services (HHS), and other key partners on the globalization effort.
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Retired Rear Admiral Stephen B. Thacker, MD, MSc, USPHS

Acting Director, National Center for Public Health Informatics
Assistant Surgeon General (Ret.), USPHS
Dr. Stephen B. Thacker is the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention′s National Center for Public Health Informatics (NCPHI). I this role, Dr. Thacker provides critical leadership in the application of information, computer science, and technology to improve public health practice, research, and learning.
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Kathleen E. Toomey, MD, MPH

Director, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion
Kathleen Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., serves as the director of the Coordinating Center for Health Promotion and is responsible for the management of the coordinating center that comprises the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (including the National Office of Public Health Genomics) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
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Edwin Trevathan, MD, MPH

Director, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Edwin Trevathan, MD, MPH, returns to CDC as director of NCBDDD in July 2007. Prior to this, Dr. Trevathan served as a professor of neurology and pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at Washington University/St. Louis School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. He also served as the Neurologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children′s Hospital.
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