Albany, NY - The New York State Association of County Health Officials (NYSACHO) announced the results of its 2022 election for Board of Directors and leadership. NYSACHO represents all 58 local health commissioners and public health directors, serving as the voice for all of New York State’s local health departments.
Nancy McGraw was elected president of NYSACHO. She has served as the Sullivan County Public Health Director since 2013 and has 22 years of experience in public health. She earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University at Albany (2018), an Executive MBA in healthcare administration from Binghamton University (1999), and a Master of Social Work (1992) from Marywood College. She has served on the NYSACHO Board of Directors since 2017, including as vice president for the past year.
She currently serves on the Board for the New York State Association for Rural Health, the Sullivan County Cornell Cooperative Extension Program Advisory Committee, and the Sullivan 180 Advisory Board. As Sullivan County’s Public Health Director, she has led community health assessment and improvement projects, and has guided the Sullivan County Rural Health Network, bringing together community stakeholders to address health equity, chronic disease, maternal and child health, dental health, and the opioid crisis. She also has coauthored research studies in collaboration with New York University’s School of Medicine on food insecurity and the burden of chronic disease in rural geographic areas, with the goal of advocating for additional public health resources in rural counties that have pockets of the highest burden of disease in the state.
“I’m deeply honored to be elected by my colleagues to lead such an esteemed, knowledgeable, and committed Board of Directors and membership,” McGraw stated. “New York State is incredibly diverse, which requires our policies and investments to address issues that uniquely impact urban, suburban, and rural communities. I’m excited to build on this year’s momentum to reinvest in public health and improve the health and well-being of every community across New York State.”
Sarah Ravenhall, NYSACHO Executive Director, said: “We are fortunate to be led by such a skilled and experienced Board of Directors, and I am grateful for their service to their communities and to NYSACHO. The pandemic has brought even greater focus on the challenges faced by our local health departments. The recently enacted state budget was an important first step in reinvesting in our public health infrastructure. Under the leadership of President McGraw, the Executive Committee and the full Board of Directors, we look forward to partnering with New York State elected leaders to continue taking the steps necessary to fully strengthen and stabilize our local public health preparedness and response capabilities.”
McGraw’s leadership team is joined by Dr. Irina Gelman, Commissioner of Health for Orange County, who was elected as Vice-President/President-Elect. Dr. Gelman joined the NYSACHO Board in 2016 and brings her expertise in telehealth, as well as her clinical expertise, to the NYSACHO Executive Committee. Dr. Gelman also served as the co-chair of NYSACHO’s emerging issues committee, addressing such issues as opioid use, cannabis regulation and emergency preparedness.
The NYSACHO Board is also joined by newly elected director Diane Devlin, Public Health Director for Wayne County. Ms. Devlin has served as public health director for Wayne County since 2008 and led her department’s efforts to achieve national public health accreditation as part of a collaborative accreditation process with Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, and Yates Counties.
The full slate of elected Directors includes:
- Nancy McGraw, LCSW, MBA, MPH—NYSACHO President*, Public Health Director, Sullivan County Public Health
- Irina Gelman, DPM, MPH—Vice President/Treasurer*, Commissioner, Orange County Health Department
- Indu Gupta, MD, MPH, MA, FACP—Past President*, Commissioner, Onondaga County Health Department
- Linda Beers, MPH, Public Health Director/Director of Services for Children with Disabilities, Essex County Public Health Department
- Heidi Bond, BSN, CPH, Director of Public Health/Director of Patient Services, Otsego County Health Department
- Diane M. Devlin, MS, RN, BSN, Director of Public Health, Wayne County Public Health
- Amy E. Gildemeister, PhD, Director of Public Health, Schoharie County Department of Health
- Sami Jarrah, MPH, CFO/Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Michael Mendoza, MD, MPH, MS, FAAFP, Commissioner of Public Health, Monroe County Health Department
- Paul A. Pettit, MSL, CPH, Public Health Director, Genesee County Public Health Department and Orleans County Health Department
- Carol M. Smith, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health and Mental Health, Ulster County Health Department
- Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, DO, MPH, CPE, DABFM, FAAFP, Commissioner of Health/Medical Director, Rockland County Department of Health
- Christine Schuyler, BSN, RN, MHA, Public Health Director/Social Services Commissioner, Chautauqua County Health Department
The new board of directors and executive committee began their one-year term June 1, 2022. To view a listing of NYSACHO Directors and for more information, please visit: https://www.nysacho.org/about-us/board-of-directors/.
* Indicates members of the NYSACHO Board of Directors Executive Committee.
