Summary: Responsible for developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining cross-cutting activities in support of ASTHO’s health equity, antiracism, diversity and inclusion policies and programs. Leads efforts that guide and inform ASTHO’s work with state and territorial health officials looking to promote health equity and optimal health for all in their jurisdictions. Contributes to the success and advancement of ASTHO’s strategic plan by focusing on cross-program collaboration and intentional alignment with the ASTHO strategic plan. Guides technical assistance and capacity building activities as they relate to issues of health equity, diversity, and inclusion. Serves as a liaison with federal and other partners. Guides and advises on efforts that address ASTHO’s internal antiracism, diversity and inclusion work. Supervises related program staff and is a member of the ASTHO Executive Leadership Team.

Principal Functions:

• Guides Executive leadership in development of the ASTHO diversity, equity and inclusion plan for the organization, and ensures antiracism and health equity programs and project activities align with the overall ASTHO-wide strategic plan and ASTHO’s operational plan.
• Advises and assists with coordination of member-focused leadership activities and health equity related program and policy work to advance antiracism and health equity best practices and policy development in states and territories.
• Implements a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation framework as a model for member agencies.
• Works collaboratively with Human Resources, the Executive Team members, and other staff at ASTHO to advance a culture of diversity, equity and belonging through strategies and support for recruitment, retention, and engagement of a diverse workforce.
• Ensures that appropriate metrics are in place to measure performance and progress internally and externally towards health equity, antiracism, diversity, inclusion and belonging goals.
• Engages experts and stakeholders in the field of equity, antiracism, and inclusion to develop and maintain a forward-thinking culture of continuous improvement and learning and promoting a similar culture for our members and their agencies.
• Works with programmatic leadership and their teams to develop synergies around health equity related to emerging or current public health issues.
• Develops and oversees a system to captures identified policy, program, and project-related knowledge (e.g., success stories, lessons learned, etc.), assuring its accessibility to others thereby enabling improved productivity and overall service to members
• Develops and assures that health equity and antiracism work include a basis in public health science and evidence, or is informed by evidence, where such evidence exists.
• Facilitates communication to assure members’ needs are fulfilled which may require frequent contact with individual members, the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and/or policy committees.
• Oversees the monitoring and analysis of relevant legislative and regulatory issues.
• Anticipates changing policy and program issues and conveying their potential impact to ASTHO senior management which includes maintaining routine situational awareness of emerging issues and/or trends of relevance and importance to the member base.
• Formulates, drafts and reviews national public health policy related to programmatic areas including the critical and thorough analysis of federal/national policies, plans, and procedures; publications; and issues briefs prepared by other entities on topics relevant and of importance to our member base.
• Develops and fosters collaborative working relationships with other project leads, Chiefs, and other leader level staff, and ASTHO partners.
• Develops and fosters collaborative working relationships with representatives from other organizations.
• Handles press inquiries and provides media interviews, when directed.
• Expands ASTHO's health equity and antiracism work by seeking additional funding opportunities, fostering relationships with funders, and conceptualizing and integrating, as appropriate, creative new products and services into ASTHO cooperative agreement proposals.
• Assumes overall responsibility and accountability for final products developed within the area, including timeliness, accuracy and adherence to the document review procedures.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field with Public Health education and experience preferred.
• 10 years of experience in progressively more responsible leadership positions addressing issues related to disparities, inequity, racism, and diversity issues on a national or international platform.
• Knowledge and understanding of public health issues and trends.
• Proven experience with strategic planning, programming, project and resource management.
• Solid policy development and review experience.

• Supervisory and team leadership experience.
• Ability to develop and lead diverse groups.
• Outstanding written, oral and interpersonal skills
• Experience working with the media and senior government officials.
• Ability to develop accountability measures to analyze progress, evaluate outcomes, and sustain success.
• Programmatic fund-raising experience helpful.