WEBINAR: Needs Assessments: Opportunities for Collaboration across Multiple Stakeholders - July 9 at 3pm
Jdeangelo CommonHealth ACTION
Vincent Lafronza, EdD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), provides leadership and direction on all NNPHI initiatives, and develops collaborative efforts with NNPHI’s numerous public health institutes and partners throughout the nation. Dedicated to the vision of improving the public’s health through innovation, NNPHI is the national membership network committed to helping public health institutes promote and sustain improved health and wellness for all. Beginning his career in health and human services in 1985, Dr. Lafronza has held health policy and programming positions in government, nonprofit, and university sectors to advance population health at multiple levels of intervention, including community, state, federal, national, and tribal spheres of influence. Prior to his current NNPHI appointment, Dr. Lafronza convened a winning team of colleagues to establish two nonprofit organizations, CommonHealth ACTION and the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHi), a public health institute serving the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. Previous appointments included a ten-year appointment with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) where he served as the program director for the Turning Point National Program Office and senior advisor to NACCHO programs, executing program portfolios in excess of $14 million. Before joining NACCHO, Dr. Lafronza held an appointment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta, Georgia that involved providing technical assistance to U.S. communities affected by hazardous waste. Dr. Lafronza’s background in the fields of gerontology, behavioral health, community environmental health intervention, and public health systems development in communities, states, and American Indian/Alaska Native nations inform his perspectives and approaches.
Dr. Lafronza holds a Doctorate of Adult Education, Master of Science, and Certificate of Gerontology. He also completed an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Engineering Postgraduate Research Fellowship in Public Health, as well as two Salzburg Fellowships focused on the social and economic determinants of public health. He is an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), and serves on the board of directors for Education, Training, and Research Associates (ETR).
Donald W. Mathis is President/CEO of the Community Action Partnership, a Washington, DC-based national organization representing the interests of 1,000 Community Action Agencies across America that fight poverty on the local level. Mathis joined the Partnership in July 2007.
Mathis provides leadership and guidance to CAAs and oversees the development and implementation of several anti-poverty initiatives. He is also responsible for raising the visibility of Community Action through strategic branding, marketing, and public relations approaches; establishing new collaborations, and advocating for the 46 million Americans living in poverty.
Mathis came to the organization following ten years as Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County, Maryland. While at the Boys & Girls Clubs, he served as board chairman of the Maryland Rural Development Corporation, a Community Action Agency, and on the MRDC’s Head Start Policy Council. Mathis has also held senior positions at the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office, National Network for Youth, the National Youth Employment Coalition, and the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps. He’s a former Head Start teacher and he served on the board of the National Head Start Directors Association and co-chaired the NHSDA Legislative Committee.
Currently, Mathis serves on the boards of the Coalition on Human Needs, the Emerald Cities Collaboration (a nationwide retrofitting/green jobs initiative), University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health ($ 2 billion annual budget hospital/hospice/rehab system), and Doctors for America. He served two terms as chair of the Maryland Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism and currently serves on the Susquehanna Workforce Network in Maryland and as a trustee at the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.