CDC Leadership
CDC DIRECTOR
Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, is the Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. She is one of the nation’s top health leaders with experience leading large and complex organizations, and a proven track-record protecting Americans’ health and safety.
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Nirav D. Shah, MD, JD, serves as the Principal Deputy Director (PDD) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In his PDD role, he is involved with CDC’s work around data modernization, public health preparedness and response, laboratories, and communications.
Deputy Director for Program and Science/Chief Medical OfficeR
Debra Houry, MD, MPH, is the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at CDC. In this role, she is responsible for establishing, strengthening, and maintaining collaboration and coordination across CDC’s national centers including infectious diseases, chronic disease, environmental health, injury prevention, and public health infrastructure. Dr. Houry is also the Designated Federal Officer for the Advisory Committee to the CDC Director, working directly with private and public sector constituents to prioritize CDC’s activities and address key areas including data modernization and health disparities.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR POLICY, COMMUNICATIONS, AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS/CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
Andi Lipstein Fristedt, MPA, is the Deputy Director for Policy, Communications, and Legislative Affairs. In this role, she provides strategic policy direction to advance CDC’s public health mission and oversees the agency’s communication activities and engagement with Congress and other Washington-based partners and policymakers.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR GLOBAL HEALTH
Howard Zucker, MD, JD, is the Deputy Director for Global Health, a position he assumed in January 2023. In this role, he has broad operating authority and responsibility for overall planning, direction, and management of global strategy and programs across CDC.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Robin D. Bailey Jr., MA, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of 10 major operating divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, he oversees management, facilities, and operations at the Atlanta-based public health agency.
CHIEF OF STAFF
Kate Wolff, MPA, is CDC’s Chief of Staff. Wolff has more than 16 years of experience both inside and outside of government, creating positive organizational outcomes though strong collaboration, effective problem-solving, and crisis management. Wolff first joined the federal government at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2009, working in a variety of roles in the HHS Secretary’s office, including director of scheduling and advance, before joining the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to help manage the response to the 2014 influx of unaccompanied children, and the first chief of staff for the Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2015.
DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR FORECASTING AND OUTBREAK ANALYTICS
Dylan George, PhD, is the Director for the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CFA is building world class data and analytics capabilities to guide interventions in public health emergencies and pandemics.
DIRECTOR, GLOBAL HEALTH CENTER
Kayla Laserson, ScD, SM, FASTMH, is the Director for the Global Health Center (GHC) where she leads CDC’s global efforts to protect and improve health through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER ON BIRTH DEFECTS AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP, is the Director for the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). She has more than 30 years of experience in public health and health care, with leadership roles in the public and private sectors. Her “north star” has always been children and families, and she has shaped her career around helping every family have the best opportunity for health and well-being.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION AND HEALTH PROMOTION
Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, is the Director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), a position she assumed in August 2019. NCCDPHP has an annual budget of about $1.2 billion and more than 1,000 staff members dedicated to preventing chronic diseases and promoting health across the life span.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR EMERGING AND ZOONOTIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH/AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND DISEASE REGISTRY
Aaron Bernstein, MD, MPH, serves as the Director for the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR).
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS
Brian C. Moyer, PhD, is the Director for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is the nation’s principal source for health statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of people. In this role, he is responsible for providing leadership for a wide-range of programs, including research and analysis in health and vital statistics, epidemiology, and related health and statistical sciences.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR HIV, VIRAL HEPATITIS, STD AND TB PREVENTION
Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, is the Director of the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), and a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. He leads the nation’s efforts to prevent HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES (ACTING)
Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH, is the Acting Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, where he leads CDC’s efforts to detect, prevent, and respond to vaccine-preventable and respiratory infectious disease threats.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL (ACTING)
Sam Posner, PhD is the Acting Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control where he leads CDC’s innovative research and science-based programs to prevent injuries and violence and to reduce their consequences.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL, AND TERRITORIAL PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKFORCE
Leslie Ann Dauphin, PhD, is the Director of the National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBA, serves as the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.
DIRECTOR, CDC WASHINGTON OFFICE
Jeff Reczek, MPA is the Director of the CDC Washington Office. He has a rich history of public service in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government as well as state government.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
Kevin Griffis is the Director of the Office of Communications (OC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this position, he leads and directs comprehensive communication outreach and delivery of CDC’s health information and mission priorities along with managing risk communication and reputational issues for the agency.
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Robin D. Bailey Jr., MA, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of 10 major operating divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, he oversees management, facilities, and operations at the Atlanta-based public health agency.
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF
Kate Wolff, MPA, is CDC’s Chief of Staff. Wolff has more than 16 years of experience both inside and outside of government, creating positive organizational outcomes though strong collaboration, effective problem-solving, and crisis management. Wolff first joined the federal government at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2009, working in a variety of roles in the HHS Secretary’s office, including director of scheduling and advance, before joining the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to help manage the response to the 2014 influx of unaccompanied children, and the first chief of staff for the Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2015.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND WORKPLACE EQUITY
Reginald R. Mebane, MS, is currently the Director of CDC’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Equity (OEEOWE). As Director, Mr. Mebane is responsible for advising and counseling CDC′s executive leadership team on a variety of equal employment opportunity, diversity management, civil rights and human resources issues impacting the agency′s complex and diverse global workforce.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HEALTH EQUITY (ACTING)
Leandris Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA, is the Acting Director for CDC’s Office of Health Equity (OHE). She served as the Associate Director for Minority Health and Health Equity for CDC/ATSDR since 2011. In this capacity, she leads and supports a wide range of critical functions in the agency’s work in minority health, health equity, and women’s health.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF LABORATORY SCIENCE AND SAFETY
Jim Pirkle, MD, PhD, serves as the Director of the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety (OLSS) at CDC. In these capacities, Dr. Pirkle provides high-level oversight and coordination of critical laboratory science policies and operations, and laboratory safety and quality management at CDC.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF POLICY, PERFORMANCE, AND EVALUATION
Debra Lubar, PhD, is the director for the Office of Policy, Performance and Evaluation (OPPE). In this role, she is responsible for enhancing CDC’s effectiveness in improving policy, planning, and evaluation to address and support cross-cutting issues while leveraging CDC’s collective influence to improve public health.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH DATA, SURVEILLANCE, AND TECHNOLOGY
Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD is the Director for the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. In this position, she is responsible for leading, coordinating, and executing a comprehensive public health data strategy and improving the availability and use of public health data to inform decision-making and action. A primary focus of Dr. Layden’s role is to provide leadership for CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative and serve as an advisor to the CDC Director.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF READINESS AND RESPONSE
Henry Walke, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Office of Readiness and Response (ORR). In this role, he supports ORR’s three divisions and the Office of the Director to prepare for, respond to, and improve performance in domestic and global public health emergencies.
