CDC Leadership
CDC DIRECTOR
Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Nirav D. Shah, MD, JD, serves as the Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. CDC. In this 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 (ACTING)
Sherri A. Berger, MSPH, is acting Deputy Director for Policy, Communications, and Legislative Affairs. Berger served as the CDC Chief of Staff from 2021-2023. In this role, she was the principal advisor to the CDC Director, providing strategic advice and ensuring proactive coordination of agency-wide priorities and policies in direct support of CDC’s public health mission. Berger convened leadership for resolution of issues and initiatives affecting CDC’s priorities and goals, provided strategic leadership in resolving cross-organizational issues, and served as one of the Director’s primary liaisons with staff, partners, and other federal agencies.
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 (ACTING)
Denise Cardo, MD, is the Acting 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. Dr. Cardo’s permanent role is as the director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) in CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).
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 (ACTING)
Robin M. Ikeda, MD, MPH, is the Acting Director for the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. As part of this role, Dr. Ikeda leads CDC’s efforts to investigate the relationship between environmental factors and health. She is also the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy at CDC where she supports the policy, performance, and strategy across CDC.
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
José R. Romero, MD, is the 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
Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, DrPH, MPH (CAPT U.S. Public Health Service), is the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Prior to becoming the Director of NCIPC, Dr. Jones served as Deputy Director of NCIPC. In this role, he served as the primary scientific advisor to the NCIPC Director and other senior staff on science issues in public health, clinical care implementation, epidemiology, biostatistics, economics, and behavioral science.
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 Associate Director for Laboratory Science and Safety (ADLSS) and 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 (ACTING)
Laurie Ishak, JD, MA is the Acting Director for the Office of Policy, Performance, and Evaluation (OPPE). Laurie previously served as the Deputy Director, Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy from October 2019 to December 2022.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH DATA, SURVEILLANCE, AND TECHNOLOGY (ACTING)
Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD is the Acting 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.
