Albany –  Nancy McGraw was elected president of the New York State Association of County Health Officials (NYSACHO) at its most recent 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.

“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.”

McGraw has served as the Sullivan County Public Health Director since 2013 and has 22 years of experience in public health. 

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. 

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