Dr. Linda Alexander has dedicated over 35 years to advancing public health through strategic leadership, collaborative partnerships, and a commitment to community engagement. Her career encompasses academia, federal agencies, and community organizations, significantly contributing to science, policy, and workforce development.

Originally a behavioral scientist, Dr. Alexander completed an NIH-funded post-doctoral fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology in the 1990s. She later became Director of the Minority Health Research Laboratory at the University of Maryland. In 2002, she joined the University of Kentucky as the inaugural Director of the Health Education through Extension Leadership (HEEL) project, where she played key roles with the Kentucky Cooperative Extension and collaborated with the Colleges of Agriculture and Medicine. Her commitment to community-engaged scholarship led her to co-found Colors of Promise, a breast cancer awareness initiative for women of color in Lexington, which aligns with the mission of the UK Markey Cancer Center.

Dr. Alexander’s academic contributions have been most prominent in tobacco-related health disparities. She was a founding member of the Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TReND) and served as Senior Volume Editor for the National Cancer Institute’s Monograph 22. In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services adopted her TReND tobacco framework in its smoking cessation goals.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Alexander was appointed to the West Virginia COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, where she addressed the needs of rural, ethnic, and underserved populations. Her leadership also extends to the Board of Directors for Public Health Watch, an organization focused on environmental health and social justice, and the Arkansas Cancer Coalition, which targets cancer disparities in rural and Black communities.

Before transitioning to her current role, Dr. Alexander was a primary representative to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), serving as academic dean at two CEPH-accredited schools. She played a pivotal role in shaping public health education by fostering inclusive learning environments and advancing cultural competence.

Now, as Chief Academic Officer for ASPPH, she oversees education, accreditation, and workforce initiatives, working with national and global partners to enhance public health education. She also leads grant-funded initiatives, including a CDC project to establish national standards for infectious disease certification and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative to dismantle structural barriers in academic institutions.

Throughout her career, Dr. Linda Alexander has been a visionary leader, advocating for health equity, community engagement, and workforce development. Her legacy continues to shape the future of public health education, policy, and practice.

Alex Howard, DrPH, is the Vice President for Health & Wellness at Dogwood Health Trust, overseeing a grantmaking portfolio that invests over $17 million annually to support health-related services across 18 counties, and the Qualla Boundary, in western North Carolina. His focus is on eliminating health disparities and guiding strategic partner development.

Before joining Dogwood in April 2022, Alex was the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Appalachian State University, overseeing health related services and programs for the 20,000 enrolled students. During his time there, Alex developed a variety of student support services, assisted with the modification of university policies, managed various research projects, and maintained his love for teaching in the classroom by serving as an instructor in the Beaver College of Health Sciences.

Prior to that, Alex was a faculty member at the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health, where he helped develop the bachelor’s in public health program and managed practicum placements for master’s and doctoral students.

Courtney Marshall, MPH, is an epidemiologist and informatics specialist currently leading a team of nine at the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH). Her team works to improve electronic data exchange and modernize public health data systems, serving as liaisons between KDPH programs, technical teams, and federal, state, and local partners.

Courtney began her career at KDPH in 2018 as an Epidemiology Technical Assistant in the Reportable Diseases Section (RDS). In 2019, she became an informatics epidemiologist and the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS) coordinator.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature and in Biology from Transylvania University, earned in 2015. She was awarded a Fulbright fellowship in Malaysia in 2016 and completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Kentucky in 2019. Outside of work, Courtney enjoys hiking, making ceramic art, and traveling.