Board Names Lisa Gonzalez as Public Health Administrator of the DeKalb County Health Department

Lisa Gonzales

Lisa Gonzalez, B.S., MPH, was appointed as the new Public Health Administrator of the DeKalb County Health Department by the DeKalb County Board of Health.

Christina Jones, President of the DeKalb County Board of Health, said “Lisa brings extensive experience in public health to the Administrator position. The Board of Health has confidence in Lisa’s vision and looks forward to her leadership at the Health Department and in our community.”

Gonzalez comes to the DeKalb County Health Department with fifteen (15) years’ experience in public health, the last seven (7) years of which have been in administrative positions including recently serving as the Director of Family Health Services at the Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD). As the Director of Family Health Services, Gonzalez provided oversight and direction to several Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and clinical programs, and a staff of 60 public health professionals.

Gonzalez achieved many accomplishments during her tenure at WCHD. Highlights include writing grants to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to secure funding for needed community programs designed to ensure access to healthcare and social services; serving in various roles within the Incident Command structure, utilizing federal emergency management and other training to appropriately respond to emergencies and community health threats; and participation in the development of the application for Public Health Accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

Prior to serving as Director of Family Health Services for WCHD, Gonzalez served as Director of Personal Health Services for the Boone County Health Department. Gonzalez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Promotion and a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Health Administration, both from Northern Illinois University. After completing her undergraduate degree at NIU, Gonzalez worked as a Health Educator at the DeKalb County Health Department. Gonzalez said “I am very excited to return to the Department in this capacity and look forward to working with the dedicated staff to advance the identified public health priorities.”

As Public Health Administrator for DeKalb County, Gonzalez will strive to carry out the responsibilities of the position at the same high level of professionalism and dedication that has been demonstrated in the past. She will work closely with the Board of Health to provide programming and services that support the mission of the department and meet community needs. Gonzalez stated “the importance of Public Health often times goes unnoticed because if we are doing our job well, you may not hear about the valuable work being done. Public Health works diligently to protect and improve the health of families and communities and focuses on the health of the entire population, over the entire lifespan.” Gonzalez hopes to bring a greater awareness within the community of available public health services and to the many ways in which public health impacts the well-being of individuals, families and the community as a whole.

Jane Lux, Public Health Administrator, stated that she has had an opportunity to orient Lisa to the DeKalb County Health Department and her new role. “It is evident that Lisa is well versed in the many and varied roles of local health departments” said Lux. “In the short time we have spent together, I have observed her passion and leadership expertise. I am confident she will continue our tradition of excellent public health services in DeKalb County.” Lux will retire at the end of June after 35 years at the Health Department.