Managing in Turbulent Times: Emerging Leaders in Public Health

Alumni

Natalie BurkeNatalie S. Burke

Co-Principal and Founder
CommonHealth ACTION, Washington, DC

 

For the past 10 years Ms. Burke held positions in public health focused on programming, budget systems, communications, policy, and organization and staff development.  In 2004, she partnered with Dr. Vincent Lafronza to found CommonHealth ACTION (CHA) www.commonhealthaction.org, a national non-profit based in Washington, DC.  CommonHealth ACTION’s mission is to help people and organizations maximize their potential to improve the health of communities, families, and individuals.  To achieve its mission, CHA provides grant making, contracting, and consulting services to help organizations (e.g., health departments, community health centers, human service agencies) improve the health and well-being of those they serve.  The organization’s services include program design, implementation and evaluation, research and development, organizational development and strategic planning, communications and media relations, and event and meeting management

Prior to founding CommonHealth ACTION, seven years of her work included managing the overall operations of the Turning Point National Program Office at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in Washington, DC.  In addition to managing budgets in excess of $10M, her primary focus was the development and implementation of the National Forum Program, which provided educational and networking opportunities for hundreds of partnership participants.  In this capacity, she worked with NPO staff and national partners on program design, concept papers, evaluation, and provision of technical assistance to community-based public health partnerships.  Ms. Burke also served as co-supervising producer for the Turning Point documentary, The Edge of America: Struggling for Health and Justice. 

From 2000 to 2002, Ms. Burke was also responsible for the Operations, Public Affairs and Membership, and Workforce and Leadership Development staff teams at NACCHO.  In that capacity and as a member of the Management Team, she oversaw and facilitated organizational processes and functions, and provided coaching and guidance for staff professional development.  She coordinated the production of Turning Point publications and other major communications efforts and provided oversight for the implementation of the NACCHO-wide communications plan and capacity building.  In 2003, she assumed program management responsibilities for the CDC-funded Birth Defects Project.

In 2004, Ms. Burke was selected for the Emerging Leaders in Public Health program and she participated in the Kellogg US-Mexico Trans-Border Study Tour.  A graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Government and Politics, prior to joining NACCHO, Ms. Burke worked on federal health policy analysis at the National Health Policy Forum as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Intern and at the National Institutes of Health.