Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee is responsible for the recruitment and selection of candidates for Association-wide office, including Executive Board, Speaker of the Governing Council, Treasurer and President-Elect, as well as Honorary Vice-Presidents for the United States, Latin American and the Caribbean, and Canada. All candidates for Association-wide office are selected from among the membership of the Association, except for the candidates for the offices of honorary vice president which may include persons who are not members of the Association.

The Nominations Committee of the Governing Council is composed of the President-Elect, President, Immediate Past President and the Executive Director as ex-officio, non-voting members and fourteen voting members, including nine current or past Section or Affiliate Governing Councilors, a representative from the Council of Affiliates, a representative from the Intersectional Council, a representative of the Caucus Collaborative, the immediate past chair of the Student Assembly, and a past Executive Board member (whose Executive Board term just expired).

For more information on the Nominations Committee, contact Committee Co-Chairs, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo and Alex Sheehan, or APHA Governance Liaison Courtney Taylor.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

  • Co-Chair: Iyabo Obasanjo, DVM, PhD —MCH (Term Expires 2026)
  • Co-Chair: Alex Sheehan, MPA, MPP, MS, MBA, MSPS- Mental Health (Term Expires 2027)
  • Bryan Buckley, DrPH, MPH, MBA- Past Executive Board Member (Term Expires 2026) 
  • Laurie Elam-Evans, PhD, MPH- EPI (Term Expires 2027)
  • Shenita Freeman, DSc, MSHIA, MPH — APH (Term Expires 2026)
  • Karen Mancera-Cuevas, DrPH, MPH, MS- ISC Rep (Term Expires 2026) 
  • Sarah Maness, PhD, MPH —PHEHP (Term Expires 2026)
  • Quinyatta Mumford, MPH, CHES —Caucus Collaborative Rep (Term Expires 2026)
  • Denise Strehlow- CoA Rep (Term Expires 2026)
  • Veena Thamilselvan, MSPH- SA Past Chair (Term Expires 2026)
  • Sandy Worrell, MA- HIIT (Term Expires 2027)
  • Moose Alperin, EdD, MPH, MCHES
  • Nandi Marshall, DrPH, MPH, CHES
  • Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, FAAFP — Ex-Officio- Non voting  (Immediate Past President)
  • Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP — Ex-Officio- Non voting (Executive Director)
  • Courtney Taylor, MSc — Staff Liaison

OPEN ASSOCIATION OFFICER POSITIONS FOR 2026

APHA President-Elect 

APHA Speaker of the Governing Council 

APHA Executive Board Member


Nominations will open in February 2026. Nominations will need to following information about the nominee in order to complete this form:

  • Governance, fundraising and public health experience
  • Leadership roles within APHA or related organizations
  • Evidence of impact within the nominee's field of expertise
  • Letters of recommendation, CV and bio-sketch

Interested in learning more? View the recording of a recent Q&A with current members of the Executive Board detailing why they chose to run and their experience campaigning.