What is the Network?

The National Public Health Leadership Development Network is a consortium of organizations and individuals from academic institutions, national and international organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies dedicated to advancing the practice of public health leadership in order to achieve optimal health outcomes in communities. 

Mission of the Network:

To build public health leadership capacity by sustaining a collaborative and vibrant learning community of leadership programs in order to improve health outcomes.

Network Purpose:                    

• Collaborate with and promote linkages among organizations, agencies, associations, foundations and other stakeholders to develop and/or expand public health leadership programs
• Increase and diversify participation in public health leadership programs
• Disseminate information regarding need and access to public health leadership development programs
• Provide technical assistance to emerging and existing public health leadership programs
• Contribute to the body of knowledge around public health leadership and leadership development and improve utilization of public health leadership resources, assets, and knowledge
• Expand advocacy and visibility of the Network and member institutes

Committee and Workgroup Descriptions

CHARGE:  Responsible for the affairs of the Network and establish policy to assure oversight and guidance of the Network’s activities. 

• Reviews and approves membership requests
• Reviews and approves Network workplan and makes amendments to the activities/objectives of the Network based upon Workgroup recommendations
• Establishes new workgroups and committees and attends Network activities
• Advocates for public health leadership development (e.g., letters to CDC)
• Reviews nominations and selects recipient for the Balderson Lifetime Award
• Keeps records of its actions and reports its actions to the membership

CHARGE:  Plans educational activities including the Annual Conference, the Leadership Session at APHA, and technology mediated educational events.

• Plans the Network Leadership session at APHA
• Refines and establishes the themes, details, goals/objectives, and activities of the Network Annual conference held in St. Louis, Missouri in April of each year
• Participates in coordinating teleconferences on various topics of interest related to public health leadership
• Manages the promotion and dissemination of the Collaborative Leadership materials (as per the recommendations of the Collaborative Leadership Subcommittee)

CHARGE:  Creates a slate of nominations to be brought before the membership for a vote annually.

• Creates a slate of officers and chairpersons, including the Chair-elect and the two members at-large, for the Network
• Brings the slate to the membership for a vote during the spring Annual Conference

CHARGE:  Establishes nomination and selection criteria for all Balderson awards (Lifetime, Support, and Leadership Project Awards).

• Recommends a candidate for the Balderson Lifetime Public Health Leadership Award to the Executive Committee for review and approval
• Selects the Balderson Leadership Project Awards and the Balderson Award for the Support of Public Health Leadership Award recipients

CHARGE:  Maintains an up-to-date inventory of evaluation processes, methodologies and instruments used by leadership development programs.  Identifies potential funding sources required to expand evaluation efforts within the Network.

• Uses a social science framework to describe the impact of public health leadership training
• Shares evaluation methodologies and instruments
• Assesses the impact of evaluation on leadership programs
• Creates standards which validate the competency framework
• Revises the logic model, as needed, to be used as a resource tool for PHLIs

CHARGE:  Develop, revise, and promote a competency framework for use by Leadership Institutes as a basis for design of core curriculum modules based on expected performance levels.

• Assesses the need for revision of competency framework
• Validate use of competency framework among leadership institutes

CHARGE:  Promote and support publications composed by Network Committee and/or Workgroup members related to public health leadership.

• Identifies potential topics related to public health leadership for publication
• Works with Network Committee and/or Workgroup members in disseminating public health leadership information

CHARGE:  Establishes relationships/linkages with other organizations and individuals who have the capacity to support leadership development.

• Collects key stories and other critical data and information that will support the continued expansion of public health leadership development
• Continues to expand advocacy efforts through the partnership with the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)
• Provides technical assistance and expertise to developing leadership institutes and programs
• Creates a conceptual model of how various organizations in the greater public health arena contribute to leadership development
• Surveys membership to assess which organizations they serve on that could (potentially) contribute to public health leadership development

CHARGE:  Revises the Network’s membership criteria, as needed.

• Reviews and refines the membership criteria for the different classifications of membership (e.g., full member organization, affiliate member organization, affiliate individual member)
• Sends letters to institutes who are no longer in existence by extending them affiliate individual membership to the Network

CHARGE:  Researches and reports on the best practices and innovative strategies for implementing and sustaining public health leadership development activities.

• Gathers and disseminates resources on topics used within leadership development programs
• Identifies potential funding sources for leadership development programs and the Network

CHARGE:  Develops and implements strategies to sustain the future viability of the Network while also seeking ways to expand leadership development.

• Works with Network Committee and/or Workgroup members to plan and implement actions related to advocacy and the sustainability of the Network
• Represents the Network on all levels to support its continued existence
• Maintains communication between strategic partners and Network members