Four women in a row sit at a table. Three women are looking up and one is looking down.

(Photo credit: Rebecca Drobis)

Public health is the cornerstone of individual well-being and national security. In an era marked by increasing polarization, health cannot become another source of division. 

The Commission on Local Public Health Leadership was established in July 2025 to develop a unified, actionable vision for public health policy — one that honors diverse perspectives while prioritizing the health and well-being of every American.  

This initiative aims to address fundamental questions about the role of science in policymaking, foster nonpartisan consensus, and ensure that all voices, regardless of background or ideology, are heard. Commission members’ expertise spans public health, policy, medicine, business, and lawmaking. 

Over a 10-month period, the Commission will define the role of public health in society, recommend actionable solutions at the local level, and chart a course for equitable, evidence-based policies. 

Commission Members

  • Governor John Kasich (Chair), Former Governor, State of Ohio 
  • Mayor John Cranley (Co-Chair), Former Mayor, Cincinnati, Ohio 
  • Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA, Former Surgeon General of the United States 
  • Governor Steve L. Beshear, JD, Former Governor, State of Kentucky 
  • Congressman Tom Davis, Former Member of Congress, 11th Congressional District of Virginia 
  • Mr. Daniel E. Dawes, JD, Founding Dean, School of Global Public Health, Meharry Medical College 
  • Mr. Lenny Eliason, MPA, Commissioner, Athens County, Ohio 
  • Dr. Patrice Harris, MD, MA, FAPA, Co-Founder, CEO, eMed Digital Healthcare 
  • Dr. Pamela Hymel, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Chief Medical Officer, Disney Parks and Resorts 
  • Dr. Celeste Philip, MD, MPH, Associate Dean and Professor, Meharry School of Global Health 
  • Hon. Phyllis J. Randall, Chair, Board of Supervisors, Loudon County, Virginia 
  • Speaker Joe Straus, Former Speaker of the House, Texas State Legislature 

Frequently Asked Questions

Commission members’ expertise spans public health, policy, medicine, business, and lawmaking. They include current and former elected officials, public health experts and thought leaders, and cross-sector leaders committed to improving community health and prosperity for all.

The Commission has four key goals:

  1. Clearly articulate a framework and accountability structure for local public health leadership in every community.
  2. Define the roles and responsibilities of all sectors within this collective leadership framework that can be activated in any community to address any public health challenge.
  3. Reach consensus on an effective leadership and policy agenda that can be enacted in all communities to protect public health.
  4. Develop and activate a dissemination and accountability plan for advancing this agenda among local leaders.
  • Acknowledge the successes, and areas for growth, of current local public health leadership.
  • Focus on opportunities to strengthen local, rather than federal, public health leadership.
  • Name the realities that have produced our current state of public trust in public health, while looking forward to defining the actions needed to produce an optimal future state.
  • Uphold the importance of science while acknowledging its evolutionary essence.
  • Respect diversity of thought and perspective. Listen with empathy and understanding, and not to convince.
  • Speak honestly, openly, and directly to promote understanding.
  • Agree to reach consensus, and welcome compromise to reach collective goals.

Other questions? Please contact [email protected].Â