Raynard E. Washington, PhD, MPH

Dr. Raynard Washington currently serves as Public Health Director for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He was appointed in December 2021, making him the first African American to serve in this role. Washington leads more than 900 interdisciplinary public health professionals working daily to protect and improve the health of the county's 1.1 million residents with an emphasis on improving health equity. Prior to this role, he served as the Deputy Health Director, directing internal operations and the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before moving to Charlotte, Washington served as Chief Epidemiologist and Deputy Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia. After completing his graduate training in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Washington spent several years in Washington, DC at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.