WSPHA is made up of a very small staff, special project contractors, and tireless volunteers.
Laura Hitchcock
Executive DirectorWSPHA's Executive Director is
Laura Hitchcock, BA, JD, who brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, association and coalition advocacy. She is a passionate advocate for public health, with a career that included living for three years in East Africa and extensive international travel. With a clear understanding of what life looks like without public health infrastructure, she brings this perspective, coupled with many years of promoting social change in legislative and Congressional contexts to WSPHA as its second Executive Director in the organization’s 75 year history. Laura’s email:
lhitchcock@wspha.org.
Betsy Skoda, BA, MPA, our new Administrative & Program Assistant in 2010, is a welcome addition to the organization.
Betsy Skoda received a Masters in Public Administration from
the University of Washington and a BA in Environmental Studies and
Geography from Middlebury
College. She received a Certificate in Public Health
as part of her MPA. Prior to graduate
school, she worked as a chef in Seattle and New York.
During her studies, she worked on projects with Health Care
without Harm, Washington Physicians’ for Social Responsibility and the
Washington Health Foundation, where she helped to plan a Health Summit for
Young Adults. Additionally, she has
experience in event planning and as a paralegal in the private and non-profit
sectors, including as Assistant to the General Counsel of the National Audubon
Society.
Betsy is interested in the connections between environmental
and human health, and sustainable food issues.
She lives in Seattle
with her husband and 10-month old daughter, Edy. Betsy's email: bskoda@wspha.org.
Laura Nalbandian is the Joint Conference on Health coordinator in 2010. Laura brings nearly 20 years of conference and meeting planning experience to the Joint Conference on Health, supporting a strengthened planning process, and increased outreach to exhibitors and prospective attendees for 2010. Laura's email: lnalbandian@wspha.org.