Donna R. Dinkin, MPH

Director, National Public Health Leadership Institute
Faculty Advisor, Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute

Donna Dinkin has worked in the field of public health for over 20 years. During this time she has worked as a practitioner at both the state and local levels and as an educational consultant, where she has trained health and human service practitioners in media relations, health advocacy and crisis management.

Over the last 10 years, Donna has worked for the School of Public Health, at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In addition to teaching courses in Human Resource Management and Crisis Communication, she has represented the School as a technical advisor and project leader for several community health improvement projects across the state. From 1996 to 2004, Donna served as the Program Director for the Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute. In this role, Donna coordinated the activities of a 25 member steering committee, to design, implement and evaluate a year long leadership development program (Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute) for public health practitioners working in a five state region. Donna is currently the Director of the National Public Health Leadership Institute (PHLI), a leadership development program offered nationally to 55 senior public health officials each year. This program is the result of a partnership between UNC's School of Public Health, the Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Prior to working with the University, Donna worked as the Acting Director of Public Relations and the Adult Health Education Manager at Guilford County Department of Public Health. While in these roles, Donna developed an interest in Crisis Communication and Crisis Management. In 1993 left the health department to pursue her doctorate in Public Health Leadership/ Health Policy & Administration from UNC School of Public Health. Her doctoral research focuses on the level of crisis preparedness in local NC health departments.

Donna lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband and 2 sons. She currently volunteers as the Team Leader for the Greensboro Montessori School Crisis Preparedness Planning Committee, as a Board member for Guilford County Tobacco Use Prevention Program and is the recent Past-Chair of the National Public Health Leadership Development Network.