Dr. Alexis Nolen has been named the new executive director of Boulder County Public Health.
Nolen has served as the health department’s deputy director since September 2020, including 13 months as interim director. She has worked in public health for over 25 years.
“The board is thrilled to appoint Dr. Lexi Nolen as Executive Director for Boulder County Public Health,” said Morgan McMillan, president of Boulder County Board of Health, in a release. “We are confident that Lexi’s exceptional leadership will continue to create positive change in our communities, enhance our public health programs and empower public health staff to address the complex social, economic and environmental conditions that affect the health of everyone in Boulder County.”
Nolen took over as interim director for the health department last July, having previously served as acting executive director during the previous search for a director. Since joining BCPH, the county said Nolen has provided exceptional leadership to staff and partners during the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and Marshall fire, as well as setting a future course for the agency’s vision and priorities.
“I continue to be excited about the future of public health in Boulder County and the important work we do to support our communities on various challenging fronts,” Nolen said. “Boulder County Public Health is known for its innovation, commitment to best in service, and championing of health and racial equity, and I’m proud to work with our staff and regional leadership partners.”
She holds a Doctorate in Health Policy and Ethics focusing on health equity from the University of Texas Medical Branch and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Texas.
Nolen’s previous experience includes:
- Founding vice president for Impact at the Episcopal Health Foundation, the largest health foundation in Texas.
- Executive Director of the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where she led an initiative to advance pro-health/pro-equity disaster recovery planning for Galveston, Texas, after Hurricane Ike; served as the interim director of the Global Health Program; taught ethics and policy to medical, nursing and allied health students; and advanced environmental justice and health equity efforts in East Texas.
- Secretariat assistant manager of the World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health, which developed a strong evidence base that links equity and social determinants of health, supported national governments to advance pro-equity policies through addressing social determinants of health, and leveraged the power of civil society by aligning goals.
- Founding coordinator of the Global Equity Gauge Alliance, a consortium of 13 health equity initiatives across Latin America, Africa and Asia that focused on rapid equity gains by combining evidence, community engagement and policy action.
