Charting a Course For Future Public Health Leaders

In 2022, the Public Health Institute’s Center for Health Leadership & Impact’s (CHLI) partnership with AmeriCorps placed more than 150 Americorps members in existing leadership development programs and multi-sector teams in rural California.

Among these members was Veronica, a recent graduate from CSU Stanislaus with a BA in Kinesiology & Health Promotion concentration that just completed a public health internship that made her want to further explore the field of public health. Seeing an opportunity to work in her community, she became the first AmeriCorps VISTA member for the San Benito County Opioid Task Force (SBCOTF) shortly after its formation in 2018.

Veronica’s supervisor supported her through professional development opportunities like public speaking, program management, and grant writing. Veronica helped secure over $300,000 in grant funds and small private donations to the coalition and supported her position as a health educator within the San Benito County Public Health Department when her service ended. In 2019, she enrolled in the University of San Francisco’s MPH program.

After working as the health educator and co-lead of the SBCOTF and team lead of the Central Coast Regional Team (Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz Counties) for the COPN Accelerator 3.0 Program, Veronica stepped into a new role in 2022 as a program coordinator for PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact supporting the work of the Overdose Prevention Network.

Veronica credits her AmeriCorps service for her passion for public health, substance use-focused work, and her career trajectory of work from a small county to supporting coalitions throughout California.

A version of this story first appeared in PHI’s Center for Health Leadership & Impact’s 2022 Impact Report.