Adam Forker Named New DuPage County Health Department Executive Director
Retirement of Current Executive Director, Karen Ayala, MPH, June 30, 2023
DuPage County - The DuPage County Board of Health is pleased to announce Adam Forker, MPH will become the new Executive Director of DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) effective July 1, 2023. Forker is currently the Deputy Director of Business Operations overseeing Human Resources, Finance, Billing, Quality and Compliance, Health Promotions, Intake, and Client Access functions for the organization.
“Adam has dedicated close to 15 years of service to the Health Department. He is well respected among our community partners and is committed to advancing the agency’s mission of providing exceptional public health services to DuPage County residents,” said Sam Tornatore, President of the DuPage County Board of Health.
Forker is a dedicated professional with vast experience leading public health initiatives such as the design and implementation of services to ensure residents have access to care through health insurance; and was instrumental in operationalizing the DCHD COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic which provided life-saving vaccinations to more than 100,000 individuals.
“I am honored to be the next executive director and inspired by the opportunity to lead our extraordinary public health workforce at DCHD,” said Forker. “The impact of public health is tremendous. We face big challenges in DuPage County – particularly mental health and substance use disorder, chronic disease and access to care, and ensuring preparedness for emerging public health threats. I will continue to advance the work of the Health Department to improve the well-being of the DuPage County community.”
Forker holds a bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from Illinois State University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He succeeds Karen Ayala, MPH, as Executive Director, who has led the agency for the last 10 years and is retiring on June 30, 2023. Over the next month, Forker’s selection will be formally approved through the Illinois Department of Public Health and then by the DuPage County Board of Health. He will work with Ayala over the course of the next 10 weeks to assure a smooth transition for the agency.
“It has been my privilege to serve as the Health Department’s executive director over the past 10 years,” Ayala said. “I have had the distinct pleasure of working alongside many dedicated and hard-working public health staff, elected leaders, and community partners during my time here. My work has focused on facilitating positive change and making an impact by addressing public health issues in our county.”
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