Biography
Jessica Boyer’s career has spanned public health academia and practice. Currently, she is the Associate Director for Assessment and Accreditation for the College of Public Health (CPH) at Temple University. She oversees the accreditation processes of the undergraduate and graduate programs which report to nine specialized accrediting bodies. This includes Temple’s transition from a CEPH-accredited Program of Public Health to an accredited School of Public Health. Jessica works closely with the Executive Team of the College to implement the vision and mission of the CPH, with a focus on the academic success of students. In addition to leading the academic assessment initiatives for the College, she is an adjunct faculty member in the Departments of Health Services Administration and Policy and Social and Behavioral Sciences, teaching courses to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Before Temple, Jessica worked for over a decade at Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a non-profit public health institute. As a senior program officer, Jessica managed a multitude of public health programs addressing issues such as housing insecurity; adolescent health; out-of-school time programming; immigrant health; child welfare and family reunification.
Jessica is currently both the President and Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Public Health Association (PPHA). She previously served as the Affiliate Representative to the APHA Governing Council on behalf of PPHA. Within APHA, Jessica is a member of the Health Administration and Public Health Social Work Sections. Her primary service to APHA has been through the Council of Affiliates (CoA) where she served as Secretary (2016-2020); Chair-Elect (2020-2021), Chair (2021-2022) and is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the CoA. During her Chair-Elect year, Jessica served in an ex-officio capacity on the ISC Steering Committee; and in her Chair year, on the APHA Executive Board (serving on the Governance and Strategic Planning committees). Jessica is the recipient of the 2020 CoA Chair Citation. In addition to her service on the CoA, Jessica served on the APHA Bylaws Committee for one complete term and was re-appointed for a second term (2017-2021).
Jessica earned her MPH and MSW from Temple University and a BA in communication and political science from La Salle University. She also holds certificates from the Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute and the Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute.
Candidate Statement
APHA has been my professional home for 20 years. My career in public health has spanned both practice and academia, and I have always felt at “home” within APHA. As such, I care deeply about this Association and seek the opportunity to continue to serve APHA and its members as an elected member of the Executive Board.
My path to APHA came through my participation in the Pennsylvania Public Health Association (PPHA). Within PPHA, I served as the President, Treasurer and Affiliate Representative to the APHA Governing Council. As of July 1, 2023, I will assume the role of Past President. During my tenure, PPHA has developed a comprehensive staffing infrastructure, completed a strategic plan and rebuilt its membership base. These experiences have prepared me to serve on the APHA Executive Board.
The Council of Affiliates has been instrumental in furthering my understanding of the various constituencies of APHA. As the representative body of the 52 state/regional public health associations, the CoA serves as the bridge connecting national and local public health priorities. Serving as the CoA Chair, gave me the opportunity to listen, discuss and address the challenges facing our Affiliates as well as celebrate their accomplishments. Further, this has given me insights into how APHA and its various components can complement each other in the best interest of the public’s health.
The throughline in my career has been evidence-based decision making, whether it was implementing public health programs for a variety of populations or assessing if students are ready for the public health workforce. This skill set will be needed as APHA continues to move through its strategic planning process.
APHA will undoubtedly have the opportunity to embrace changes that will make our organization stronger so that it can continue to be the voice of public health.
View Jessica Boyer's CV (PDF)
Response to Written Questions for Candidates (PDF)