AZPHA held our annual members meeting last Friday afternoon. We covered a host of AZPHA business like finances, governance, professional development activities, membership update and a summary of our advocacy approach and actions over the last year. We also thanked our outgoing board members and welcomed our new Board members and those who moved to new positions.
Elena Burr, Director of Communications & Outreach at AllThrive 365, will serve as Director of Communications. She is recognized for her community-centric storytelling, relationship-building, and visionary leadership in healthy aging and public health. Elena serves as the Chair of the Arizona Health Equity Conference Planning Committee and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Arizona.
Charity Moparthy, graduate student at the University of Arizona, will serve as Student Representative. She is pursuing a Master of Public Health with a focus on Health Policy and Management from the University of Arizona and brings hands-on experience in research coordination, student engagement, and community outreach, with a deep commitment to health equity and amplifying youth voices.
Lora Timmons, DHPE, MPH, Dean for Nursing and Healthcare at GateWay Community College, will serve as Director of Professional Development & Academic Relations. With a Doctorate in Health Professions Education and a Master of Public Health, Dr. Timmons has a proven track record in increasing student success, developing new academic programs, and fostering industry partnerships. She is a certified experiential educator and has served on many advisory boards and committees dedicated to advancing public health education.
Felicia Trembath, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at Midwestern University, will serve as Vice President. Dr. Felicia Trembath is a respected public health scholar and educator. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Master of Public Health, and her research and leadership have focused on infectious disease prevention, health promotion, and academic excellence. She is a recipient of the prestigious Health System Integration Program Fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Helena Whitney, from the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, will serve as Director at Large. With over two decades of experience in Medicaid and healthcare policy, government relations, and public health consulting, Helena has held senior roles in legislative affairs, led statewide health assessments, and developed innovative programs to improve health equity and behavioral health outcomes.
Annual Members Meeting Financial Review
The 98th Annual Members Meeting was held, with President Sean Clendaniel opening the meeting and highlighting the upcoming centennial celebration in two years.
Dr. Christine Girard presented the Treasurer’s Report detailing financial accountability and the financial landscape of the organization. She explained the fiscal year operations, including consulting with NPO Accountants and preparing financial statements following GAAP.
She presented a bar graph showing the total net assets from fiscal year 2016 through 2025, noting a significant increase in revenue over the last 7 years. She emphasized the need to further diversify revenue streams and mentioned the recent completion of strategic planning work.
APHA Governance and Advocacy Update
Rebecca Nevedale (our Affiliate Representative on the Governing Council) provided an update on her role as the representative to APHA’s Governing Council, explaining its functions and her involvement in policymaking and advocacy at a broader scale. She highlighted APHA’s involvement in six lawsuits to protect public health and introduced the Campaign for the Public’s Health, a new initiative led by Dr. Benjamin.
APHA Strategic Initiatives and Advocacy
Rebecca discussed APHA’s initiatives, including the formation of a “war room” for strategic policy planning and a new campaign to combat adverse policies. She highlighted the modernization of the policy brief process and a revised nominations process aimed at improving geographic representation. Rebecca also mentioned APHA’s advocacy priorities, financial challenges, and the adoption of a policy on hate-motivated behavior, while emphasizing the importance of supporting the organization financially. She concluded by encouraging participation in APHA activities, particularly for those involved in sections or caucuses, to enhance collaboration at the state level.
AZPHA Policy Updates and Advocacy
AZPHA provided updates on their activities in 2025, including delivering over 50 public health policy updates and action alerts. They discussed their decision-making process, which involves weekly policy meetings and considering factors such as mission alignment and community impact. AZPHA plans to monitor upcoming bills, including one on over-the-counter ivermectin and another related to children’s bicycles, and will meet virtually on Fridays at 2 in January and February.
Will Humble explained the process of reviewing and taking positions on bills in policy committee meetings, emphasizing the importance of resolutions passed by AZPHA members since the 1930s to guide their advocacy. He highlighted their unique ability to quickly take positions on bills due to these resolutions, which helps raise their profile with lawmakers and journalists.
Penny Allee-Taylor mentioned their work with the Arizona Corporation Commission, noting that while their advocacy efforts have been challenging in recent years, they plan to continue engaging with the commission. Felicia Trembath, chair of the Professional Development and Academic Relations Committee, discussed their recent conference on modernizing public health practice and ongoing member webinars, which will continue into the next year.
AZPHA 2026 Initiatives and Growth
Felicia and Will discussed upcoming events and initiatives for AZPHA in 2026, including a heat prevention presentation and a behavioral health conference. They highlighted the success of recent networking events and a National Public Health Week panel.
Dr. DeShawn Taylor presented a membership report, noting a significant increase in members over the years, particularly due to organizational memberships. The survey results revealed that most members heard about AZPHA through word of mouth, and the majority were satisfied with the organization. The association plans to use this feedback to refine its programming and activities in the coming years.
Behavioral Health Conference Planning
Will discussed the upcoming May 1st conference focusing on behavioral health, including topics like court-ordered treatment, homelessness, and maternal mental health. He mentioned the need to balance conference planning with legislative session work and other responsibilities.
Will also touched on the organization’s 98-year history and plans for its 100th anniversary in 2028. Finally, he reviewed the recent board-driven strategic planning process, which included a SWOT analysis and development of a draft strategic work plan for the board to review in January.
Board Member Transition Recognition
The meeting focused on recognizing outgoing board members for their contributions, while welcoming newly elected members including Charity Moparthy as student representative, Laura Timmons for professional development, and Helena Whitney as member at large.
Sean Clendaniel highlighted the competitive election process and praised the incoming board members, while expressing gratitude to the current board and members for their dedication to public health. The conversation ended with a warm introduction of Lauriane as the new president, acknowledging her leadership qualities and enthusiasm.
2026 Public Health Conference Planning
The board discussed plans for the 2026 public health conference, noting strong interest in AZPHA events and a high number of board applications, including many students. They agreed to focus on providing more engagement pathways for the public health workforce and to support Will, their sole paid staff, by handling non-essential tasks while allowing him to focus on policy and advocacy.
Will outlined the conference planning process, including a January call for proposals, review committees, and free attendance for selected presenters, while Dr. DeShawn Taylor emphasized the importance of securing sponsorships from for-profit organizations to keep conference costs low.
