The Dubuque County Board of Health has named a new county health department director after a yearlong search.

Allie White, of Epworth, Iowa, will assume the role in mid-December and will have an annual salary of $100,000. She currently serves as health services coordinator for Dubuque Community Schools.

She said her first priorities in the new role include guiding the department through an upcoming strategic-planning process.

“We’ll be exploring options to promote and enhance opportunities for wellness for all age groups,” White said. “… I’m excited to get started and serve the community in the best way I can.”

White will be the department’s first permanent director since longtime leader Patrice Lambert retired at the end of 2021.

The department then was led in an interim capacity by Assistant Director Samantha Kloft until she left in August to pursue her doctorate in public health. Stacey Killian, director of UnityPoint Health Visiting Nurse Association, has served in the role on an interim basis since then.

Over the past year, the county Board of Health has struggled to find candidates who were both qualified for the position and on the job market long enough to hire.

Board members made one job offer this summer that a candidate initially accepted but then declined over family concerns. Board Chairwoman Sandra Larson said two other candidates were invited for on-site interviews but found other jobs before they could make it to Dubuque County.

“We had strong headwinds to fight because of the great resignation that took place in public health after the pandemic,” Larson said. “… But things happen for a reason, and I think the delay helped us get the perfect candidate.”

White is in her fourth year serving as the health services coordinator for the Dubuque school district after working as a school nurse there since 2012. She previously worked as a nurse in several area health care settings.

Board of Health Member Amy Crow Sunleaf said the connections that White made while working for the school district are part of what made the board select her for the role. White helped steer the district’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she worked closely with other public health officials in the county to do so.

“All the people she’ll be working with as director of the health department, she’s already worked with as health coordinator at the school, so that’ll be a leg up for her,” Crow Sunleaf said.

White was born and raised in Dubuque County, graduating from Hempstead High School and later receiving her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Clarke University in Dubuque. She also has a master’s degree in nursing administration from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan.

“Knowing the ins and outs of the community by means of experiencing them myself and growing up here and raising children here, that will help me in getting the word out there about what we have to offer because I’m willing to bet it’s more than what many people would think,” she said.

White said her first day tentatively is scheduled for Dec. 19, at which point she will assume the oversight and coordination of the Dubuque County Health Department’s three full-time employees.

Larson added that White’s oversight could grow in the future if the department expands, which the board has repeatedly expressed a desire for in the past.

“The Board of Health does want to expand the footprint and reach of the department, so we’ll have a healthier county the next time we get hit with a public health emergency,” Larson said.

White said she was excited to take on a larger public health position, as it will allow her to reach a much broader audience than any position in which she previously has served. First on her agenda will be learning what public health “gaps” are identified through the strategic planning and community health assessment process and working to address those needs.

“To serve the community in the best way that we can, it’s important to know what they want,” White said. “So, seeking that information is going to be key.”