NACo launches 2026 Public Health Leadership Academy Cohort to Strengthen County Health

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The National Association of Counties (NACo) announces the launch of the inaugural 2026 Public Health Leadership Academy. This five-month program from April to August 2026 will support 12 county teams—each including a county elected official and a local health department official—to strengthen county leadership in advancing public health. 

Counties support public health across the country through the operation of more than 1,900 local health departments, and we own or operate over 900 public hospitals served by over 532,000 hospital and healthcare workers. 

“Public health is foundational to community strength and resilience across issue areas. But at the same time, it’s one of many priorities that county officials must balance,” said Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, which is supporting the Academy initiative. “Through the Public Health Leadership Academy, we hope to make public health a winning issue by strengthening the ability of elected officials and health departments to champion ongoing investment driven by local priorities.”

Through virtual and in-person learning, technical assistance and peer exchange, teams will leave the Academy with new strategies to improve health outcomes as well as a fully developed action plan to address a health priority within their county. An in-person convening will be held June 3-5 in Washington, DC to provide training, technical assistance and peer exchange.  Learnings, resources and tools developed from the Academy will be shared broadly for the benefit of all counties.

“NACo is proud to partner with the de Beaumont Foundation on the Public Health Leadership Academy,” said Ashleigh Holand, Chief Program Officer for NACo. “By leveraging NACo’s meaningful partnerships with county leaders and our proven Academy model, we are confident the shared expertise among the partners and participating counties will result in improved health policy and ultimately improved health outcomes that will be shared and scaled nationwide.”

The teams selected for participation in the 2026 Public Health Leadership Academy cohort are:

o    Alachua County, Florida 
o    Arapahoe County, Colorado 
o    Cobb County, Georgia 
o    Delta County, Colorado 
o    Hennepin County, Minnesota 
o    Rolette County, North Dakota  
o    Saline County, Kansas 
o    Scott County, Minnesota 
o    Shasta County, California 
o    Thurston County, Washington 
o    Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas 
o    Yates County, New York 

A second cohort will be held November 2026-March 2027.

In addition to support from the de Beaumont Foundation, Public Health Leadership Academy partners include the Kansas Health Institute, who supported design and development of the curriculum through a collaborative process. NACo is grateful for this support and commitment to strengthening counties’ public health leadership.

The Public Health Leadership Academy is part of NACo’s broader Public Health Leadership Initiative. Learn more about the program and the county role in public health by clicking here. To explore NACo’s other programs and initiatives, click here.