Riley Named Interim Executive Director of PHAB

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has named School of Public Health (SPH) professor and associate dean William Riley interim executive director. PHAB is a non-profit consortium of heads of local public health agencies whose mission is to develop, promote and oversee quality standards for public health agencies at the municipal, state, and federal levels.

Riley, a noted national expert on quality improvement in health care settings and public health agencies, has served on PHAB’s board of directors since July 2007.

“I am honored to serve in this role,” said Riley. “Public health departments are concerned with everything from bioterrorism and disease outbreaks, to clean drinking water and seatbelt laws. Ensuring the departments’ efficiency and effectiveness is critical to protecting the health and safety of the public, and that¿s where PHAB comes in.”

Riley and PHAB’s board of directors have begun a search to find a permanent executive director, a position they hope to have filled by next spring. In the meantime, he will continue to fulfill his teaching and research duties as a SPH faculty member. He will also advise SPH Dean John Finnegan on partnership development strategies in his role as associate dean.