County Executive Pittman Appoints Acting Health Officer, Announces Departmental Leadership Changes; Deputy Health Officer Tonii Gedin to serve as Acting Health Officer; Acting Controller to become permanent
Annapolis, MD - County Executive Pittman appoints Tonii Gedin as Anne Arundel County’s Acting Health Officer. Gedin will begin in this role on March 23, 2023.
“As Deputy Health Officer, Tonii Gedin earned high praise throughout county government, within the department, and in the community,” said County Executive Steuart Pittman. “I believe that she is ideally suited to continue and grow the work that Dr. Kalyanaraman started.”
Gedin joined the Anne Arundel County Department of Health in May of 2020 as the Deputy Health Officer of Public Health with a Masters in Community and Public Health Nursing and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice. She brings 16 years of experience, providing strategies for improving patient care, health compliance, and quality assurance. Her work has focused on removing barriers to care, and creating systems that increase health equity and outcomes.
“I’m glad the County Executive has chosen Tonii Gedin to be the Acting Health Officer,” said Current Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman. “She has strong expertise in public health, knows the Department in and out, and is ready to lead.”
During her tenure at the Department of Health, Gedin has been instrumental in advancing all facets of the Department’s work, including the Healthy Communities Program which brings needed preventive services to the community. She helped lead the county’s COVID-19 response and worked with a dedicated team of Health Department employees on school reopening procedures, vaccine operations, and increasing testing.
Gedin started her career as an ICU nurse hoping to improve health disparities. Soon after, she transitioned into primary care in the Baltimore City Medical System where she served as the Chief Quality Officer at Health for the Homeless and led high-risk patient and population health interventions.
As part of the transition, clinical physician requirements will be filled by Poonum Korpe, MD. County Executive Pittman will offer a resolution to the County Council to officially name Gedin as acting Health Officer.
County Executive Pittman also announced other departmental leadership updates, including both Billie Penley’s role as Acting Controller and Susan Herrold’s role as Acting Central Services Officer becoming permanent effective March 16, 2023.
Penley has an extensive background in finance and financial systems. She has held several federal government positions, including in the Department of Treasury as an Auditor and the Department of Agriculture as an Accountant. Before joining the Anne Arundel County Office of Finance, Penley served as the Chief Financial Officer at the Anne Arundel County Department of Health where she oversaw a $64 million annual operating budget and over 80 grants, ensuring compliance with a complex dual fiscal system governed under state law and county code. Herrold has held multiple personnel and labor relations roles in county government and private industry. Prior to serving as the lead negotiator for multiple union contracts on behalf of the county, Herrold assisted with the recruitment, hiring, and grievance processes as well as managed multiple projects to improve personnel management and development within county agencies.
Both Herrold and Penley are Anne Arundel County veteran employees who served in various positions within the county for a period of more than 20 years.
In addition, Information Technology Director Rick Napolitano shared his resignation on March 17, 2023 after more than 8 years with the county. Jack Martin will assume the role of Acting Chief Information Officer while a search is conducted to hire a new Director.
