Dr. Gail C. Christopher is an award-winning social change agent and author with expertise in the social determinants of health and well-being and related public policies. A prolific writer and presenter, Dr. Christopher is an author, co-author, and has contributed to 14 books, hundreds of articles, presentations, publications, and more. She is known for her pioneering work to infuse holistic health and diversity concepts into public sector programs and policy discourse. She retired from her role as Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she was the driving force behind the America Healing initiative and the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation effort. In 1996 she was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. She chaired the Board of the Trust for America’s Health from 2012-2022. In 2019, Dr. Christopher became a Senior Scholar with George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being and became the Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity. In 2021, she was elected by the APHA Governing Council to serve as the APHA Honorary Vice President for the United States. In 2023, the American Journal of Health Promotion honored Dr. Christopher as one of the 10 Most Influential Women Scholars in Health Promotion.
History of Employment
Position
Division
Organization
Start
End
Executive Director
National Collaborative for Health Equity
Present
Vice President for Policy and Senior Advisor
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Former Vice President of Health
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Vice President
Office of Health, Women and Families
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Guest Scholar
The Brookings Institution
Executive Director
Institute for Government Innovation, John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
Co-Chair
Advisory Board
Alliance for Redesigning Government, National Academy of Public Administration
National Director and Creator
Americans All: K-12 National Multicultural Educators Training Program
Associate for Development and Program Design
Information and Services Clearinghouse, School of Divinity
Howard University
National Director and Principal Architect
National Reclaim Our Youth Violence Prevention Program
Executive Director
Family Resource Coalition of America
Member
Vice-President's Advisory Commission on Customer Service
