Judith Monroe, MD
President and CEO
CDC Foundation
Dr. Judith Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, has dedicated her career to protecting people and saving lives. She joined the CDC Foundation in February 2016 after serving as a deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and director of CDC’s Office of State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support. Before her tenure at CDC, Dr. Monroe was appointed Indiana State Health Commissioner by Gov. Mitch Daniels. Earlier in her career, she directed a residency program at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, after starting her medical career as a practicing physician in the mountains of rural Tennessee.
The CDC Foundation under Dr. Monroe’s leadership has responded to numerous emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Zika epidemic, Ebola and several hurricanes and supported health departments and community organizations across the nation to make progress on critical health challenges.
Prior to the CDC Foundation, Dr. Monroe oversaw key activities and technical assistance at CDC supporting the nation’s health departments and the public health system. Throughout the 2014–15 Ebola epidemic she served as senior advisor for the domestic response. During her tenure as the state health commissioner for Indiana she served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials through the H1N1 pandemic. She envisioned and founded the ASTHO president’s challenge in 2008. This leadership platform resulted in initiatives with significant health improvements and focus of ASTHO annual meetings.
Dr. Monroe is a member of the Milken Institute’s Public Health Advisory Board and Executive Circle. She serves as a member of Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment Advisory Committee, Women of Impact, Texas Biomedical Research Institute Board of Directors, Atlanta Rotary Club and the International Women’s Forum. Additionally, she co-chaired Gov. Holcomb’s public health commission aimed at modernizing the public health system in Indiana.
Among her many honors, Dr. Monroe was recognized as one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs for 2021 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and received numerous awards, including the United Way of Greater Atlanta Woman of Excellence Award, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce MAC Heroes of Global Health award, the Indiana Commission on Women Torchbearer Award and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Presidential Award and received an honorary doctorate from Purdue University in Health and Human Services. In 2010, Peyton Manning presented her with the MVP Award from the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Monroe received her doctor of medicine from the University of Maryland and a bachelor of science degree from Eastern Kentucky University. She completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Cincinnati, a rural faculty development fellowship through East Tennessee State University, and a mini-fellowship in obstetrics through the University of Wisconsin.
