Article from July 2014 North Dakota Public Health Association Newsletter

Fargo, ND ‐ Maylynn Warne, MPH has been selected by the Governing Council to be thenext Executive Director of the North Dakota Public Health Association. Mrs. Warne is an enrolled member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico. She obtained her Associate of Arts from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas in 1996; her bachelor’s degree in South West Studies from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado in 2002; and her Master of Public Health from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona in 2009.

Mrs. Warne entered into the public health field when she graduated with her bachelor’s degree when she accepted a position with the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) in Sacramento, California, as a Health Educator for their tobacco prevention program. In 2004 she moved to Arizona to work for Gila River Gaming Enterprises in the Health andWelfare Benefits Department. She loved working there, but missed working directly in public health. In the fall of 2007 Mrs. Warne began her Master of Public Health at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

Upon completing her MPH in 2009, Mrs. Warne accepted a position with the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board (GPTCHB) as the Northern Plains Tobacco Prevention Program Director. The GPTCHB provides public health programming and advocacy to 17 tribes and 1 service unit in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. Within her first year, in this position, she was able to grow a single program into the Community Health Department. The Community Health Department houses the Northern Plains Tribal Tobacco Technical Assistance Center, Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Sexually Transmitted Infections and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, and the Great Plains Ride Safe Car Seat Safety Program. Each program has multiple funding streams that complement and support the goals and objectives of each program. In this role Mrs. Warne has had the pleasure and honor to work with many of the North Dakota Department of Health staff, tribal health departments, Indian Health Service clinic staff, and many others in North Dakota.

For the past two and half years she has resided in Fargo, North Dakota telecommuting. Mrs. Warne is the proud wife of Dr. Donald Warne, Director of the Master of Public Health Program at North Dakota State University. They have four wonderful children Kyle, Shonto, Ana and Crandall. She and her family absolutely love living in Fargo.

Mrs. Warne will be dedicating her efforts to the North Dakota Public Health Association beginning August 1st. Mrs. Warne is looking forward to meeting, learning and discussing North Dakota public health issues with members of the NDPHA. She is beyond thrilled to have this opportunity to work for the NDPHA.