Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

BIO: Michelle Ponce, a Kansas native, was born March 1, 1976, in Newton. She graduated from high school in Emporia and then attended Emporia State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2004.

She received her master's degree in public administration in 2006 from Wichita State University, where she was a graduate assistant to Ed Flentje, then director of the university's Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs.

Flentje, earlier in his career, served in the cabinets of Kansas Govs. Robert Bennett and Mike Hayden, both Republicans.

As a graduate student, Ponce was chosen as a Kansas Governor's Fellow. As part of the fellowship, she served as a management intern at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Department on Aging and the Department of Health and Environment.

In March 2006, fresh out of school, she took a job with SRS as a special projects manager and grant writer in the secretary's office. She held a series of jobs at the welfare agency, including policy coordinator and communications director, which also made her part of the SRS executive team.

She left the agency this summer for her new job where she replaced Edie Snethen, who retired. When Ponce left SRS, she was a special assistant in the integrated service delivery division.

She continues to live in Emporia and commutes to Topeka.

"It works better for the family," she said. She and her husband have three sons.

As executive director at KALHD, she oversees the day-to-day affairs of the association, including managing its budget. She also works to increase public awareness of public health issues and collaborates with KDHE officials and the organization's various private and public partners, including the Kansas Hospital Association.

She said she also will play an active role at the Statehouse, monitoring legislation and promoting a public health agenda.

She answers to the association's 12-member board of directors.

A major initiative for the association is an ongoing accreditation initiative that is part of a national effort to standardize local health department operations.

"Helping local agencies prepare for accreditation, that's the biggest issue at the forefront right now," she said.

Most of the association's member agencies are based in a single county and serve fewer than 50,000 people, she said, "so many local Kansas departments will be looking at more regional models" of operation in the months and years ahead.

Among the projects under way at KALHD is the planned launch of a web-based portal to county-level health indicators. That project could involve many of the state's nonprofit, community hospitals. The portal will be a tool that can help with community health assessments and the accreditation process.

"Probably resource-wise, this is the best timing to be working on accreditation," she said. "And every indication is that future (federal) funding (for health departments) will be tied to accreditation."

INTERCONNECTS: Ponce is a member of the Hugo Wall School advisory board of directors.

CONTACT:

Kansas Association of Local Health Departments

300 SW Eighth Ave.

Topeka, Kan. 66603

(785) 271-8391

mponce@kansascounties.org