The DuPage County Board of Health has named Adam Forker as the new executive director of the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD)
Forker will take over for Karen Ayala, who served in the role for 10 years, and is retiring June 30.
15-year history with the DCHD
Forker has a long history with the DCHD, currently serving as the deputy director of business operations. In that role, he’s overseen finance, billing, human resources, health promotions, and a number of other functions for the organization.
“Adam has dedicated close to 15 years of service to the Health Department. He is well respected among our community partners and is committed to advancing the agency’s mission of providing exceptional public health services to DuPage County residents,” said Sam Tornatore, President of the DuPage County Board of Health in a DCHD news release.
Ready to take on the role’s challenges
He also played a key role in setting up the DCHD COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, and helped with public health initiatives. He said he’s looking forward to taking over health operations for the state’s second-largest county.
“The impact of public health is tremendous. We face big challenges in DuPage County– particularly mental health and substance use disorder, chronic disease and access to care, and ensuring preparedness for emerging public health threats. I will continue to advance the work of the Health Department to improve the well-being of the DuPage County community,” said Forker in the news release.
Taking the baton from Ayala
Over the next month, the Illinois Department of Public Health and DuPage County Board of Health will be formally approving the hire, health officials said. And for the next 10 weeks, Forker will work together with Ayala to help him transition into the role.
“It has been my privilege to serve as the Health Department’s executive director over the past 10 years,” Ayala said in the release. “I have had the distinct pleasure of working alongside many dedicated and hard-working public health staff, elected leaders, and community partners during my time here. My work has focused on facilitating positive change and making an impact by addressing public health issues in our county.”
He’ll officially take charge July 1.
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