Center Conference

Jack Herrmann, MSEd
Senior Director, Client Care Programs
American Red Cross-National Headquarters

Jack Herrmann, MSEd, serves as the Senior Director, Client Care Program for the American Red Cross-National Headquarters. His responsibilities include developing and executing the policies, standards, and guidance for disaster Client programs and services in the immediate aftermath of disasters. Prior to his work with the American Red Cross, Jack’s career spanned the areas of public health and healthcare policy, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear preparedness and response, and disaster mental health. He has served in senior leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR); the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine); the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO); and the University of Rochester Schools of Medicine and Nursing. In December 2024, Jack was appointed as the chair of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Readiness and Response, Board of Scientific Counselors.

In 1993, Jack became a volunteer with the American Red Cross and served in volunteer staff or leadership roles in response to local, state, and national disaster relief operations including the Northridge, CA Earthquake, TWA Flight 800 Aviation Incident, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on New York City, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, and the 2016 Pulse Nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Herrmann’s academic background includes a master’s degree in education in counseling, family, and work life studies from the University of Rochester. He was formerly certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and was a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York.

Alonzo L. Plough
VP, Research-Evaluation-Learning and Chief Science Officer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Alonzo Plough joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Research-Evaluation-Learning unit in January 2014. He is responsible for aligning all of the Foundation’s work with the best evidence from research and practice and incorporating program evaluations into organizational learning. He also oversees the two grantmaking portfolios focused on innovation and emerging issues: Pioneer and Global Ideas for U.S. solutions.

Alonzo has been a national leader in public health practice for over 25 years. He came to the Foundation from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, where he served as director of emergency preparedness and response from 2009–2013. In that role, he was responsible for the leadership and management of activities protecting the 10 million residents of Los Angeles County from natural disasters and threats related to disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. He coordinated activities in emergency operations, infectious disease control, risk communication, planning, and community engagement.

Prior to this position, Alonzo served as vice president of strategy, planning, and evaluation for The California Endowment from 2005–2009. Before this, he served 10 years as director and health officer for the Seattle and King County Department of Public Health and previously served as director of public health in Boston for eight years.

Alonzo earned his PhD and MA at Cornell University, and his MPH at Yale University School of Medicine’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. He has held academic appointments at Harvard University School of Public Health, Tufts University Department of Community Medicine, and Boston University School of Management. He is currently clinical professor of health services at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for public service and leadership and is the author of an extensive body of scholarly articles, books, and book chapters.