DHHS Names Kendra Gerlach as Director of Communications | Eastern North Carolina Now

For Immediate Release

    Raleigh, N.C.     DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos announced today that Kendra Gerlach will join the DHHS leadership team as the director of the Office of Communications.

    Gerlach, 42, is a native North Carolinian and skilled communicator with fifteen years of experience in health care public relations and five years of experience as a newspaper journalist. Most recently, she held marketing strategy and public relations leadership positions at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. Prior to working at Emory Healthcare, Kendra held similar positions at Atlanta Medical Center and New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC.

    "As evidenced by our recent communication efforts about North Carolina's readiness to identify and respond to a potential case of Ebola, DHHS' Office of Communications is essential to our efforts to protect the health and safety of all North Carolinians," said Secretary Wos. "Kendra's experience developing and implementing public relations strategies for hospitals will be invaluable in enabling us to fulfill this very important part of our mission, and I am excited that she will be joining our leadership team."

    Gerlach has extensive experience in healthcare crisis communication and has been trained at FEMA's Center for Domestic Preparedness through the Department of Homeland Security.

    "My family and I are thrilled to be coming back to North Carolina," said Gerlach. "My years in healthcare have given me a heart for serving others and I am deeply honored at the opportunity to serve the people of my home state.

    "N.C. DHHS provides critical services to our citizens and requires a strong communication department that anticipates the information needed and works proactively to keep the lines of communication open. This is our commitment going forward."

    Kendra will begin work on November 3, 2014 at an annual salary of $110,000.


    NC Department of Health and Human Services

    2001 Mail Service Center
     Raleigh, NC 27699-2001

     news@dhhs.nc.gov  •  (919) 855-4840