City/County Health Dept. Director Browning to Retire in October
Public Health and Human Services Director Stephanie Browning will retire from the city of Columbia effective Oct. 11, 2024, after twenty-five years of service to the community.
The city manager’s office announced the news in a September 4 news release.
Browning began her public health career in Yuma, Arizona, where she worked HIV prevention for three years before being promoted to assistant director, with a total of eleven years of service. She became the director of Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) in 1999. As the director for PHHS, she serves residents in the city of Columbia, other towns in the county, and rural areas in Boone County.
“It has been an immense honor to serve the Boone County community for the last twenty-five years,” Browning stated in the news release. “I’ve worked with countless community partners and great colleagues and together we’ve been able to provide many important services to Boone County residents.”
She added, “Even in the most challenging times in my career, providing reliable public health services has been my passion. I’m excited to see the great work the department continues to accomplish.”
During Browning’s tenure as director, PHHS achieved national accreditation status from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), one of only 397 in the country to have that distinction. She led the department through many significant events, such as the H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 pandemics. Under her leadership, the department renewed its focus on population health, increased in staff by 70 percent, and increased services to the community to include emergency preparedness, community health workers, HIV case coordination, and the city’s social services funding process.
“Stephanie has been the guiding force behind the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services’ remarkable progress over the last twenty-five years,” said Columbia City Manager De’Carlon Seewood. “Her vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to public health have profoundly shaped our successes and improved countless lives in Columbia and Boone County.”
Seewood noted, “As she steps into retirement, we extend our deepest gratitude for her exceptional service and wish her all the best in this well-deserved new chapter.”