Jessica Todorovich, MS, Interim Secretary of Health, Washington

Ms. Todorovich serves as the acting Secretary of Health for the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). A native of Washington, Jessica knew during her undergraduate studies in Politics and History at Whitman College, she would proudly serve in Washington State government. Her love of all things operations and people led her to complete her masters in Human Resources and Organizational Leadership. She is responsible for the daily operations of the agency with a focus on culture, people and service delivery.

She is passionate about breaking the status quo, developing and supporting leaders and fostering a culture of seeing others as people that matter. She has worked in Washington state government for 23+ years and has been with the agency since 2012.

• Executive Office of the Chief of Staff

Wendy Endress, Ph.D., Interim Chief of Staff

Ms. Endress has served as DOH’s deputy chief of staff since October 2023. Her qualifications and work experience reflect a career focused on human- and team-centered work. Before coming to DOH, she held senior administrative roles at the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, The Evergreen State College, and Portland State University. In 2019 she was recognized as a Pillar of the Profession by NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, a Master of Arts from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and a Bachelor of Arts from Union College in New York. In 2014, she completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

Les Becker, MBA, Chief of Innovation

Mr. Becker joined the Department of Health in June 2021 as the new Chief of Innovation, leading the agency's first-ever Office of Innovation and Technology. He is responsible for building and supporting innovation work across the agency, including overseeing our existing data/informatics and health technology services areas.

He previously advanced an array of innovation, data systems, and technology work, including the nationally acclaimed Public Health Innovation Lab. He has also provided strategic consultation on the delivery and implementation of IT and data strategy services. Les has 18+ years of Public Service leadership and holds a B.A. in Management and MBA with a concentration in Finance from LeTourneau University.

• Executive Office of Innovation and Technology

Lacy M. Fehrenbach, MPH, Chief of Prevention

Ms. Fehrenbach has focused her career on shaping policies and programs that address the upstream social and environmental factors that impact health outcomes and inequities so that all people, families, and communities can thrive. She recently served as Deputy Secretary of Health for COVID-19 response from June 2020 through January 2022. Prior to the pandemic, she served as Assistant Secretary of the Prevention and Community Health division. Before coming to Washington state, she worked on national public health policy in Washington, DC. Ms. Fehrenbach has more than 15 years of public health management and leadership experience, working on an array of issues including health system reform, child and family health, infectious disease, and chronic disease. She holds a BS in Molecular and Cell Biology from Texas A&M University, an MPH from the George Washington University and is certified in public health.

• Executive Office of Prevention, Safety and Health

Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD, MPH, State Health Officer

Dr. Kwan-Gett has long focused on bringing together people, systems, and ideas—building collaborative relationships with state and local public health leaders in rural and urban regions on both sides of the Cascades. Previously he practiced pediatrics at Virginia Mason for over 12 years with an emphasis on behavioral health and did volunteer work with refugee communities globally and locally. As a medical epidemiologist at Public Health Seattle & King County, Tao led a team responsible for communicable disease prevention and control. Tao has also served as a faculty member at the University of Washington School of Public Health, where he directed the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP) for two years, engaged in teaching and research, and trained health professionals in cross-sector collaboration and health equity at NWCPHP’s Northwest Public Health-Primary Care Leadership Institute.

Kristin Peterson, JD, Chief of Policy

Kristin Peterson, JD, leads a dynamic team focused on government relations, policy development and evaluation, public health law, health economics, rulemaking, and systems transformation. Kristin’s career has centered on government relations, public health, health care law and policy. She has worked for elected officials at the state and federal level, for a health-related trade association, and for a boutique law firm that assisted clients with both innovative care models and regulatory needs. At the Department of Health, she has led government relations efforts, served as the agency’s first Review Judge, and led a complex division that managed issues related to health care systems and workforce. Kristin thrives on building collaborative relationships and emphasizes partner engagement as a critical component to policy development and system wide solutions that promote optimal health for all. Kristin received her B.A. from the Evergreen State College and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.

• Executive Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation

Atousa Salehi, MD, MBA, FACEP, Chief Science Officer

Dr. Atousa Salehi is a board-certified emergency physician, healthcare innovator, and public health leader with over three decades of experience spanning clinical practice, health system management, digital health, and public health policy. Throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of emergency response and health system transformation, played a pivotal role in shaping innovative care delivery models and advanced digital health solutions to improve access to care and health outcomes.

Dr. Salehi initially joined DOH as the inaugural Chief of the Office of Global and One Health, where she established and led efforts to integrate global-to-local and One Health frameworks into the State’s public health strategy. In her current role as Chief Science Officer, Dr. Salehi leads the Executive Office of Health and Science, overseeing scientific and evidence-based strategies that drive Washington’s public health priorities. A champion of interdisciplinary collaboration, she actively fosters cross-sector partnerships to translate scientific advancements into real-world impact. Her work continues to bridge public health with service delivery, and ensures Washington remains at the forefront of evidence-based, equity-driven, and future-ready health initiatives.

• Executive Office of Health and Science

Nate Weed, MPH, Chief of Resilience

Nate Weed works with his team and partners to expand the resilience of public health and healthcare to address emergent health threats that impact people in Washington. Over the past 20 years he has led emergency response efforts at the state, local, and federal levels to a wide range of crises and now works to pass the knowledge and wisdom he’s gained to others. Nate holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

• Executive Office of Resiliency and Health Security