Buncombe County’s longtime Director of Nursing and Clinical Services has been tapped as the new Public Health Director. Ellis Matheson, DNP, RN is taking the helm, according to a statement posted on the county’s website. Matheson replaces Stacie Saunders who left in December to take a position in Raleigh with the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
“Dr. Matheson has been a steady, robust leader in the agency and our region for many years," BCHHS Director Stoney Blevins said. "We are very fortunate to have this happy transition occur within our own ranks."
Matheson began her public health career in 2000 and has served as Buncombe County’s Director of Nursing and Clinical Services Coordinator since 2014. She served as the president of the North Carolina Association of Public Health Nurse Administrators and helped spearhead the county’s Immunization Coalition, part of a statewide organization that brings together community stakeholders, healthcare providers and organizations, and government health agencies to coordinate and support efforts to address vaccine hesitancy, and improve immunization rates in North Carolina.
