Martha Gelhaus, MPA, Executive Officer, Iowa Department of Public Health, Center for Organizational Excellence
Martha Gelhaus is an executive officer in the Office for Organizational Excellence at the Iowa Department of Public Health. She consults with department staff on systems development, planning, and organizational performance. Her primary focus is to serve as team facilitator and coordinator of the Redesigning Public Health in Iowa initiative. She has been instrumental in guiding the development of the Iowa Public Health Standards. Her public health career began over seven years ago when she joined the Iowa Department of Public Health as a community health consultant in the Bureau of Family Health. She directed grant applications for maternal and child health related programs, coordinated systems development activities, and provided consultation for community-based maternal and child health agencies. She has 18 years of professional experience in human resources in the health care and publishing industries and in state government, including 14 years in senior management positions. Her educational background includes a master's degree in public administration and a BS degree in business administration from Drake University. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) by the National Human Resource Certification Institute.