Griselle Torres, DrPH/MSW
Chicago,IL
Summary
Passionate change agent/“ Bureaucracy Hacker”, building/changing policy/systems, and operations professional with strong background in managing complex projects and driving operational excellence. Known for collaborative approach and commitment to delivering high-quality results. Dependable and adaptable, consistently meeting changing demands of business. Proven skills in strategic partnerships, planning, capacity building, evaluation, project management, workforce development, PMQI, and team leadership.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Deputy Director
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
06.2021 - 01.2025
- Directed pandemic data modernization initiatives as Principal Investigator, enhancing surveillance systems (IDSS, IIS, LIMS, ELR, ECR; TEFCA) through cross-agency collaboration and advancements in architectural schema, data governance, and data lakes.
- Designed and managed financial dashboards monitoring $2.2B in operations, enabling data-driven decision-making.
- Secured $157M in capital funding for new public health laboratories in Chicago and Carbondale through strategic budget planning and advocacy.
- Spearheaded legislative approval for FY26 procurement exemptions on federally funded goods and services.
- Optimized business operations by implementing enterprise-wide technology solutions, including MS Teams, Tableau, R, Python, and Smartsheet, for fiscal and federal accounting, procurement, grants management, policy development, and oversight of 500+ staff with a 52% vacancy rate.
- Developed data-driven personnel tracking systems and initiated staffing innovations, including three intergovernmental agreements to address critical vacancies.
- Oversaw daily operations across multiple divisions, ensuring seamless coordination and efficient execution of tasks.
Deputy Health Commissioner
MILWAUKEE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
11.2019 - 03.2021
- Appointed public official leading strategic vision, planning, and implementation of key department-wide operations in: health strategy, policy, intergovernmental relations; behavioral health; strategic planning; community health assessment; community health improvement; data monitoring and evaluation; performance management and quality improvement; epidemiology and surveillance; communications, health communications, and creative design; open records; HIPAA privacy compliance; realignment of department functions with health equity lens and public health accreditation guidelines
- Secured $59.2M in CARES funding for pandemic response while managing department-wide operations
- Led development and implementation of comprehensive racial equity framework to address social determinants of health
- Modernized department operations by implementing hybrid workforce model and cloud infrastructure
- Established HIPAA hybrid covered entity determination and corresponding ordinance
- Directed procurement and implementation of enterprise data systems including EHR, GIS, SASS, and Tableau
- Served as HIPAA Privacy Officer and Special Health Officer, managing emergency response within ICS structure
Faculty Research Fellow/Consultant
MOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM, SINAI URBAN HEALTH INSTITUTE
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative initiative in bringing local academic researchers and community engagement experts to work with community-based organizations to develop evidence-based solutions to stop the violence
- Oversight over student fellow scholarships and community assessment methods/data collection
- Mentored junior researchers, providing guidance on study design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.
Director, Coordinating Center for Public Health Practice
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
01.2015 - 01.2019
- Unit executive leading strategic planning and implementation of instructional programs school-wide for student and faculty areas in teaching, professional development, training, continuing education, joint application of research, and service
- Develop practice-based research agendas/networks, partnerships, and community engagement
- Create bi-directional partnerships in areas of workforce development, continuing education, data sharing, applied field experience, co-curriculum development, co-application of grants, translation, and dissemination
- Collaborate directly with community partners and internal team members throughout campus to coordinate operations of academic-practice partnerships
- Student advising, career and academic; crisis counseling as needed
- Established first Academic Health Department and Academic-Practice Network
- Increased scholarship/fellowship funding from $15K to $300K+ through strategic partnerships
- Developed first Intergovernmental Agreement between UIC School of Public Health and Illinois Department of Public Health
- Created comprehensive impact measurement system aligned with school-wide strategic priorities
- Led integration of applied field experience into teaching, research, and service initiatives
Jurisdictional Director: Monitoring & Evaluation
CITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
01.2010 - 01.2015
- Enhanced evaluation processes by implementing data-driven strategies and streamlining workflow of HIV prevention data and co-morbidities (inclusive of mental health, chronic diseases, and developmental disabilities) of grantees within Chicago's jurisdiction and Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) funded grantees
- Spearheaded HIV prevention strategic planning and supervised performance management metrics and quality improvement projects STI/HIV program and other health bureaus: communications, policy and legislation, and fiscal operations.
- Additional roles/oversight in departmental: workforce development; performance management; quality improvement; community health assessment and implementation; strategic planning
- Managed $53.8M resource portfolio and $5.6M in CDC-funded projects
- Led department-wide workforce development implementation and public health accreditation efforts
- Modernized data collection system across 65+ directly funded grantees and
- Implemented Lean Six Sigma quality improvement initiatives across departments
Capacity Building Services Manager
01.1999 - 01.2010
- Supervised all stages of development for eight distance-based online courses to improve accessibility
- Directed capacity building initiatives for70+ grantees and community-based organizations
- Served as division's project manager for city website modernization in managing website content and metadata
Education
Doctor of Public Health - School-Wide, Public Health; Leadership, Capacity Building Uptake in HIV Prevention Programs & Resource Allocation
University of Illinois At Chicago
Chicago, Illinois08-2014
Master of Public Health - Health Policy Administration/Informatics
University of Illinois At Chicago
Chicago, Illinois05-2006
Master of Social Work - Child and Family Concentration
University of Illinois
Chicago, Illinois05-1994
Bachelor of Arts - Applied Psychology, Industrial/Organizational, Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health
University of Illinois
Chicago, Illinois05-1991
Nonprofit Management Certification -
Roosevelt University
06-1994
Skills
- Strategic/Workforce planning
- Change/Program management
- Program implementation
- Process improvements
- Policy analysis
- Innovation management
- Operations management
- Regulatory compliance
- Financial administration
- Systems thinker
Publications
Peer Review Articles
- Paradis H, Katricich J, Stevenson M, Tomaro, N, Mukai, R, Torres, G, Bhattacharyya, S and Kowalik, J. Notes from the Field: Public Health Efforts to Mitigate COVID-19 Transmission During the April7,2020, Election — City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March13–May5,2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2020;69:1002–1003. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6930a4
- Kovach, K. A., Welter, C. R., Seweryn, S. M., & Torres, G. (2019). Barriers and Facilitators to Collaboration Between Local Health Departments and Schools and Programs of Public Health – A Mixed-Methods Study. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-based Research and Practice,2(1),14. URL: https://collaborations.miami.edu/articles/10.33596/coll.38/
- Kovach, K. A., Welter, C. R., Seweryn, S. M., & Torres, G. (2018). Perceived Benefits of Collaboration Between Local Health Departments and Schools and Programs of Public Health. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice,1. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000000823
White Papers, Articles & Government-related Reports
- Amanda Richman, MPH; Gerardo Mares, MA CJ; Vaynesia Kendrick, MS; Michael Stevenson, MPH; Rachel Lecher, MPH; Griselle Torres, DrPH, MPH, MSW; Jeanette Kowalik, PhD, MPH, MCHES. Andrea Nauer-Waldschmidt. (July,2020). COVID-19 Issue Brief: Incidence of Suicide in Milwaukee County during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Exploring demographic trends during the pandemic compared to previous five years. City of Milwaukee Health Department: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/MKE-Health1/COVID-19/MHDSuicidessIssueBrief8.11.20.pdf.
- Mukai, R, Lecher R, Mejaki, M, Stevenson, M, Torres, G, and Kowalik, J. (2020, June19). COVID-19 Issue Brief: Increasing number of COVID-19 cases among Hispanic/Latinx Individuals under the age of15 in the city of Milwaukee. City of Milwaukee Health Department: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/MKE-Health1/COVID-19/IssueBrief-Under15HispanicLatinxDisparityBrief6.19.20.pdf.
- Yankelov, A., & Torres, G. (2018, August16). The Ethics and Economics of Establishing Sanctuary Protections to Ensure Immigrant Access to Health Care | Scholars Strategy Network. Scholars.Org. Retrieved from https://scholars.org/brief/ethics-and-economics-establishing-sanctuary-protections-ensure-immigrant- access-health-care.
- Torres G et al.2015. Chicago Department of Public Health Workforce Development Plan and Profile.
- Content Contributor, “Healthy Chicago Reports LGBT Youth Risk Behavior, May2015Torres G.2014. “White Paper: Perform, Improve Advance: Leveraging Capacity Building to Achieve National HIV/AIDS Strategy Goals and Strengthen the Public Health Workforce through Continuous Quality Improvement.” Chicago Department of Public Health.
- Torres G et al.2014. Chicago Department of Public Health: Department-wide Performance and Quality Improvement Plan.
- Torres G et al.2012. Chicago Department of Public Health Performance Management and Quality Improvement Plan.
- Torres G et al.2012. Chicago Department of Public Health Workforce Development Plan and Profile.
- Torres G and Lamprecht L. 2012. Cohort Response Report: Student Reflection on UIC Dr.PH. Leadership Program: Recommendations for Academic Quality and Leadership Training.
- Torres G. 2009. Chicago Department of Public Health: Capacity Building Needs Assessment Summary in HIV Prevention Programs.
Teaching Experience
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, Chicago, Illinois
- Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Community Health Sciences/Co-instructor & Clinical Assistant Professor, AY: 2017-2018; 2018-2019 - Led lectures on Patient-Centered Medicine, Service Learning, and Interprofessional Approaches to Health Disparities. Develop student skills bases to increase effectiveness of service to underserved populations and address health disparities through collaborative research practices.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Chicago, Illinois
- Clinical Assistant Professor & Co-Instructor, AY: 2017-2018; 2018-2019 - Instruct in Public Health Toolbox PUBH370 & 397 to guide students through degree-culminating public health projects. Ensure that students have achieved overarching learning objectives and collaborate with panel to evaluate projects according to predetermined criteria.
- Instructor, AY: 2016-2017 - Led Public Health Toolbox PUBH370 to direct students through prior coursework application and development of public health problem approaches and projects. Instilled environment of collaboration and explored potential student roles in the workforce to focus on applicable skill development.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO DIVISION OF HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, Chicago, Illinois
- Teaching Assistant, Fall 2011 to Spring 2012 - Instructed MPH Capstone Course (Interdisciplinary Public Health Sciences) IPHS698 and Health Policy & Administration 400: Principles of Management in Public Health. Supervised use of technology and course resources to ensure efficiency for students and maintained absolute student performance and evaluation confidentiality.
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Deputy Director
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
06.2021 - 01.2025
Deputy Health Commissioner
MILWAUKEE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
11.2019 - 03.2021
Faculty Research Fellow/Consultant
MOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM, SINAI URBAN HEALTH INSTITUTE
01.2016 - 01.2019
Director, Coordinating Center for Public Health Practice
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
01.2015 - 01.2019
Jurisdictional Director: Monitoring & Evaluation
CITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
01.2010 - 01.2015
Capacity Building Services Manager
01.1999 - 01.2010
Doctor of Public Health - School-Wide, Public Health; Leadership, Capacity Building Uptake in HIV Prevention Programs & Resource Allocation
University of Illinois At Chicago
Master of Public Health - Health Policy Administration/Informatics
University of Illinois At Chicago
Master of Social Work - Child and Family Concentration
University of Illinois
Bachelor of Arts - Applied Psychology, Industrial/Organizational, Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health
University of Illinois
Nonprofit Management Certification -
Roosevelt University
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