Tonya Joiner Email & Phone Number

Prairieville, La, Us

Serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the LDH Office of Public Health, which is one of five agencies within LDH and is solely responsible for protecting and promoting the health and wellbeing of all individuals and communities in Louisiana. This is accomplished through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, preventing disease and injury, enforcing regulations that protect the environment, sharing vital information, and offering preventive health services.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Served as the chief operating officer of LDH and acts as spokesperson in the absence of the Secretary. Oversees and has direct supervision over the following major offices: Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD): OCDD provides or directs the provision of supports and services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Office of Behavioral Health (OBH): OBH provides or directs the appropriate care and services for individuals with behavioral health disorders. Office of Public Health (OPH): OPH develops, provides and assures public and environmental health services to protect and enhance the health of Louisiana residents. Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS): OAAS administers nursing facility admissions, develops new long-term care programs and implements other health care reform recommendations. This office brings together all of the long-term care programs that serve aging adults and people with adult-onset disabilities. Office of Women's Health and Community Health (OWHCH): OWHCH is dedicated to focusing on improving women's health outcomes and serves as a clearinghouse, coordinating agency and resource center for women's health data and strategies.Serves as the coordinator for LDH's Human Services Interagency Council (HSIC), which provides a statewide framework to govern the state and local delivery of services for addictive disorders, developmental disabilities and mental health disorders. Provides oversight to Louisiana’s five 24-hour state facilities. The five 24-hour healthcare facilities include Central Louisiana State Hospital, Central Louisiana Supports and Services Center, Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System, Pinecrest Supports and Services Center, and Villa Feliciana Medical Complex. Together, these facilities provide behavioral health, intellectual, and developmental disability, and long-term care services for over 1,400 Louisiana residents.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area

Reported directly to the LDH Secretary, who oversees the Medicaid program and Offices of the Secretary, Adult and Aging Services, Public Health, Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, Women's Health, and Behavioral Health.  Served as a liaison between the LDH Secretary and the Executive Management Team. Oversaw general daily operations, monitored project status, facilitated problem solving, and served as a senior policy advisor to the Secretary. Managed 20 senior staff with direct responsibility for strategy and implementation of the Department’s communications and legislative functions, as well as community partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and policy operations.  Engaged direct reports in developing issue briefs and strategic communications for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and the Governor’s Office.  Managed the Office of the Secretary, including full hiring authority, interoffice personnel restructuring, and oversight of $45m direct budget.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area

Served as a member of the LDH executive team and provided political, policy, and legislative advisement to the Secretary, as well as other members of the executive staff. Oversaw the development of LDH’s annual legislative package for each legislative session. Leveraged legislative and policy expertise to implement a tracking and monitoring system for all bills supported by LDH. Represented LDH in high-level policy and legislative meetings, committee hearings and directly with members of the Legislature.  Developed and communicated LDH official responses to legislative inquiries into key policy and fiscal initiatives.  Developed a well-rounded and inclusive body of policy for the LDH legislative package by galvanizing stakeholders and leadership within the LDH offices and coaching teams through the issue and policy development process.  Served as a liaison between LDH and the Louisiana Fiscal Office, Governor’s Office and sister agencies.  Successfully advocated with state legislators, Chairman of Health and Welfare Committees and policy leaders to pass key pieces of legislation, including: a safe drinking water bill, which increased the agency’s budget by $18 million; a bill which increased revenue for the state restaurant inspection program by $1.7 million; a bill that resulted in the implementation of a syringe services program to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area

Employed with the Louisiana House of Representatives for a period of eight years. Built strong nonpartisan relationships with legislators in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Managed the day-to-day operations of the assigned House Committees, including the organization of weekly agenda and management of the members’ chairmanships.Staff Attorney February 2008-February 2016 Served as the staff attorney for the House Committees on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works, Select Committee on Homeland Security and the Judiciary Committee. Assignments and duties included drafting and editing proposed legislation, amendments, and resolutions for the House Committee on Judiciary, researching policy and constitutionality of proposed legislation, drafting speeches and memoranda for legislators and staffing committee meetings. Served as a legislative liaison to the Governor’s Unified Command Group by attending meetings, providing Situational Reports to members of the House of Representatives during any emergency event, staffed the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security Emergency Operations Center on behalf of the House of Representatives Staffed various legislative commissions and subcommittees, including the Select Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Judicial Compensation Commission, and task forces on Immigration and Body Cameras. Researched and attended meeting regarding all security aspects for the capitol building.

 Provided students with the tools needed to possess a thorough understanding of the basic principles and concepts of objective and persuasive legal writing and analysis, and oral advocacy. Provided students with hands-on experience in using legal analysis, legal reasoning, and legal advocacy to solve sophisticated legal problems, to write for law school examinations, and state bar examinations. Provided students with experience in drafting various types of case briefs, objective and persuasive legal memoranda, and client and opposing attorney correspondence. Provided students with the principles of professionalism and ethics related to legal writing, oral advocacy, and written communication.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area

 Drafted Attorney General Opinions Represented and provided legal counsel to state boards Monitored law suits for constitutional challenges

Doctor Of Law (J.D.)

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Political Science And Government