Biography
Angela Cascio is an accomplished healthcare leader with over 15 years of experience in infectious disease prevention, epidemiology, and public health administration. As a Registered Nurse, Angela brings a critical clinical lens to public health leadership, allowing her to bridge the gap between complex medical data and actionable community programming. Having served as the Infectious Disease Director and Administrator for a Centralized Department of Health, she managed a multidisciplinary workforce of over 60 professionals, including epidemiologists and disease intervention specialists (DIS). Her expertise spans the full spectrum of agency operations, from leading federal programs and securing multimillion-dollar grants to directing clinical services and staffing for state-run clinics.
Angela is a specialist in organizational infrastructure and excellence, having served on public health accreditation teams and contributed significantly to state strategic planning and community health needs assessments. She excels at translating evidence-based research into systemic change, exemplified by her work establishing a statewide Antimicrobial Stewardship Workgroup. In this role, she collaborated with healthcare systems to transform clinical formularies and implement protocols that reduced the prevalence of drug-resistant organisms.
A veteran of high-consequence pathogen response, Angela served as the Statewide Incident Command Operations Section Chief during the COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika crises. She orchestrated rapid-response strategies and led the development of statewide vaccination and containment plans. Her experience in outbreak response is global in scope; she has led investigations into drug-resistant infections and high-consequence pathogens in close cooperation with the CDC. Whether testifying before state legislators to advocate for policy funding or mentoring the next generation of healthcare leaders, Angela leverages her extensive clinical and administrative background to drive operational excellence in public health.
Education
- MSN, Walden University
- BSN, Walden University
- RN, University of South Dakota
Expertise:
- Outbreak Investigation & CDC Collaboration
- Public Health Leadership and Program & Grant Management
- Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response
- Applied Epidemiology and Public Health Practice
- Outbreak Investigation & CDC Collaboration
Key Projects:
- Pandemic & Pathogen Response: Served as the Statewide Incident Command Operations Section Chief for COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika, orchestrating rapid-response strategies and the state’s vaccination plan.
- Antimicrobial Stewardship: Established a statewide workgroup that collaborated with healthcare systems to transform clinical formularies and reduce the prevalence of drug-resistant organisms.
- Fiscal & Federal Oversight: Managed multimillion-dollar federal budgets and grants, ensuring fiscal stability through strategic realignment models while maintaining program integrity.
- Clinical Service Leadership: Directed clinical operations and staffing for seven state-run STI and TB clinics, leveraging her RN background to ensure adherence to evidence-based medical standards.
- Outbreak Investigation: Led complex investigations into drug-resistant and high-consequence pathogens in close cooperation with the CDC to protect public health