Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Tuesday announced its selection of a new director of public health.

Chantell Harmon Reed, a doctoral candidate in public health at Tulane University, was named to serve in the role, one of the two top positions at the department.

Reed, who turns 45 on Saturday, is set to begin her new role March 18, pending confirmation from Tacoma City Council and Pierce County Council.

In September, the Board of Health approved splitting the department’s leadership into two positions, director and health officer.

The two jobs cover the department’s administrative duties and medical background requirements, which were previously rolled into one director position.

The department’s previous director, Dr. Anthony Chen, retired last summer and has been serving on a contract basis to fulfill health officer duties for the department. He will continue in that role until that position is filled, TPCHD said Tuesday.

The department said in its announcemen, “One of Reed’s first job responsibilities will be to complete the final steps to select the next health officer for the health department.”

Reed’s background includes work in public health, administration and compliance, according to TPCHD. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Northwood University in Cedar Hill, Texas, and a master’s degree in healthcare management from the University of New Orleans.

“As the deputy director of the Public Health Division of the Multnomah County Health Department in Oregon, Reed supported COVID-19 recovery efforts, infrastructure improvements and achieving accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board,” the department said in Tuesday’s release.

Her background includes serving on the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute, the Loyola Center for Counseling and Education, and the Oregon Public Health Association.

“Throughout her career, Reed has helped to close disparity gaps through centering social determinants of health. She honed this approach through various roles with Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) of Greater New Orleans,” the release stated.