SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The new executive director of the University of Illinois Springfield Center for State Policy and Leadership (CSPL) has been named. Molly Lamb, of Chatham, will start in the role on Monday, June 1, pending formal approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Lamb has worked for UIS from the Illinois Department of Public Health for 11 years. She most recently served as the deputy director of IDPH’s Office of Health Protection. She started as an emergency response coordinator for the Logan County Health Department and has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Lincoln Land Community College.

At IDPH, she crafted and led the successful adoption of raw milk sales regulation rulemaking in Illinois, championed the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Vaccines For Children (VFC) immunization re-join project, managed significant organizational structural changes at IDPH and designed centralized grant system to ensure standardization, consistency and improved decision-making. 

UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership promotes evidence-based policy and practice in the public sector. The center’s mission is carried out through research that informs public decisions and understanding; internships, training programs, and applied problem-solving that strengthens public leadership; and journalism that educates and engages citizens in public affairs.