Laura Prechter

Laura Prechter, MS, is the associate director for training and workforce development for the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT) at the National Network of Public Health Institutes. In this role, Laura leads a national portfolio of projects that strengthen the public health workforce through training, technical assistance, and capacity-building initiatives. She works closely with funding partners, public health institutes, public health training centers, and governmental agencies to support the development and implementation of scalable workforce strategies that address both current needs and long-term infrastructure challenges.

Laura brings deep expertise in public health workforce development, program and grants management, and stakeholder engagement. She supports the technical assistant team and serves as budget manager for NCCPHT’s work on the CDC’s Public Health Infrastructure Grant, where NNPHI collaborates with state and local health departments to enhance workforce planning and training systems. Her leadership supports cross-sector collaboration, the translation of workforce data into action, and the advancement of national public health infrastructure priorities.

Prior to joining NNPHI, Laura worked in the Office of Mayor Mitch Landrieu as part of the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team in New Orleans, where she helped manage and implement data-driven solutions to civic challenges. As part of this work, she partnered closely with the New Orleans Health Department on programs and initiatives aimed at improving community health outcomes and addressing violence prevention. Earlier in her career, she held roles in the arts and cultural sector, including at galleries and museums, bringing a creative and human-centered lens to her public health work.

Laura holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Tulane University.