Meet Canton's new health commissioner, Amanda Archer
CANTON – For the first time in Canton City Public Health’s 175-year history, the department will be led by a woman.
Canton health board members voted unanimously on Wednesday to hire Amanda Archer as the city’s new health commissioner. Archer, who has been with the health department since 2014, will officially assume the role on Jan. 25 and have a 90-day probationary period. She will earn an annual salary of $110,000.
The board, which chose Archer from among nine eligible applicants, also agreed to pay Archer for 142 hours of compensatory time that she has accumulated as an employee at her current pay rate. She will carry forward 48 hours of compensatory time into her new role.
The 1998 Canton McKinley High School graduate will replace James Adams who intends to retire Jan. 24 after 47 years in public health, including 39 years with Canton where he served as Canton health commissioner for 16 years.
Adams, who did not attend Wednesday’s health board meeting, said Wednesday he is pleased with Archer’s appointment.
“She has a wealth of experience at the department, and I am sure she will serve our community well,” he said.
Amanda Archer's road to health commissioner of Canton city health department
Archer worked for the Stark County Coroner's Office for nearly nine years before she joined the city health department in 2014. As an epidemiologist, she analyzed data and trends to help inform decisions about possible health actions, interventions and policy changes that may needed to help prevent and control disease and injury in the community.
Archer, who has a master’s degree in public health from the University of Akron, served as the lead epidemiologist for Canton’s COVID-19 response, helping the city establish the first epidemiological report in the region to help residents understand who was being diagnosed, who was dying from the disease and how long it took for someone exposed to the virus to be hospitalized or recover.
Since 2020, Archer has served as the department’s public health information and innovation director, where she has been responsible for ensuring that health programs are meeting their performance goals while adhering to statutory and accreditation requirements, as well as identifying priority areas that need to be addressed.
Health board members on Wednesday pledged to support Archer in her new role and said they want to see her build a staff that is more reflective of the community it serves and more connected to residents.
Mayor William V. Sherer II, president of the board, pledged the city’s resources and support. He wants to see the department’s environmental health division join city forces to rid neighborhoods of blight.
New health commissioner's priorities include staffing and community outreach
Archer said one of her immediate priorities is to address the staffing needs. She said the department, which employs roughly 70 workers, is understaffed in every division and its employee salaries are low compared to similar jobs that require a bachelor’s degree. She hopes to revisit a departmentwide employee compensation plan that the health board has been discussing for three years.
“I don’t think we can deliver quality consistent services to the community and continue to build trust and build those relationships if we don’t have a solid workforce,” Archer said. “… We have to focus on our staff before we can do good in the community.”
As staffing is addressed, Archer wants to make herself and the department more visible to residents, so they know what resources are available and the department knows what other resources are needed.
“COVID had us (inside) a lot because that was the nature of it,” Archer said. “Now is an opportunity to get back out and rediscover who we’re serving and find the people we need to help the most.”
Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Amanda Archer is named Canton's first female health commissioner
