Eldonna Chesnut, has worked in a variety of settings before public health; these include hospitals, clinics,home health, long-term care, and proprietary schools. Except for the academic setting, her focus has always beenchildren and/or the elderly. While working on her bachelor’s degree in nursing she was active in state and nationalstudent nurses associations as well as Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. Upon graduation she started working as an obstetrical nurse. Showing an early interest in management and leadership, she returned to school to pursue adegree in health care administration. Once into the program, she shifted her focus from general health care administration to nursing administration. She graduated at the top of her class with a Masters in Nursing Administration.
Eldonna is employed by Johnson County Kansas, Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) as Division Director of Child Care Licensing, She is a member of JCDHE CHAP, PHAB Accreditation, Strategic planning, and workforce development committees. Additionally she participates in Child Care Licensing Multi County Committee, NARA, and is a KPHLI fellow serving on this advisory committe.
She is an APHA member, Maternal Child Health, Public Health Nursing, and Health Administration section member, and joined the Child Care Licensing sub-committee in 2012. She was an active participant in the APHA Joint membership project representing KPHA. She has attended the APHA annual conference every year since 2008. In addition to the annual meeting, she has the Affiliate President-Elect meeting, ACBI training, 2 Mid-Year APHA meetings, and 2 CoA Mid Year meetings. Eldonna served on the Council of Affiliates(CoA) as Regional Representative,Chair-elect, chair and past chair. Additionally participating in COA committees. She represented COA on the APHA Executive board in 2016 and was elected to the Executive Board in 2017. She is past KPHA section chair, Conference Comittee chair, Orientation Manual Project committee member, past Membership Chair, Director at large, President Elect, and President. She served as ARGC from Kansas for 3 years and continues as an active member of MINK (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas Public Health Associations) - Regional VII affiliates.