Howell Wechsler, a public health leader with more than four decades of experience, is the new CEO of FPHNYC, the dedicated nonprofit partner of the NYC Health Department
Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH, started as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Fund for Public Health NYC on July 13, 2026. Wechsler succeeds Sara Gardner, who retired after 18 years as CEO. Gardner guided the organization through a period of historic growth, including raising and managing more than $550 million in public and private funding for more than 500 innovative public health programs.
Wechsler comes to FPHNYC from FHI 360, a global nonprofit where he served as Vice President for U.S. Programs, overseeing a portfolio of evidence-based programs addressing health, education, and economic opportunity for underserved Americans. He previously served as CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit co-founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation. His experience also includes nearly two decades at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including nine years as Director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health. Early in his career, Wechsler, who was born in the Bronx, was a health education writer at the New York City Department of Health, a tie to public health work in NYC that he now deepens as FPHNYC’s next CEO.
“Alongside my 7,000 colleagues at the New York City Health Department, I am excited to welcome Howell Wechsler as the Fund for Public Health NYC’s next CEO,” said Dr. Alister Martin, New York City Commissioner of Health, and President and Chair of FPHNYC’s Board of Directors. “Together, we have urgent work to do to help New Yorkers: public health must move at the speed of need, and government alone cannot always match that pace. FPHNYC gives the NYC Health Department the flexibility, creativity, and capacity to pilot new initiatives, mobilize partners, and scale programs that meet the diverse needs of New Yorkers. I look forward to working closely with Howell and FPHNYC to protect and expand public health programs that keep our city safe and healthy.”
Wechsler notes that, “Some of my earliest, most formative public health work was in New York City, and there is no place I would rather be doing this work right now. FPHNYC’s model uses the creativity and agility of the philanthropic and private sectors to extend what the Health Department can accomplish. I am honored to lead FPHNYC at such a consequential moment for public health, and I am ready to ensure that Commissioner Martin and the Health Department have the partners, resources, and support they need to improve the lives of New Yorkers.”
“FPHNYC’s Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome Howell Wechsler as the organization’s new CEO,” said Toya Williford, Vice Chair of FPHNYC’s Board of Directors. “We conducted an extensive and thoughtful search to find a dynamic leader who shares our commitment to health equity and who has the vision and passion to build on the organization’s more than two decades of growth and innovation. Howell’s extensive experience developing public health initiatives, his impressive fundraising track record, and his proven skills as a nonprofit leader make him the right person to lead FPHNYC.”
Wechsler assumes leadership of FPHNYC at a critical moment for public health in New York City and across the nation. As federal funding for public health faces significant pressure and the city pursues an ambitious affordability agenda under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, FPHNYC’s role as a nimble, mission-driven partner to the Health Department has never been more essential. FPHNYC is currently executing a five-year strategic plan adopted by its Board in 2024, focused on reducing health disparities and improving life expectancy for all New Yorkers.