MILWAUKEE – We are proud to introduce our next Interim Commissioner of Health, Marlaina Jackson. Commissioner Jackson will serve as the next City of Milwaukee Commissioner of Health effective at 12:00am on Wednesday, September 23rd. This term will be in effect until the next commissioner is nominated by the Mayor and confirmed by the Common Council.
As a Milwaukee native, Commissioner Jackson began her healthcare career working for Aurora Family Services as a Prenatal Care Coordination home visitor. Marlaina worked for Froedtert Hospital for 15 years prior to the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) where she held various leadership roles involving organizational change management and leadership of various operational projects and teams. Her last role was Director of Patient Relations and Guest Services.
In April of 2020, Marlaina began her journey with MHD and has quickly “hit the ground running” as the Deputy Commissioner of Community Health. She has managed the school, child care, and religious/faith-based sector COVID-19 guidance, provision of webinars, and the COVID-19 safety plan process. Marlaina developed and implemented the MKE Cares Mask Outreach and Distribution plan. In addition to these key COVID-19 accomplishments, Commissioner Jackson created the MHD Outreach/Partner Model to better connect with our community and established accountabilities within MHD.
Marlaina describes herself as a servant leader who prides herself in open communication and giving her team the ability to succeed. She loves working with the community and joined MHD to return to community-based work.
Marlaina holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida A&M University in Health Care Administration and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Marquette University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Milwaukee Alumnae Chapter.
When Marlaina is not serving Milwaukeeans, she enjoys any outdoor activity and spending time with her husband and two sons.
