Dr. Gail Christopher

Gail Christopher has blazed a career trail from holistic health into government reinvention, citistate issues and fostering rebirth in public institutions coast to coast.

Dr. Christopher is presently director of the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, engaged in a multi-year program focused on improving health outcomes for minority Americans. From 2000 to 2003, she headed the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Prior to that, she served for several years as a board member, then co-chair and director of the Alliance for Redesigning Government, an affiliate of the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington. She is also a Fellow of the Academy.

Christopher is a licensed holistic health practitioner, a Naprapath, and has her own holistic health organization, The Body Owners Workshop. She formed her own consulting firm which designed and administered such national initiatives as the Americans All National Multicultural Education Program, the Family Development Institute and Nutrassessment Nutritional Health Centers. She serves on a number of national boards and commissions, including the Silver Ribbon Panel of the National Head Start Program.

Christopher attributes her commitment to public sector innovation to insights gained through her work with thousands of patients during the 1970s and 80s. She says, "It became clear to me, as I helped people become more empowered to take responsibility for their own health and well-being, that government sponsored programs that addressed such issues as disease prevention, violence reduction and economic development had to become more accountable for performance and results. My work at the Alliance for Redesigning Government focused primarily on performance and innovation within state and local governments."

As Director of the Alliance, Christopher was responsible for managing several ongoing national projects including consultant services to government agencies, a nonprofit/public sector performance Design Lab, a learning network web site, a nationally distributed quarterly magazine on public sector innovation, and a citizen trust and engagement project.
She has lectured widely across the U.S. on such themes as government reinvention, regional collaborations and human service challenges.