Andrea Palmer is a Program Officer with the Pritzker Children’s Initiative. As a member of the Pritzker Children’s Initiative team, Andrea leads the foundation’s strategy to address the needs of expectant mothers with the goal of reducing the number of pre-term births and the evident racial disparities that exist in birth outcomes. Through her more than thirty years in public health, Andrea has a wealth of expertise in the development, implementation and administration of systems, services and supports for families at risk for poor health, educational and economic outcomes. Before joining the foundation early in 2019, Andrea served as Chief of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health Services, where she oversaw the State’s Infant Mortality Reduction initiatives, Regional Perinatal Health services, School-Based Health Centers and adolescent health programs. She was also the Director of Illinois’ Maternal and Child Health Services, overseeing the state’s Title V Block Grant, facilitating the ongoing assessment of the State’s maternal and child health needs and the establishment of statewide priorities and objectives. During her tenure with the State, she also managed the Teen Parent Services, Healthy Families and Parents Too Soon programs, and played an integral role in the development and implementation of Illinois’ Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visitation program (MIECHV).