Danny F. Scalise '02

Danny Franklin Scalise II graduated from WVU Tech with a bachelor’s degree in business management in 2002, and currently serves as the Public Health Director of Burke County Public Health in North Carolina. Burke County Public Health was recently recognized as the 2024 recipient of the Dr. Sarah Taylor Morrow Distinguished Health Department of the Year in North Carolina. A distinguished public health leader, Scalise was honored with both the W. C. Woodward Award from the American Public Health Association and the Dogwood Award from the North Carolina Attorney General in 2024.

In addition to his degree from Tech, he holds a master’s degree in business administration (2005), and a Master of Public Health in Health Policy (2018), both from West Virginia University. He achieved Certification in Public Health from the National Board of Public Health Examiners in 2016 and became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2019.

Scalise currently holds adjunct professorships at Campbell University's School of Osteopathic Medicine and West Virginia University School of Public Health in Health Policy. He previously served as the Executive Director and Chief Lobbyist of the West Virginia State Medical Association and its subsidiary organizations. His dedication to public health advocacy has been evident throughout his career.

Scalise's extensive experience in public policy includes serving as an adviser to two Governors. Prior to his relocation to North Carolina, he was renowned across West Virginia for his expertise in state politics and legislative processes. During the Manchin administration, he served as the Recovery Czar, managing $1.8 billion in grants and entitlement funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

A prolific speaker and writer, Scalise regularly addresses topics including public health, health policy, and local health department governance and organizational structure. He serves on the Board of Directors at the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and the Editorial Board of the North Carolina Medical Journal, where he served as guest editor for the 2024 issue on Substance Use Disorder in North Carolina and the region. He is also an active volunteer at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Lenoir, NC.

His numerous accolades include recognition from Opportunity Nation as part of their national Opportunity Leaders & Scholars program in 2013, the Health Administration Rising Star award from the American Public Health Association in 2016, and selection as a Leadership West Virginia graduate in 2012. Additional honors include being named to the State Journal's Generation Next: 40 under 40 list (2016), recognition as a Young Gun by West Virginia Executive Magazine (2019), the Advocacy Award from the West Virginia Immunization Network (2019) for his work protecting childhood immunization laws, and co-recipient of the Ron Levine Public Health Award (2022). Scalise is a life member of Mensa.