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OPHA STAFF
The Oklahoma Public Health Association is so proud to have hired two incredible staff, both with history rebuilding OPHA, to support the Board of Directors and execute year-round operations! Please learn about OPHA's Administrator and Executive Director below.
| ADMINISTRATOR & PAST-PRESIDENT (nonvoting) Tracy Freudenthaler, PhD, MPH, MCHES | tracy@okpublichealth.org Tracy Freudenthaler has earned both her PhD and her MPH at OSU and OUHSC, respectively. Her professional background includes conducting clinical research trials and over 15 years teaching in higher education. She coordinated a large-scale (5,000 subject) human papillomavirus (HPV) clinical trial in Northeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas and has partnered with various pharmaceutical companies leading to FDA approvals of vaccines and STI testing products. She also serves as the co-leader of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's Tulsa chapter. Dr. Freudenthaler is also known for her collection of medical artifacts and patent medicines from the late 1800’s and early 1900's. She has a series of publications related to abnormal psychology and serves as a medical history reviewer and editorial board member for The Ulster Medical Journal. |
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (ex-officio, nonvoting)
McKenzie Cowlbeck, MPH, CPH | she/her | mckenzie@okpublichealth.org McKenzie Cowlbeck (she/her) is a lifelong Oklahoman with a passion for improving public health through policy and systems change. She holds a BS in Math and Sciences with honors from the University of Oklahoma and an MPH in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Oklahoma Health Campus Hudson College of Public Health. After graduate school, she was selected for the inaugural cohort of the CDC & ChangeLab Solutions Public Health Law Fellowship, where she focused on policy surveillance. McKenzie has played a pivotal role in revitalizing the Oklahoma Public Health Association (OPHA), leading its policy, advocacy, and |
administrative efforts through consulting, volunteering, and Board service. She served as OPHA’s Policy Chair and Affiliate Representative to the APHA Governing Council (ARGC) before becoming OPHA’s full-time Executive Director in September 2024. In this role, she continues to champion sustainability, strategic growth, and stewardship to Oklahoma’s public health workforce. She is particularly passionate about equipping public health students and professionals to engage in policy. For her leadership at OPHA, APHA, and among fellow Affiliates, McKenzie was recognized as the APHA Council of Affiliates Student of the Year in 2023 and received the inaugural Giorgio A Piccagli Leadership Award in 2024.
McKenzie lives in Norman, Oklahoma with her partner, Westin, and their beloved dog, Bowie. Outside of work, she’s a foodie who loves locally roasted coffee, birdwatching, gardening, and listening audiobooks.
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