Dr. McKinney holds her Doctorate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, with a focus on preparedness planning, leadership and workforce development. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brandeis University and her Master of Public Health degree and certificates in Managed Care and Health Care Administration from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

Dr. McKinney was recently appointed as the Acting Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Chicago Department of Public Health, where she oversees the preparedness efforts for the Department and coordinates those efforts within the larger spectrum of the City of Chicago’s Public Safety activities. In this capacity, she also manages both the CDC and ASPR funded preparedness programs. Dr. McKinney was also responsible for establishing and overseeing the implementation of program goals and objectives in accordance with standards and guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For the last six years, Dr. McKinney has spearheaded CDPH’s regional collaboration and coordination efforts with other local health departments within Northern Illinois (Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will and Winnebago counties, as well as the Villages of Oak Park, Skokie, Stickney and the City of Evanston). She has been the primary force in the development of public health regional plans to respond to bioterrorism events and other public health emergencies. These regional coordination efforts were successful in the region’s recognition by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to become certified under Project Public Health Ready in 2006. She serves as CDPH’s primary liaison to the Illinois Department of Public Health, with regard to regional coordination and planning issues and serves as the Co-Chair of the Emergency Preparedness Committee for the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium.