Ebony Jackson-Shaheed named Director of the Hartford Health and Human Services Department

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin has named Ebony Jackson-Shaheed the city’s next Department of Health & Human Services director. Jackson-Shaheed most recently served as health director for the city of Bridgeport. She has also served as acting director and epidemiologist/public health consultant there.

“Ebony Jackson-Shaheed is an experienced and respected public health leader in Connecticut, and we will be very fortunate to have her as Director of our outstanding HHS team,” Bronin said in a release. “Ebony brings many years of public health experience, from her service as a community health worker to her leadership of the Bridgeport Health Department through the enormously challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic. She understands the needs of cities like Hartford, has experience across the broad range of responsibilities that our health department carries, and is deeply committed to working in collaboration with our many partners to support the health and wellness of our whole community.”

Jackson-Shaheed served as Health Director for Bridgeport since 2021, where she led the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ms. Jackson-Shaheed has expanded and promoted health equity, enhanced social services, and provided invaluable knowledge as an epidemiologist,” Bronin said in a letter addressed to council members.

She has also worked as a behaviorist in Woodbridge, a community health worker, and science teacher in New York City, and did work as a post-graduate fellow at Yale University and with the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

Jackson-Shaheed holds a bachelor’s of science in health education from Montclair State University and a master of public health from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center School of Public Health. She sits on various boards, including the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, according to the release.

“I am excited to join the city of Hartford team and to continue the vital work of promoting public health for Hartford residents,” said Jackson-Shaheed in a press release. “I’m grateful to Mayor Bronin for giving me this opportunity to lead the city’s health and human services department, which has done incredible work promoting better health outcomes for residents of all ages and backgrounds, and I look forward to working with them as we make Hartford a healthier and safer place to live.”