Dr. Rodney E. “Rod” Jenkins, Sr., DrPH, MHA
Hardworking, strong, and charismatic describe Dr. Rod Jenkins, Public Health Director for Durham County Department of Public Health. He joined Durham in 2020 after serving nine years as Deputy Public Health Director in Cumberland County and three years as Assistant County Manager in Robeson County. A U.S. Army veteran, he also spent over a decade as a banking manager with Wells Fargo. Dr. Jenkins holds a B.S. in Business Administration from The Citadel, an M.H.A. from the University of South Carolina, and a Doctor of Public Health from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2024). He completed UNC’s Municipal & County Administration Course and fellowships with the Jim Bernstein Community Health Leadership Fellows Program and the Civics Federal Credit Union Fellows Program. His leadership during the pandemic earned him the Ronald Levine Public Health Award (2022) and the Reynolds Achievement Award (2023).