Bonnie Butler
Program Coordinator
Bonnie Butler is a program coordinator for the Institute for Public Health Practice, Research and Policy at the University of Iowa. She serves as the program coordinator for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and assists with the Healthcare Associated Infections Tabletop Exercise project. Bonnie’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Illinois University.
Bonnie joined the UI College of Public Health in 2021 as the Internship Coordinator in the Student Services office, a position created through a partnership with Iowa HHS designed to focus on public health workforce development within the state. She was instrumental in assisting students across various degree programs to secure professional development placements with local and state public health departments as well as other community organizations that contribute to the public health network in Iowa. As the primary liaison between the college and community partners, Bonnie actively cultivated new placement opportunities for students, contributing to the growth of public health initiatives across the state of Iowa and developing a pipeline of new public health professionals into the workforce.
Before joining the University of Iowa, Bonnie held several pivotal roles during her 15 years at a rural local public health department in Eastern Iowa. She began her public health career managing the county’s Tobacco Use Prevention and Control program, building a coalition to address tobacco and nicotine issues including passage of the Smokefree Air Act, offering technical assistance to businesses and law enforcement, and developing an active student-led nicotine prevention chapter. Later, Bonnie accepted a role at the same department as the Public Health and Emergency Preparedness Division Manager, overseeing the programmatic and fiscal management of all public health programs including Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, Immunization and TB, Tobacco Use Prevention and Control, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Local Public Health Services, Medical Reserve Corps, etc. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she also served as the Interim Director of the department, demonstrating her commitment to community well-being and public health emergency management.