A. Carole Pratt

A. Carole Pratt, of Richmond, Virginia, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Tech in 1972, and then went on to earn a Doctoral Dental Surgery degree from the Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry. She now serves as senior policy advisor to the Virginia Department of Health, appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2014. In this role, Pratt focuses primarily on rural health and healthcare workforce concerns, oral health, prescription and illicit drug abuse and addiction. She is a member of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, representing Health and Human Resources Secretary, and provides support to the Department of Veterans Services’ Military Medics and Corpsman (MMAC) Program, which transitions veterans to civilian health care jobs.

Pratt previously practiced general dentistry in rural southwest Virginia for 32 years, during which time she served four terms as chair of Virginia’s Board of Health, and vice chair of the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services. She is the past chair of the board of trustees at Lewis Gale Hospital at Pulaski and was a fellow of the National Rural Health Association. In 2011, Pratt served as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow and served in the office of Senator John D. Rockefeller.

A dedicated alumna, Pratt currently serves as the International President of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association. She is also a member of the Virginia Tech Foundation Board, the College of Science Dean’s Roundtable, the Department of Biological Sciences Advisory Board, and the advisory council for Virginia Tech I WILL (Inspiring Women in Lifelong Leadership).

An active leader in her community, Pratt has served as chair of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, chair of Virginia’s Small Business Advisory Board, and was a member of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Board of Directors. In addition, she has volunteered for many years at the annual Virginia Dental Association Mission of Mercy clinics, which provides free treatment to patients in rural southwest Virginia.