Brookie Crawford

LISA COX, M.S., is the Communications Director at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. She has spent the past 15 years in government and healthcare public relations and has experienced a variety of crisis communications events. In addition to short-term emergencies, Lisa led communications for Missouri’s public health agency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to her time in state government, she led public affairs for the Springfield, Missouri Police Department and handled communications for high-profile investigations that included officer-involved shootings, missing children, homicides and more. She also worked in media relations for Mercy Hospital Springfield and supported crisis communications for months following the 2011 Joplin tornado after the twister destroyed a fellow Mercy hospital, displacing the surviving patients. Lisa earned her master’s degree in administrative studies in applied communication and her bachelor’s in public relations, both from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.