Brazos County Health District director Santos Navarrette Jr. to retire in January

Santos Navarrette Jr., who has directed the Brazos County Health District since October 2018, plans to retire at the end of January, the Brazos County Board of Health said in a news release this week. His last day as director is set for Jan. 31, 2027.

Navarrette will stay on through that date to help with the handoff, according to the board. It said it expects to start a formal search for the next director in the coming weeks, working with the cities of Bryan and College Station and with Brazos County.

Tenure

Navarrette's time in the job covered the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership the district brought in more than $4.5 million in COVID-19 grant money and a $2.1 million Public Health Infrastructure Grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the release as reported by The Eagle.

The Texas Association of City and County Health Officials named the district its Local Health Department of the Year twice during that period.

Board of Health Chair Bob Yancy praised the outgoing director in the release. "He built something durable here," Yancy said, adding that the partnerships, programs and professionalism Navarrette brought "will benefit Brazos County for years to come."

Before coming to Brazos County, Navarrette held senior public health posts in Laredo, Abilene and Tarrant County, and he spent 28 years in the U.S. Air Force.

The release did not give a target date for naming a successor.

Sources

theeagle.com