Alonzo Plough joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as chief science officer and vice president, Research-Evaluation-Learning in January 2014. He is responsible for aligning all of the Foundation's work with the best evidence from research and practice and incorporating program evaluations into organizational learning. He also oversees the two grantmaking portfolios focused on innovation and emerging issues: Pioneer and Global Ideas for U.S. solutions. Plough has been a national leader in public health practice for over 25 years. He came to the Foundation from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health where he served as director of emergency preparedness and response from 2009-2013. Prior to these positions, Plough served as the vice president of strategy, planning and evaluation for The California Endowment, the director and health officer for the Seattle and King County Department of Public Health, as well as the director of public health in Boston.