Unpacking the latest moves at the CDC 

Two top officials at the CDC announced their resignations last week, Politico first reported. 

The staffers, former chief of staff Kyle McGowan and deputy chief of staff Amanda Campbell, have said they voluntarily left their positions to start a new consulting business. They’re already living up to that promise: McGowan and Campbell have launched Ascendant Strategic Partners. The firm will focus on Washington, D.C.-based and Georgia-based health care issues, according to a new website. It’s not clear if either McGowan or Campbell will register to lobby.

McGowan and Campbell will be replaced, at least temporarily, by Nina Witkofsky and Trey Moeller. Both are newcomers to the CDC, hired as political appointees to the agency in June, according to federal records obtained by STAT. They both also have minimal public health experience. Witkofsky, who is now serving as acting chief of staff, previously held a number of positions at the Department of State working on sports exchange programs. Moeller, who is serving as acting deputy chief of staff, appears to have previously worked in pharmaceutical sales, according to archived versions of his LinkedIn profile which has since been deleted. Witkofsky, Moeller and the CDC press office could not be reached for comment.