During the Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, July 9th, 2026, Health Director Quintana Stewart received much-deserved recognition and thank you for her service to our Orange County community!
The Board of County Commissioners meeting was a bittersweet event, as the Commissioners began the meeting by sharing their sadness at the loss of Commissioner Bedford, who passed away unexpectedly on June 21st from surgery complications. On the agenda was the Proclamation recognizing the exemplary work and dedication of Health Director Quintana Stewart, whose last day with the Orange County Health Department was July 10th.
Health Director Stewart has been a strong supporter of Breastfeed Orange NC. Under Quintana Stewart’s leadership, the Orange County Health Department strengthened its support for the Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community and its role as a stakeholder in the Breastfeed Orange NC initiative. The Health Department support was an integral part of the Town of Carrboro’s Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community Designation.
The Orange County Health Department has been a stakeholder in the initiative from the beginning, when Breastfeed Orange NC was piloted in 2015 as the Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. In 2014, the Health Department was awarded the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition (NCBfC) Community Partner and Employer award. In 2016, the Health Department achieved the NCBfC Family Friendly Clinic award.
The Orange County Board of Health has appointed Dorothy Cilenti as interim health director. The Breastfeed Orange NC team looks forward to working with Interim Health Director Cilenti and the dedicated staff at the Health Department, while Orange County conducts a search for a permanent health director.
Thank you, Director Stewart, for your dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to supporting a breastfeeding family friendly community!
We know that the Orange County Health Department will continue to foster a warm, safe, and welcoming community for all nursing families.
