The US governmental public health workforce is dwindling while the need for additional workers is increasing. In an historic effort to address this issue, in March 2010 the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) surveyed over 70,000 public health workers across the US to determine how, when, and why they entered the governmental public health workforce and reasons they have remained in the workforce. Key survey findings were released in the spring of 2011 and have informed the development by the Council on Linkages of evidence-assisted recruitment and retention strategies for the US public health system. This session will begin with the presentation of key findings from the Council on Linkages survey of public health workers. A discussion of evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies that address the Council on Linkages survey findings will follow. In addition, participants will be invited to share their interpretation of the key findings presented and the potential implications of those findings.