Meet the SOS 2018 Speakers

To download PDF of presenter biographies please click here. 

Speaker Session Presentations/Videos

Try This Southern States!

Using a Systems Thinking Approach to Address Childhood Obesity in Schools

Effective Obesity Prevention Interventions in Rural Areas of the South

• Claire Heiser
• Nancy O'Hara Tompkins 
• Emily Murphy
• Dianna Lewis 
• Alice Kirk​
• Bonnie Lee Hinds

​
Town Hall Meeting: Building your Strategy and Exploring Ways to Incorporate Health Equity into your Work 

Welcome from West Virginia 
​
Reversing Disparities in Obesity: Cost-Effective Strategies to Promote Health Equity

Meet the SOS 2018 Breakout Speakers

To download PDF of breakout presenter biographies please click here. 

Demetrius Abshire, PhD, RN
Dr. Demetrius Abshire is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. His program of research focuses on factors related to obesity in rural adults and interventions to reduce obesity in this population. He graduated with his PhD from the University of Kentucky in December 2014. He has presented his research at local, regional, and national conferences and has published research findings in rural health journals. 

Rosalie Aguilar, MS 
Rosalie Aguilar, MS, is the national project coordinator for Salud America! a national research and communications network of over 100,000 members aimed at preventing Latino childhood obesity and promoting all around health for Latino children. As project coordinator she has led numerous efforts to engage Latino communities across the U.S. in online campaigns aimed at promoting healthy communities through policy, programs and local level changes. Along with the rest of the Salud America! team she has worked to empower Latinos through curation of the latest news, research, success stories, and action toolkits used by Salud America!’s network members. Aguilar is currently pursuing a PhD in Translational Science from UT Health San Antonio and her current research interests lie in using technology and online communication to engage Latinos in health advocacy. 

Angela Amico, MPH 
Angela Amico is a policy associate for the Center for Science in the Public Interest and manages activities on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and healthier foods for public places. She serves as a co-chair of the Coordination and National Roadmap Action Group and is a member of the steering committee of the Food Service Guidelines Collaborative. Prior to joining CSPI in 2015, she received her Master’s in Public Health from New York University and her Bachelor’s in Science in Nutrition from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. She has completed internships for the World Health Organization, the New York University Seed Program, and the New York State Health Foundation. 

Jenny Anderson
Jenny Anderson is the Director of Families Leading Change (www.familiesleadingchange.org) a statewide coalition that provides opportunities for parents, students, and other family members (kinship) to have a voice in public schools. FLC support families by offering funding to start educational programs and projects and trains families who want to work with their principals, teachers, and school staff to make their hometown schools better. These family teams also work on creating a school system change or policy on a local, state, or federal level. Jenny is very passionate about school wellness policy and ensuring that schools have tools to involve students and staff. She found her own “parent” voice when she volunteered in her own child’s school where she was able to create programming and a school environment that encouraged a healthy lifestyle daily. 

Cavesha Anderson, MPH 
Cavesha Anderson is the Employee Wellness Coordinator within the Bureau of Chronic Disease at the Florida Department of Health. In her role, she develops high-impact worksite wellness strategies for the Department’s Central Office and serves as the liaison between the Central Office, county health departments, and Florida School Districts in all matters pertaining to employee wellness. Cavesha is an alumna of Florida State University, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Urban Planning in 2015 and a Master’s in Public Health in 2017.

Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson is a local chef and co-owner of the Community Garden Market in Shepherdstown, WV. He is also a community faculty member for the MedCHEFS program, teaching third year medical students cooking techniques and healthy nutrition concepts. He has a column in the Sunday Lifestyle section of the local Herald-Mail newspaper. From 1991 to 2017, he worked at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV, moving up from part-time catering employee to the Assistant Food Service Director of Dining and Executive Chef. In 2017, he felt a calling to move into a more community based natural and organic setting, so he left collegiate food service to take co-ownership of the Community Garden Market of Shepherdstown. Scott enjoys creating foods that are both unique and mouthwatering. He is usually found with a bulb of garlic in one hand and a delicious Wisconsin Cheese in the other with a spice rack full of seasonings and various levels of hot sauce. He has a passion for interpreting our everyday comfort food recipes into healthy, quick, and easy recipes with extraordinary presentation!

Carol Antonelli-Greco, DO (See Amanda Cummins presentation)
Dr.Carol Antonelli-Greco is a Family Physician by training and is board certified in both Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She has been in private practice in Wheeling, WV since 1988, and has been a hospice medical director for 9 years with Valley Hospice. She has worked with Wheeling Health Right Clinic which is a free and charitable clinic serving the working poor, and most recently, she and associate Amanda Cummins, PA collaborated with Grow Ohio Valley to start FARMacy WV, Prescriptions for Produce, a program initiative to help fight and prevent chronic disease in the state. She is currently employed as a Family physician with East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry, Ohio.

Heather Atteberry, MPH (See Michael Lopez presentation)
Heather Atteberry, MPH, is the Special Events Coordinator for the Live Smart Texas Coalition. She has been a member of the coalition since its inception and began her current role with the coalition in 2016. She is responsible for organizing all internal and external meetings for the coalition, and she serves as the Communication sub-committee lead. Ms. Atteberry is the Pre-award Grants and Contracts Specialist for the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in Austin. She received her Masters of Public Health from the UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio in May 2009. She has worked at the Center since 2007 and has coordinated the implementation and evaluation of multiple projects (Active Play-Active Learning, SPAN 2009-11, TCOPPE, and Texas CORD). Ms. Atteberry previously held the position of Center Coordinator, where she provided administrative and research support for the Center Director and leadership.

Donyel Barber
Donyel Barber serves as the Community Centered Health Coordinator for Gaston Family Health Services, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). She promotes community engagement, while working with communities to identify social determinants leading to poor health of the community. Working alongside the community, her mission is to achieve health equity and improve the overall health of the community she now serves. She is a 1996 graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree and she is certified as a Facilitative Leader.
 
Kristie Bardell, MPH 
Kristie Bardell serves as the Associate Director of the Family Health Portfolio at the Louisiana Public Health Institute. She works to build capacity around reproductive health services, develop strategies to improve family health at a systems level, in addition to improving access to sexual health education for young people through supporting policy and advocacy efforts. Ms. Bardell has over a decade of experience in community health developing programs, assessing community health needs, and collaborating with multi-sector partners to develop and implement health improvement initiatives related to chronic diseases, maternal health and child health. She has worked with multi sector partners to build capacity around programming, clinical services and policy change. She has extensive experience in providing strategic direction to community based organizations, businesses, faith-based entities, and governmental organizations, to support the development of coalitions resulting in policy, system and environmental changes to maximize health outcomes and reduce disparities within underserved communities. Prior to joining Louisiana Public Health Institute Ms. Bardell worked with the Louisiana Department of Health to improve maternal, infant, and child mortality and morbidity rates by providing statewide leadership to build public health capacity. She is a graduate of Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine receiving a Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health. As a native of Louisiana and passionate strategist she continues to carve a pathway to health for all.

Nancy Brenowitz Katz MS, RDN 
Nancy Brenowitz Katz is the Director of School Partnerships for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. In this role she builds and maintains cross-sector relationships with key national and local government agencies and non-governmental organizations, and leads the organization’s work around the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Nancy also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at both Anne Arundel Community College and American University. Prior to working at the Alliance, Nancy was the Manager of Healthy Schools Act Initiatives in the Office of the State Superintendent in Washington, DC. There she oversaw the agencies’ implementation of the DC Healthy Schools Act of 2010 through managing seven staff members who supported schools and districts in building strong wellness polices, increasing physical activity and physical, health, and environmental education, and implementing strong farm-to-school and school garden programs. Prior to this, Nancy served as the Dietetics Program Director at the University of Maryland for 10 years. There she trained hundreds of students, many of whom went on to pursue careers in dietetics. She also has experience in both community and clinical dietetics, having worked for several hospitals, the George Washington University Weight Management Program, and the Prince George’s County Health Department. She is a Registered Dietitian and has her Master’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Maryland. 

Kathy Brunty (See Pre Conference Session Kayla Wright)
Kathy Brunty has 25 years experience in community organizing and youth development. Kathy played a key role in developing the Wyoming SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) group starting in 2011. They began with 6 students and have grown to over 600. The students have received 14 different awards in recognition of youth leadership, mentoring, and creating community change. This included the National SADD Chapter of the year in 2015. Kathy was also recognized as the National SADD Advisor of year in 2016. Wyoming SADD believes their greatest success is opening two youth centers in their rural poverty stricken county. As Director of Try This Kathy helped build a network comprised of local leaders from schools, churches, and a wide range of organizations. Kathy believes in the Try This mission of "Knocking WV off the top of the worst health lists," through the motto, "It's up to us!" 

Deborah Bujnowski PhD, MPH, RD 
Deborah Bujnowski, PhD, MPH, RD has been the Chronic Disease Epidemiologist at Harris County Public Health in Houston, TX for over two years. She has over a decade of experience in obesity prevention and nutritional, behavioral, and cardiovascular epidemiology. Prior to her work at Harris County, she completed a research fellowship in nutritional and cardiovascular epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was Assistant Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology at the University of Nevada-Reno.

Rachel Campos, MPH 
Rachel Campos is part of the Georgia Health Policy Center’s Community Health Systems Development team. She brings with her expertise in planning, implementing, and evaluating health promotion programs in both the public and private sectors. Campos provides technical assistance to rural health initiatives across the country with a focus on building their capacity and long-term sustainability, specific to childhood obesity. In addition, she provides technical assistance to Georgia’s Student Health and Physical Education (SHAPE) grantees to develop wellness committees and physical activity and nutrition plans within school communities for an opportunity to achieve a greater level of overall fitness and health. Lastly, Campos serves as a technical assistance consultant to Georgia Community Service Boards to implement a project integrating mental health therapists in school settings to create a sustainable school-based mental health model.

Hillary Caron, JD 
Hillary Caron is a Senior Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit in Washington, DC supported by more than 500,000 members. Since 1971, CSPI has worked to make it easier for people to eat healthfully so they can avoid heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, and other diet- and obesity-related diseases. CSPI has led successful efforts to secure Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods, improve school food, ensure calories are labeled on menus at chain restaurants, and remove trans fat from the food supply. Hillary leads CSPI’s state and local policy efforts, with a focus on sugar-sweetened beverages. Prior to joining CSPI, Hillary served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including as Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Food and Nutrition and as a liaison to Congress on nutrition, food access, and food safety issues. Previously, she was a nutrition policy staffer for the Senate Agriculture Committee under Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) during the development and passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Hillary holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law and a B.A. in Public Policy and African & African American Studies from Duke University.

Katie Chennisi, MPH 
Katie Chennisi is a Public Health Analyst with the Office of Policy and Planning at Harris County Public Health (HCPH). Katie oversees various chronic disease prevention activities, including work for the Healthy Living Matters collaborative. Prior to coming to HCPH, Katie spent five years at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston where she was the Coordinator for the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System (TECPDS). In this role Katie managed a statewide system aimed at making quality professional development opportunities more accessible to individuals working with young children. Katie grew up in the Dominican Republic, and completed most her schooling there, including her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Psychology at the Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra. Shortly after graduating she moved to Houston in order to pursue her graduate studies, and in 2010 obtained her Master’s in Public Health from The University of Texas School of Public Health. 

Sadé Collins, MPH, CHES
Sadé Collins, MPH, CHES is the Health Education Program Manager/ Environmental Approaches Section Administrator within the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention at the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). She works to refer changes in policies and physical surroundings to make the healthy choice the easy choice by focusing on efforts to eliminate health disparities and prevent chronic diseases. During her combined five years at FDOH she has held positions as the Healthy Schools Coordinator, the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity Contract Manager and most recently Acting Co-Chief of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention. In addition to her career at FDOH, she reviews manuscripts for professional journals and serve as a health education adjunct professor at Tallahassee Community College.

Miranda Cook, MPH 
Miranda is currently a PhD student in the Nutrition & Health Sciences program at Emory University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Miranda received her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She has worked on surveillance projects and program evaluations for organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Planned Parenthood, Wholesome Wave Georgia, and Emory University. A North Carolina native, Miranda attended Appalachian State University where she graduated Cum Laude with University Honors for a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, a self-designed program incorporating Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, and Health Care Management.

Jamie Cousins, MPA 
Jamie Cousins is the Program Director for the Catalyst for Healthy Eating and Active Living and is responsible for project planning, implementation, and evaluation. She leads a team of local Catalyst Coordinators in Beaufort, Burke, Cleveland, Edgecombe, Halifax, McDowell, Nash, and Rockingham counties, who foster collaboration and strengthen community engagement to increase healthy eating and active living. Jamie collaborates with NC DPH staff and other partners to support efforts in the Catalyst counties. She joined NC DPH in 2008 and has coordinated efforts including NC’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant supporting community change in Appalachian District and Pitt County and the NC Childhood Obesity Prevention Demonstration Project. Jamie came to North Carolina from Atlanta where she completed the Presidential Management Fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and then stayed on to work in children’s health. Prior, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Russia where she taught English and secured community grants. Jamie received her Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Sociology. She lives in Raleigh with her family and enjoys running, playing games, and time with family and friends.

Patrick Cowart, BA, MBA 
Patrick Cowart is the Project Director for the Adolescent Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program. He is employed by Richland Parish Hospital in Delhi, LA. He has extensive experience in implementing and managing both statewide and regional programs in Louisiana. Currently, his primary focus is on the implementation of the Adolescent Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program, which is an initiative through HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program. Patrick has over 20 years’ experience in managing health related projects and grants ranging from rural healthcare infrastructure lending to state-wide provision of HIV/AIDS social and financial services under the Ryan White Care Act, and program development and implementation through various Delta States Rural Development Network grants in Louisiana. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University. He currently lives in Vicksburg, MS and enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends. 
 
Mark Cucuzzella MD, FAAFP 
Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a Lt Col in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military with the USAF Efficient Running Project. In his community and medical school he has been a tireless promoter of nutritional interventions in patients with any spectrum of the metabolic syndrome and introducing low carb options for hospital patients. He is a member of The Nutrition Coalition advocating for scientific scrutiny in nutritional policy. He was a lead writer of one of the first grants supporting education of Medical Students in nutrition and physical activity through the MEDCHEFS program, now in its 4th year. Mark is also the lead on a large USDA grant to double SNAP benefits at Farmers Markets- the goal is reducing food insecurity as a barrier to healthier eating. He’s also been a competitive runner for over 30 years — with more than 100 marathon and ultra marathon finishes — and has a unique streak of 30 years running a marathon under 3 hours. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice. He is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running. Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, WV. Mark’s vision of medical care as it should be is housed in his site www.natureprescriptions.org.

Amanda Cummins, PA-C
Amanda has worked with Wheeling Health Right, Inc, a free/charitable clinic in Northern West Virginia, since 2008.  She has served as the clinical coordinator and invested much in preventative care through the idea of Group Appointments.  Amanda has partnered with Dr. Carol Greco to carry out the medical portion of FARMacy, a program that gives patients with chronic disease a prescription for produce.  Additionally she works with Project HOPE, the community outreach to homeless persons and works one day a week at an extension office located at the Soup Kitchen, offering non-confrontational access to healthcare for patients with mental illness and homelessness.  Amanda was awarded West Virginia's 40-under-40 Award in 2014, based on her work at the clinic.  Amanda is a graduate of Alderson-Broaddus University in 2008 with a Master's in Physician Assistant Studies.  She and her husband are active in their local church and serve routinely in international mission efforts in Nepal.  They have one daughter and they all like the outdoors. 

Mandy Curry
Mandy Curry is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of Start A Garden, Healthy Kids Inc., and Project Healthy Kids. She is a native of West Virginia and a graduate of West Virginia University. The Start A Garden technology was created during a hackathon hosted by the Partnership for a Healthier American in 2014.The garden technology went on to win the Partnership for a Healthier American Innovation Award and has since helped more than 10,000 vegetables get started in containers across the United States. In 2016, Start A Garden licensed its technology to Healthy Kids Inc., creating the first seed-to-table meal planner in the country to show families how to grow, meal plan, and cook real food. Start A Garden’s latest phase in technology assists teachers with square foot gardening, garden notifications, and curriculum integrations.

Jon Deiches, PhD 
Dr. Deiches is a postdoctoral psychology fellow who sees adults and children at the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health. Dr. Deiches received his doctoral degree in rehabilitation psychology from the University of Wisconsin. He completed his doctoral internship at WVU Medicine. He is a member of the Society of Health Psychology and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. He is passionate about using exercise, nutrition, behavioral sleep medicine, and mindfulness to optimize health and quality of life. Dr. Deiches is also a marathon runner and vegetable gardener, and he is excited to share his love for healthy living with his community.

Amy DeLisio, MPH, RD 
Amy DeLisio MPH, RD is the director at the Center for Wellness and Nutrition (CWN) and has over twelve years of experience working on nutrition education, social marketing, and chronic disease prevention interventions serving vulnerable populations. DeLisio has extensive experience in training and capacity building efforts, multi-level interventions, partnership development, and coalition building around common goals. She is passionate about implementing community driven approaches that increase equitable polices and food justice in low resourced communities. DeLisio currently oversees the SNAP-Ed statewide contract funded through the California Department of Social Services and several contracts in the Southeast region of United States. Prior to joining CWN, DeLisio implemented new clinic policies and procedure to improve diabetes care for patients at the Watts Health Center, developed a statewide Breastfeeding Campaign for the California Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and provided statewide training and technical assistance to SNAP-Ed grantees in California. DeLisio is a Registered Dietitian with a master’s in public health (MPH) degree from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Amy earned her bachelor’s degree and attended the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.

Jessica Dianellos, MS 
Jessica Dianellos is a project coordinator for KEYS 4 HealthyKids (KEYS), a collaborative public health initiative to prevent childhood obesity through policy, system and environmental change in West Virginia child care centers and school settings. Jessica has 10 years of experience managing and coordinating statewide quality initiatives for early childhood programs in West Virginia. Before joining KEYS in 2015, Jessica worked for the WV Department of Health and Human Resources where she initiated a tiered reimbursement system for early care and education programs to incentivize and reward the achievement of high quality standards of care. She received a Master of Science degree in Child Development Studies from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration at Marshall University. Jessica is passionate about providing healthy environments and high quality care for young children. She lives outside of Charleston, WV with her husband and their 6 year old son.
 
Laura Dice, MPH 
Laura Dice is a project coordinator for KEYS 4 HealthyKids (KEYS), a collaborative public health initiative to prevent childhood obesity through policy, system and environmental change in West Virginia child care centers and school settings. Laura has a passion for assisting school teachers and childcare staff in creating healthy environments for children. She received a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University and Bachelor of Biology from Shepherd University. She lives near Charleston, WV with her husband, stepson, and dog, Paris.
 
Brenna Earnest, MSN, RN, CDE (See Diana Niland presentation)
Brenna Earnest is a Registered Nurse who obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Virginia University and her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Diabetes Nursing from Capella University. She then obtained her certification in diabetes education (CDE) and became a master trainer of the Group Lifestyle Balance program, which, is a diabetes prevention CDC approved curriculum. Currently Brenna is the coordinator at WVU Medicine Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser, WV of an ADA recognized diabetes education program and a CDC fully recognized diabetes prevention program. Brenna also is an ACE certified group fitness instructor along with being certified as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist.

Eloise Elliott, PhD 
In my role as the Ware Distinguished Professor in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences at West Virginia University, I have been charged with leading service initiatives to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of WV. Over the past six years I have provided leadership in developing and implementing the first WV Physical Activity Plan (wvphysicalactivity.org), in organizing two WV Physical Activity Symposia, in developing and implementing two county initiatives to improve physical activity participation and healthy living in children, adolescents, and families (greenbrierchoices.org and mcdowellchoices.org), and in working with overweight children and their families to improve healthy lifestyles, and therefore, health status, of WV families (campnewyou.org and cardiacwv.org). With my expertise in physical education curriculum and pedagogy, I have developed and taught numerous university courses related to physical education teaching, and have conducted K-12 teacher training workshops throughout the nation. I have developed and oversee Active Academics (activeacademics.org), a web-based teacher resource to include physical activity in the PreK-8 classroom, and a web-based instructional module for MS/HS, Take Charge! Be Healthy! (takechargebehealthy.org) to enhance the health curriculum. I am the co-director of the WV CARDIAC Project (statewide children’s health surveillance and intervention initiative), and serve as an adjunct clinical professor in the WVU School of Medicine. Most recently, I was appointed to the national President’s Council on Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition Science Board.

Gwen Emery 
As a board-certified Family Physician for 35 years, I am program director and principal investigator of Finding Wellness. I graduated from Duke University Medical School, completed my residency at Highland Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. and have practiced in upstate New York, Cleveland, Ohio and now Morgantown, W.V.  As a primary care provider, I have had a lifelong interest in preventive medicine and wellness. After 14 years of practicing in the state of West Virginia, I was fully aware of the challenges of primary care physicians to provide preventive care to their patients with the time constraints of a busy practice. My clinical practice is part of a larger health system and community that does not have a free program readily accessible to patients and the surrounding population. I started the Finding Wellness program in 2016 to provide those needs.

Hannah Fincham, MPA 
Hannah Fincham is a Families and Health Extension Agent for West Virginia University, working in Randolph County, West Virginia. Hannah strives to make better lives for children in the communities in which she works by helping to promote healthy eating and physical activity habits. She loves working, specifically, on school garden projects or projects that involve local foods. The topic today was made possible by the partnership and cooperation of the West Virginia University Extension Service, Beverly Elementary School teachers and principal, and many local organizations and individuals.

Nathan Fiore 
Nathan Fiore is a Clinical Research Project and Community Outreach Coordinator for WVU Medicine in the Eastern Division. He is involved with studies that focus on the role of community resources prescriptions and community partnerships in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease; as well the prevention of drug-related overdose fatalities. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has research experience in delivering community based, pragmatic interventions to obese and overweight populations in rural communities. Nathan has a special interest in advancing partnerships and collaboration between healthcare systems and community resources. He is passionate about teaching others how to grow their own food and is co-leader of a community garden in a low-income neighborhood in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Jeffrey Franklin, M.S. Ed
Jeff Franklin, M.S. Ed is the Illinois Delta Project Director and has over 20 years of professional experience working in the educational arena with special interest in the areas of Coordinated School Health Education, Bullying Prevention, Social and Emotional Learning, and Youth Development. In his role Prior to joining the staff of SIUC and the Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development; He worked as an Educator for the University of Illinois Extension covering the subject matters of school health education, prevention, social and emotional learning, bullying prevention, and general youth development. In addition, he has served as the Health Educator for two Illinois Delta Network schools charged with, not only teaching health education, but providing oversight of the implementation of the 8-component coordinated school health model. Additionally, Mr. Franklin has presented and co-presented on the regional, state and national level in the areas of school health, bullying prevention and social and emotional learning. Mr. Franklin has continually worked with current educators and many pre-service educators to better able them to meet the needs of their students. Mr. Franklin oversees many practicum experiences for students completing a Master Degree in Public Health.

Ann E. Freeman
Ann E. Freeman is a Marketing Coordinator for VI Marketing & Branding and has been working on the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust account for one year. She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor degree in Strategic Communication with an emphasis in advertising. She currently is the Collegiate Chair for the Oklahoma City American Marketing Association.

Jillian Freeman (See Olivia Turman presentation)
Jillian Freeman is a high school student in Cabell County. She is a former Fuel Up to Play 60 State Ambassador. Jillian is a tack and XC athlete and wants to make sure that athletes are offered healthy fueling options to eat before they perform. Jillian and her healthy cart partner, Olivia Turman are very strong advocates for policy change to improve the health of West Virginians young and old.

Kerry Gabbert, MPH 
Kerry Gabbert is a program coordinator for WVU Extension’s Family Nutrition Program. As coordinator for the SNAP-Ed program, she assists with development, implementation, and evaluation of FNP’s public health programming throughout the state. Prior to working for FNP, Kerry worked in a wide variety of public health roles, including worksite wellness for state employees, and stress management in worksites and medical settings. Kerry earned her masters’ in public health from WVU. She lives in Charleston with her husband and four sons.

Elizabeth Gerndt, MPH (See Lindsey Maslow presentation)
Elizabeth Gerndt is the Food Environments Associate with North Carolina State University's SNAP-Ed program, Steps to Health. In this role, Elizabeth oversees the policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives where people eat and shop, such as convenience stores, farmers markets, school lunchrooms and food pantries. She received her bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Clemson University and a Master of Public Health from Emory University. 

Lesley Graham
Lesley Graham serves as the Associate Director for Health on the National Education and Health Team within Save the Children’s US Programs. She assumes overall responsibility for the Healthy Choices physical activity and nutrition programs within approximately 125 sites across 10 states throughout the US. Her expertise includes technical leadership and strategic planning, program quality assurance, training development and staff support, curriculum development and maintenance of national-level strategic partnerships. She also previously managed the enhanced Healthy Choices pilot project in rural, southeastern Kentucky. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Family Sciences. 

Joshua Grant, MEd 
Joshua Grant is a Coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Education serving in the office of Middle / Secondary Learning. Josh oversees content for Physical Education, Health Education, and Driver Education and promotes Physical Activity initiatives for West Virginia public schools. Prior to joining the West Virginia Department of Education Josh most recently served as an elementary school assistant principal and has also has experience as a middle school assistant principal. Before entering into administration Josh had had a variety of teaching experiences. He has served as an elementary school, middle school and high school Physical education teacher and High School Health teacher in West Virginia and Connecticut. Josh has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Southern Connecticut State University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Concord University. Josh is passionate about active living and getting students to move more. He believes “Healthy active Students make better learners”.

Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, PhD, MHA 
Dr. Lindsey Haynes-Maslow an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at NC State University. Lindsey researches policies that lead to a healthy behavior. She is an expert on the intersection between food systems, nutrition and public health, as well as the impact of government policies driving the food system. She has over 10 years of experience working with non-profit, private, and public organizations that focus on obesity prevention for low-resource communities. Before coming to NC State, Dr. Haynes-Maslow worked for the advocacy organization, the Union of Concerned Scientists, on federal food and nutrition policy, specifically the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act and The Farm Bill. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of NC State’s SNAP-Education program, Steps to Health. She has a Ph.D. in health policy and management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also earned a master in healthcare administration and a B.S. in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Madison Humerick, MD 
Madison Humerick is a family medicine physician and Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at West Virginia University Rural Family Medicine Residency. She is also a member of the faculty at WVU Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health. She completed the MedCHEFS curriculum at WVU School of Medicine as a medical student and is currently working on her Culinary Medicine Certification through Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her medical training at WVU School of Medicine and her residency training in family medicine at WVU Rural Family Medicine Residency in Harpers Ferry, WV. She grew up in Jefferson County, West Virginia. She has special interest in the treatment and prevention of obesity and its comorbidities.

Debra Kibbe, MS 
Debra Kibbe is a Senior Research Associate in the Georgia Health Policy Center at Georgia State University where she has worked since October 2011 on obesity, nutrition and health-related policy and programs throughout the United States. Her current work includes projects with SNAP-Ed, Georgia Shape school nutrition and physical activity grants, food pantries, health systems, the Veteran’s Administration and community health. From 1998 to 2011, Debra served as Director of the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Program for the International Life Sciences Institute Research Foundation (ILSI RF) headquartered in Washington, D.C. where she coordinated, evaluated and published results from school, community and health care intervention projects around the globe aimed at the prevention and management of pediatric overweight. Prior to joining the PAN program, Debra was the assistant volleyball competition manager for the 1996 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Active at the national level, Debra is faculty for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ certificate program on child and adolescent overweight and was a member of the education subcommittee of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Implementation Plan initiative. Debra co-chairs the data and evaluation sub-group of the Georgia SHAPE childhood obesity prevention initiative. She is an experienced presenter completing more than 100 presentations throughout the United States and 15 countries on topics ranging from school-based health interventions to social marketing to improving obesity management practice patterns among clinicians.

Rebecca King, MSN, MEd, RN, NCSN (See Joshua Grant presentation)
Rebecca King is a coordinator in the West Virginia Department of Education in the Office of Special Education. She coordinates school health services, works directly with West Virginia school nurses in all 55 local education agencies, serves as the State School Nurse Consultant and State Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Coordinator. Rebecca is a state and nationally certified school nurse with a diverse background as an acute care, cardiac, home health, EENT and a pediatric nurse along with being a nursing instructor for licensed practical and Bachelor of Science prepared nurses. Rebecca has a Master of Science in Nursing Administration (2004) and a Master of Science in Adult and Technical Education (2002) from Marshall University. Her undergraduate degree is a Bachelor in Science of Nursing (1994) from the University of Charleston. She obtained her National Certification in School Nursing in August of 2013.She is married with a ten year old son in fifth grade and enjoys biking, walking and spending family vacations at the beach. Rebecca has been working with WV Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) and WV certified school nurse RNs to institutionalize health and wellness checkpoints throughout a student’s career in public education. These checkpoints include proof a up-to-date immunizations as required by state law, an EPSDT/annual well child visit by a licensed medical provider and a dental examination by a dentist for new enters in Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 2, 7 and 12.The phase-in plan will end in 2018/19 with grade 12 providing proof of all requirements. The hope is to instill health as an important component to life and college and career readiness for all children. The WV Team has been facilitating oral health mini-grants through a CDC grant to WVDHHR Oral Health Program to support school-based dental services or linkage to such services. Another big project has been working towards one repository for immunizations. Since immunizations are a public health requirement in WV, the WVDHHR and WVDE are merging databases to have one repository for students and parents to retrieve immunization records. WVDHHR has also created a program called MyIR (My Immunization Record) to allow medical provider to directly connect parents and students to their electronic medical record.

Jessica Lawrence, MS 
With a BS in Health Education from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, and a Masters of Science in Education/Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University, Jess Lawrence began her career as a middle school health teacher in Portland Oregon. In 2003 Jess was presented with an opportunity to extend her passion and knowledge beyond the classroom, she became the Health Education Curriculum Specialist at the Department of Education and worked closely with a team of specialists from both the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to implement coordinated school health. In 2005, she was selected to be one of 17 people nationally to help revise and develop the National Health Education Standards, which were published early in 2007. After working for Oregon Department of Education for three years, Jess decided to pursue a career as an education consultant in 2007 because it would gave her the opportunity and flexibility to provide targeted, strategic and comprehensive support to school health organizations. She is the Director of Cairn Consulting and she is an exceptional speaker, presenter and facilitator. Jess's work includes facilitating meetings, workshops and strategic plans, presenting and speaking at conferences, and developing curriculum and materials specifically around school health issues. She is a CDC/DASH trainer for CDC's Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT), School Health Index (SHI) and School Health Guidelines (SHG).

Mike Lopez, MUP 
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Live Smart Texas
Mike joined the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Family and Community Health Department in 2011. As an Extension Program Specialist, Mike focuses his effort on human populations and the effect of the built environment on healthy living. He provides leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of Extension educational programs in the areas of planning for active communities, physical activity, and healthy food access.
Mike’s educational background includes a B.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Urban Planning (MUP) degree, with a concentration in Active Living and Healthy Communities, both coming from Texas A&M University. He also earned a certificate in Environmental Hazard Management. He has a Professional Designation in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and he graduated from the Walking College Fellowship Program, four-month distance-education training through America Walks, a national organization that promotes walking and walkable communities.
 
Rosemarie Lorenzetti, MD
Dr. Cannarella Lorenzetti is a Family Medicine Physician who sees adult patients in the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health for individual and group visits. She is also the Associate Dean for Student Services for the WVU School of Medicine Eastern Division, and she sees Family Medicine patients at Harper’s Ferry Family Medicine. She attended medical school at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and completed residency training at the West Virginia University Family Medicine Residency. She also earned a Master’s in Public Health at WVU. For the past 20 years she has been especially interested in the role of Nutrition in Chronic Disease management and for preserving wellness. She is certified in Culinary Medicine, and enjoys learning recipes and cooking skills to teach to groups and individual patients.

Sally Mancini, MPH 
Sally has more than 15 years of experience in non-profit development and management, advocacy and government relations, and coalition building. Prior to joining the Rudd Center, she coordinated advocacy and public policy campaigns for public health clients as a lobbyist with Judith Blei Government Relations. Sally also was a consultant specializing in project management and program evaluation for Middlesex Hospital and marketing and communications for the CT Farm Bureau Association and CitySeed in New Haven, CT. Earlier in her career, she was Assistant Director of End Hunger CT!, a statewide anti-hunger and food security advocacy organization. Sally earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Gordon College and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Connecticut.

Elyse Maxwell
Elyse Maxwell is the Health Communication Manager for the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor degree in Journalism and Public Relations and holds a Master in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. During her time in DC, Maxwell worked for a national nonprofit and later joined a public relations agency after moving back to Oklahoma City. There she managed community relations, strategic communications and public affairs efforts for local and national corporate, government and nonprofit clients. She has also served as an adjunct professor of public relations writing at the University of Oklahoma.

Kristin McCartney, MPH, RDN, LD 
Kristin McCartney is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health. She has spent a majority of her career in obesity treatment and prevention efforts. She currently serves as the public health specialist for WVU Extension's Family Nutrition Program and Director of the West Virginia SNAP-Ed program. Additionally, she serves as the food access chair for the WV Food and Farm Coalition. Her positions in these organizations allow her to develop outreach strategies that connect the interests of public health and nutrition to agriculture and the local foods movement. She has recently been involved in the development of mobile markets and school-based farmers market voucher programs in rural communities in West Virginia.

Sarah Moerschel, MD 
Sarah Moerschel, M.D., Director of the Healthy for Life Clinic for Children and Adolescents. Dr. Moerschel is a Pediatrician who sees children and adolescents in the Healthy for Life Clinic in the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health. Dr. Moerschel attended the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago and she completed her residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She was on the faculty of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine before joining WVU in 2004. Having practiced General Pediatrics in Jefferson County for more than 10 years, she understands the challenge of good nutrition and physical exercise in families. She is currently studying for the Obesity Board certification. Her goal is to help children and families establish healthy habits that will keep children healthy throughout childhood, adulthood and into old age.

Emma Morton-Eggleston MD, MPH 
Emma Morton-Eggleston, M.D., M.P.H., Center Director, Associate Vice President of Health Sciences and Dean of West Virginia University's Eastern Campus. Dr. Eggleston is the Director of the WVU Medicine Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health and Dean of the WVU School of Medicine Eastern Division. She is an Endocrinologist who sees adult patients in the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health and within the Endocrine Clinic. Dr. Eggleston attended medical and public health school at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Endocrine fellowship training at University of Virginia. Following fellowship, she was on faculty at the University of Virginia and Harvard Medical School, and an attending physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she co-directed the Maternal Fetal Medicine Diabetes in Pregnancy Program. Dr. Eggleston’s clinical expertise is in complex type 1 and type 2 diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy. Her goals for the center are to provide state of the art clinical care across the age span with a focus on prevention, families, and community partnerships.

Metria Munyan
Metria Munyan first joined the Public Health Institute in 2006 supporting a broad variety of nutrition education and obesity prevention strategies and initiatives that reach low-resource Californians through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) interventions. Metria’s passion for increasing youth opportunity and supporting youth voices in community change approaches complements the Center’s Youth Engagement efforts, and she continues to support Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR) projects as well as new approaches and innovations. Previously Metria supported youth leadership strategies such as YPAR through the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Youth Engagement Initiative. Provided countless training statewide and, at its peak, provided technical assistance to up to 52 youth projects throughout California. Additionally, she contributed to the creation and dissemination of a statewide beverage education campaign known as the Rethink Your Drink Campaign. Metria also brings extensive event coordination expertise to CWN from in-person and web based training series, to youth-facilitated trainings for groups with more than 100 young people, and multi-day professional statewide conferences with more than 800 attendees.

Emily Murphy, PhD 
By-trade, Emily Murphy is a Pediatric Exercise Physiologist, with her research interest in the prevention of childhood and adult obesity. She is currently the Obesity Prevention Specialist with the WVU Extension Service. She has been in my current position since August 16, 2010 and prior to accepting her current position, she worked as an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at West Virginia University. She has over 20 years working on various local, regional and statewide obesity-prevention initiatives. She is currently PI on the WV Healthy Children Project a Cooperative Agreement with the CDC aimed at improving healthy eating, physical activity and screen-time behaviors of 2-5 year olds and their families.
 
William Neal, MD 
William A. Neal, M.D., a native of Huntington, West Virginia, earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1962. His medical degree was awarded by West Virginia University in 1966, where he was the first recipient of the Edward J. Van Liere Award for medical student research. He completed a rotating internship at the Milwaukee County General Hospital (Marquette University) 1966-67. Following internship, Neal was accepted for flight surgeon training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, FL. After completing the six-month course in aviation medicine he was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 14 and made two deployments to Vietnam aboard the USS Constellation. Upon completion of military service, he completed residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the University of Minnesota from 1970-74. He received several awards for research, including the Caffey Award for the best radiology research award by a medical resident in the nation. Neal returned to West Virginia University as assistant professor of Pediatrics in 1974. Initial focus was on establishment of newborn intensive care at WVU, complimented by organization of a statewide system of high risk newborn and obstetrical care in collaboration with WVU Charleston Division, Marshall University, and intermediate care hospital facilities in Beckley and Wheeling. West Virginia subsequently enjoyed the most rapid decline in infant mortality in the nation through the latter half of the 1970’s. In 1976, he was voted ‘Clinician of the Year’ by the medical students. Dr. Neal was named chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 1985, a position he held for thirteen years. In that capacity he served as the first medical director of WVU Children’s Hospital. In 1998, transitioning from interventional to preventive cardiology, Neal founded the Coronary Artery Risk Detection In Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) Project, a school-based risk-factor surveillance, intervention, and research program designed to address the unacceptably high morbidity and mortality from heart disease and diabetes in the state. After nineteen years, over 100,000 5th grade children have received comprehensive screening for body mass index, blood pressure, markers for pre-diabetes, and blood cholesterol measurement. The largest cohort of its kind in the nation, it influenced the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend universal cholesterol screening for all children (2012) in order to diagnose familial hypercholesterolemia, the most serious genetic cause of premature heart disease. 

Donna Newton, MS
Donna Newton, MS brings extensive knowledge in developing programs that close the health gaps in rural areas by providing health education and opportunities to participate in engaging physical activities. These programs are designed to improve the health of individuals and promote stronger health environments for families and schools. Donna began her career as a teacher in the Public-School System. She has taught both junior high and high school students and continues to mentor students in athletic programs. After receiving her Masters in Exercise Science, she became the Director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Center for Oakdale Community Hospital. Since then, she has worked to develop a myriad of health and education programs in rural communities. In 2008, THEN was awarded their first Delta States Rural Development Network Grant for a Childhood Obesity Program. Under Newton’s diligent work, THEN has gone on to be the lead in developing obesity prevention programs in Louisiana’s rural communities and schools. With little or no health education in recent years, rural areas have faced poor nutrition and a lack of physical activities. Donna was selected by her peers to share her program ideas and represent them at the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Voices Leadership Conference in Washington DC. She has been recognized for her leadership in school-based wellness programs with both the Champion of Leadership Award from the Health Resources and Services Administration, OPENPhysEd Impact Award and the Louisiana Association for Health and Physical Education Service Award.

Diana Niland, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, WCC, TTS 
Diana Niland is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who is certified as a family nurse practitioner (FNP), wound care certified (WCC) and is a tobacco trained specialist (TTS). She is also a Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) coach. GLB is a CDC recognized diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). She obtained her masters Science in Nursing from West Virginia University (WVU) and is currently pursuing her PhD from WVU. Diana is currently writing the first three chapters of her dissertation which focuses on fruit and vegetable intake in pre-diabetes. Diana teaches an introduction to nursing course at Potomac State College and sees college students in the college health center for evaluation and treatment. She also sees patients at a critical access hospital focusing on chronic non-healing wounds and she works in her community offering diabetes prevention. 

Nancy O'Hara Tompkins, PhD 
Research Assistant Professor at the WVU School of Public Health with over 25 years of experience in promoting healthy eating and physical activity in children. Nancy is the lead evaluator for the CDC funded project described in her presentation.

Chelcie Oseni, MBA 
Chelcie Oseni is a master’s prepared registered nurse and is the current Clinical Supervisor for Le Bonheur Community Health and the West TN Delta Initiative, a Rural Health Networks Development grant funded through HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) and FORHP (Federal Office of Rural Health Policy). Oseni is responsible for supervising and expanding multiple grant-funded programs intended to prevent and manage obesity and chronic disease in children and adults in West TN. Oseni received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN, and her Masters of Business Administration from Bethel University in McKenzie, TN. Oseni has been with the West TN Delta Initiative since November 2016 with prior nursing experience in critical care and home health. Oseni's recent speaking engagements include breakout sessions at HRSA's Community-Based Division All-Programs Meeting and the National Rural Health Association's Annual Conference. 

Sondra Parmer, PhD 
Sondra Parmer is the Program Coordinator for SNAP-Ed at Auburn University in Alabama, a role she has been in for 23 years. During her tenure with SNAP-Ed, her work has focused on creative methods for evaluating hard-to-reach audiences, developing teaching tools that continue to provide education over time and integrating technology into nutrition education. Her work has been recognized nationally through publications, invited presentations and numerous national awards.

La Verne Partlow, MEd (See Donyel Barber presentation)
La Verne Partlow, MEd has worked as Health Education Coordinator with Gaston County Public Health for over thirteen years of health promotion experience focused on obesity, chronic disease and health disparities. She has over twenty years of public health experience at both the local and state levels.

Paula Plonski, MA 
Ms. Plonski has 17 years of experience in the field of program evaluation, working in settings including education (early childhood through adult learners), healthcare and non-profits. She has proficiencies in quantitative and qualitative methodologies and experience in research design, data collection and analysis and report writing. She prefers participatory evaluation models and mixed-methods approaches. MS. Plonski enjoys research and evaluation and has been a member of the American Evaluation Association since 2002.

Lee Pyles, MD, MS (See William Neal presentation) 
Dr. Lee Pyles is a preventive pediatric cardiologist at West Virginia University. He has practiced pediatric cardiology for 28 years and is also Board Certified in Clinical Health Informatics. He joined the WVU Faculty in 2015 and is working to analyze WV CARDIAC (Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities) data to provide insights to decrease childhood cardio metabolic risk factors in WV children.

Zachary Ramsey
Zachary Ramsey is a Master of Public Health student at West Virginia University working in the West Virginia Prevention Research Center on Activate! an applied research project working with 5th grade student's physical activity and physical education. He will be starting in the PhD program in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences at WVU in the fall.

Tammy Reasoner, MPA
Ms. Reasoner has been in non-profit management for 20 years and has her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.   Tammy is currently the Director of Cooking Matters and SNAP ED activities for Open Hand Atlanta, one of the SNAP ED Implementing Agencies.   She served as the national Co-Chair of the Communications Committee for the Food is Medicine Coalition, from 2014 to 2017.

Erin Reid, MA 
Erin Reid is the Volunteer Director at Active Southern West Virginia. Erin is a native West Virginian and graduated from Concord University with a MA in Health Promotions. She understands the enormous heath crisis that is facing WV and the dynamics of the culture of rural communities. This understanding helps drive her passion for increasing the health of the people in WV. Through her work with Active SWV she is fighting to educate communities of the importance of physical activity and the role it plays in overall health, well-being, and quality of life. Her goal and the goal of Active SWV is to improve the health of all southern West Virginians by providing opportunities for active lifestyles by developing community programs to create a culture of exercise and physical activity in southern West Virginia.

Suzanne Ryan Ibarra
Suzanne Ryan-Ibarra is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Wellness and Nutrition, a program of the Public Health Institute. Dr. Ryan-Ibarra has more than 10 years of experience in public health, particularly in population-based research and evaluation. Her expertise includes study design, data collection, and data analysis for qualitative and quantitative methods. Her current research involves several mixed methods evaluation projects. She is currently a Principal Investigator of a multi-phase evaluation of the Michigan Harvest of the Month™ Food Navigator Pilot Program at farmers markets and a Co-Investigator on evaluations of SNAP-Ed initiatives throughout the United States, including a quantitative evaluation of initiatives that include direct education partnered with policy, systems, and environmental changes in the Southeast Region.
Dr. Ryan-Ibarra is especially interested in surveillance and research on obesity, nutrition, and physical activity that will inform public health programs and policies. Before working as a researcher, she led public health interventions with the U.S. Peace Corps in Ecuador and the Alameda County Community Food Bank in California. Dr. Ryan-Ibarra received her Doctorate in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis, and her Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education from San Francisco State University. Her dissertation measured the impact of public policies on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and purchases in California.

Aimee Schultze, MPH, CHES 
Aimee Schultze is the Community Health and Design Coordinator on the Built Environment Unit at Harris County Public Health. Aimee holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science with a Minor in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master in Public Health in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Emory University. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist. Aimee has experience in non-profit management, community engagement, public health research, program development, and evaluation.

Angie Settle, CEO, DNP, BC-FNP, APRN
Dr. Angie Settle, DPN, FNP, APRN, RN is the CEO of WV Health Right, Inc., the state’s oldest and largest free and charitable clinic providing comprehensive medical, dental, pharmaceutical, vision, behavioral health, and health education services to more than 25,000 impoverished adults.  Dr. Settle has a proven 20+ year history with the clinic and has consistently demonstrated commitment to the patients, the staff, and the mission of WV Health Right.  Prior to her current position, Dr. Settle has served the clinic as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Coordinator.     During Settle’s leadership as CEO, WV Health Right became  the first free clinic in WV to obtain Medicaid/Medicare billing privileges in response to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion;  obtained Level Three Medical Home certification from the National  Committee on Quality Assurance; obtained funding for an on-site teaching kitchen to improve patients’ nutritional skills; integrated a robust behavioral health program into the clinic’s primary care model; conceptualized and launched a state-of-the-art mobile dental unit serving seven rural counties; and implemented a ‘best  practice’ Harm Reduction model in response to the opioid epidemic in West Virginia.    Dr. Settle obtained her nursing degree from the University of Charleston, completed her Family Nurse Practitioner training at Marshall University, and in 2014, received her Doctorate of Nurse Practice from the University of Alabama.  She is a lifelong West Virginia resident who has dedicated her professional endeavors to helping the most vulnerable among us:  impoverished uninsured/uninsured adults who lack access to medical care and treatment.    Dr. Settle and her husband reside in Kanawha County and are the proud parents of six children.     

Hannah Sirk
Hannah is a MS Biostatistics student at West Virginia University with the anticipated graduation date of May 2018. She has worked with Activate! to assist in data collection, entry, and analysis. She has undergraduate degrees in both Mathematics and Secondary Education. 

Joshua Sowards, MA 
Joshua Sowards is the Director of Healthy Bodies Healthy Spirits West Virginia. He served as a Coordinator for Try This WV helping grow the network from 2015-2017. He's a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and an avid believer that our bodies are the temple of God. He wants us to care for them so we can serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30) He is the Minister of Small Groups and Worship with his wife Desiree at First Baptist Church of Kenova. They have two daughters, Aslyn and Lila. He's passionate about fellowship, singing, wholesome food, and creating a culture of healthy living for the church to serve Jesus. 

Sklyar Swords, MPH (See Sade Collins presentation)
Skylar is the Program Specialist for Healthiest Weight Florida at the Florida Department of Health. She is a double alumna of Florida State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training and a Master of Public Health. Mrs. Swords has worked in the Public Health sector in a variety of settings and roles including a student intern for Florida State University Athletics, an Anesthesia Support Technician at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and various positions at the Department of Health that include data analysis and community education/awareness. Skylar is passionate about health and wellness, and is thankful for the opportunity to combine that with her public health work to increase the opportunities for individuals to live a healthy lifestyle.

Olivia Turman
Olivia Turman is a 14 years old freshman at Cabell Midland High School (CMHS). She has been involved in wellness initiatives since third grade. She and Jillian Freeman are partners in running Wheelie Good Foods, a healthy concession stand cart that promotes healthier alternatives to concession stands. Olivia and Jillian spoke to the WV State Board of Education last summer on the importance of keeping our school nutrition policy strong which gained them state recognition as the Our Children Our Future Unstoppable Hero award 2017. Olivia and Jillian also assisted with the WV Shared Table Bill that was signed into law by Governor Justice this year. During her free time, she runs cross-country, plays the violin in CMHS’s orchestra, and enjoys spreading health and wellness around the community. She has been a member of Barboursville’s Leo Club since she turned 11, and with them, has taken on many projects, including the Visually Impaired Interactive Trail at Barboursville’s Park.

Emily Anne Vall, PhD 
Emily Anne Vall, PhD currently leads the Governor's Georgia Shape Childhood Obesity Initiative and provides leadership in the management and coordination of this statewide, multiagency, multidimensional initiative that brings together governmental, philanthropic, academic, and business communities to address childhood obesity in Georgia. She leads an internal team, facilitates internal and external partners work, and coordinates policy efforts in all aspects of the program including strategies designed to impact childhood obesity from birth through the school years. From 2008 to 2013, Dr. Vall designed, coordinated and implemented various corporate wellness programs and initiatives at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. During her time there she effectively developed and implemented systemic wellness curricula alongside field experts. In addition, she has experience as a trainer and educator working with an array of student populations including; graduate and undergraduate pre-service physical education and health teachers, public school teachers and administrators, medical practitioners, corporate employees, public school (K-12) children and children with special needs. Dr. Vall attended Florida Southern College, the University of South Florida, and the University of South Carolina where she received her PhD.

Jackie Walters, MBA, RDN 
Jackie Walters is an Extension Specialist Senior in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition and Food Science and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky, and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Jackie’s experience in community nutrition includes twenty-three years working with limited resource audiences. She has worked in SNAP-Ed and EFNEP programs, managed the Kentucky Cardiovascular Health Program through the Kentucky Department for Public Health, and served as a Child Nutrition Consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education. She has participated in the development and application of numerous social marketing projects, including the VERB Summer Scorecard, Water First, Snack Strong and Better Bites, Good Neighborhood Markets, and projects to encourage low-income families cooking and eating together, and to encourage low-income families to utilize mobile applications to improve nutrition.

ShaCoria Winston, MPH 
ShaCoria Winston is the Evaluator for the Catalyst for Healthy Eating and Active Living Program and is responsible for the data management and evaluation to measure outcomes and inform activities of the program. ShaCoria grew up in Chester, Virginia and attended Virginia Tech where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise. Summer internships in Philadelphia, Swaziland and Uganda exposed her to the field of public health and from there her interest and passions were sparked. ShaCoria went on to receive a Master of Public Health degree from Washington University in St. Louis with a focus on Global Health Epidemiology. Her previous work includes serving as a Research Fellow where she assisted with data collection, management and analysis to generate and report findings to stakeholders. She is a newcomer to North Carolina and enjoys exercising, serving in her church, mentoring youth, traveling and outdoor adventures.

Gina Wood, MPH, RDN, LD 
Gina Wood, MPH, RDN, LD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with over 18 years’ experience in acute care, private industry, school wellness and public health. Gina is currently working with WVU Extension Service in the Family Nutrition Program where she coordinates the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. This program in partnership with SNAP-Ed provides nutrition education and obesity prevention outreach to limited-resource families and youth. Gina’s passion is building partnerships to improve equitable access to resources for healthy living for all West Virginians. 
 
Charlotte Workman
Charlotte is a Project Operations Specialist at the West Virginia University School of Public Health Prevention Research Center’s Applied Research Project Activate! She received her Bachelor of Science in Medical Science/Minor in Sociology from Alderson Broaddus College and a Certified Clinical Research Professional Certification from The Society of Clinical Research Associates. Her research interests include Central Appalachia Childhood Obesity Prevention, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Chronic Pain Medication Education including Opioid Abuse.