Mirine received her Master’s in Public Health with field work in epidemiology from Florida International University. She is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and currently in a research faculty position with Florida State University. Ms. Richey’s 20-year career includes work in hospitals and public health programs and her training experience includes leading the statewide implementation of SCRIPT® for Florida home visiting programs and has been a SCRIPT® trainer since 2014.

After over 20 years working in tobacco control and cessation, I understand the special needs of pregnant smokers and have been instrumental in developing protocols for cessation services specific to this population.  I have worked with the SCRIPT® program and behavioral health organizations, in the state of Mississippi, to help reduce tobacco use among pregnant smokers for 8 years and was in the first Train the Trainer workshop offered through SOPHE in 2012.  I have worked to help pregnant smokers quit and realize how hard it can be to get past an addiction and deal with pregnancy at the same time.

After over 20 years working in tobacco control and cessation, I understand the special needs of pregnant smokers and have been instrumental in developing protocols for cessation services specific to this population.  I have worked with the SCRIPT® program and behavioral health organizations, in the state of Mississippi, to help reduce tobacco use among pregnant smokers for 8 years and was in the first Train the Trainer workshop offered through SOPHE in 2012.  I have worked to help pregnant smokers quit and realize how hard it can be to get past an addiction and deal with pregnancy at the same time.

Sally Wagoner, RN,BSN,  is a certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist. Until recent retirement, she was employed by Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital, Community Health & Wellness Department (Fremont, Michigan) where she provided SCRIPT counseling. She developed the tobacco cessation treatment and referral protocol for the OB Clinic, Triage and In Patient Units at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital. 

Dr. Josina R. O'Connell is a family medicine doctor in Denver, Colorado affiliated with Denver Health. She received her medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 2009 and has been teaching family medicine as an assistant professor there since 2015. Additionally, Dr. O'Connell serves as the Director of the Colorado Area Health Education Centers (COAHEC). She enjoys writing, music and is passionate about supporting underrepresented and minority students finding their way to their health care careers. She is devoted to underserved medicine and addressing health inequity on all levels.

Samantha is a current student finishing a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on community health education at the University of Northern Colorado. She has worked in a variety of roles within Medicare, special education, and assisted living where she developed her passion for health education. She is excited to be at Centennial Area Health Education Center where she gets to explore that passion serving the rural communities and students of Northeastern Colorado as the program assistant

Jacquelyn Mesenbrink completed her DrPH and MPH at Georgia Southern University and received a B.S. in Biology from Iowa State University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences in the Health and Kinesiology Department at Georgia Southern University. Jacquelyn has presented at various conferences throughout the country including the American Public Health Association, Georgia Public Health Association, and Georgia State University Conference. She has held a multitude of leadership positions including Employee Resource Group, Sexual Assault Response Team, GASOPHE Education and Training, Dean’s Advisory Committee, Graduate Student Organization, Georgia Public Health Association Career Development Board, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, and Georgia Southern University Strategic Planning Board for Teaching and Research. Jacquelyn has been awarded the Graduate Student Leadership and Service Award, APHA Sexual Violence Photovoice Award, Iowa State University Employee of the Year, and Best Graduate Poster Presentation at APHA Conference. She is both a trained Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and Sexual Assault Victim Advocate. In her previous work as a Visiting Instructor for the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, she taught a wide range of courses including health policy, health education, and community health. She also invests in serving her campus and local community as the Sexual Assault Response Team Co-Lead and advises the Sexual Assault Student Educators. As a public health leader, Jacquelyn strives to advocate for health equity, create a wellness culture, and actively engage others in changing behaviors through best-practice prevention initiatives.

Originally from the Netherlands, Dr. Jeanine Guidry is an assistant professor at the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture, director of the School's Media+Health Lab, and a member of the Institute for Women’s Health (IWH) Sexual and Domestic Violence Research Development Group.

Her research agenda focuses on the use of visual social media and mobile technology in health, risk, and crisis communication and message design, and her dissertation research studied effective message design development for the future Zika vaccine. She regularly presents her work at national and international conferences, such as the International Communications Association (ICA) conference, the DC Health Communication (DCHC) conference, the American Public Health Association (APHA) conference, the EUPRERA (European PR) conference, AEJMC, IPRRC, and the European Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) Conference. In addition, her work has been published in Public Relations Review, Vaccine, the Journal of Social Marketing, Health Communication, PRism, and Communication Teacher.

Together with Dr. Marcus Messner, Jeanine won the national first-place award in the Best Practices in Teaching Competition of AEJMC for the “Global Health and Social Media” open online course. She also won the AEJMC ComSHER Lori Eason Award for Top Student Paper in 2014.

Jeanine received her Ph.D. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Department of Health Behavior and Policy in the School of Medicine at VCU, her M.S. in Health Sciences from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and her M.P.S. in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University.

Jeanine and her husband Chris run a local nonprofit in Richmond, VA – consisting of a band, Offering, and a mural painting component, Arts in the Alley.

Jennifer Schleman’s path to the National Health Council (NHC) began in Dayton, Ohio, where she saw firsthand what it means to watch loved one’s struggle with chronic health conditions. Several of Schleman’s close family members developed complications ranging from blood clots to diabetes. It was these experiences in her youth that poised Schleman to grow into a passionate advocate for patients across countless communities that have and continue to be marginalized by the health care system. Schleman joined the NHC in December 2016 and is the senior vice president, communications & governance. She oversees all the NHC’s marketing, communications, and public relations activities while also serving as the steward of the organization’s brand. She also leads the NHC’s governance activities by providing strategic direction and counsel to the CEO in the management and execution of the NHC’s governance requirements.

Schleman earned a master’s in strategic public relations from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management and is a cum laude graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2007. Schleman has volunteered for PRSA on the national and local levels and is a past board member of PRSA’s National Capital Chapter in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Gardner is an assistant professor of health promotion at Mississippi State University. He received his PhD in Health Education and Health Promotion (2016) from the University of Alabama, MS in General Human Environmental Sciences with a Specialization in Rural Community Health (2011) from the University of Alabama, and BS in Biology (2009) from Alabama A&M University. Furthermore, he possesses Certified Health Education Specialist credential through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. Gardner’s research interests are in health equity with a focus on rural and/or African American populations. His current research examines the risky sexual behaviors and readiness of rural African American men to participate in barbershop-based HIV prevention programs, and COVID-19 disclosure decisions among rural African Americans. Previous research examined the black church’s response to the Jackson Water Crisis. He is also a co-investigator on one study that examines older rural African American adults’ attachment to place and their perceptions of well-being in relation to place, and another study which examines high school students’ interest in food and health science careers based on the delivery of tailored curricula to expose them to the professions in the respective fields.

Deborah A. Fortune, Ph.D., CHES, is an associate professor in the Department of Health Education at North Carolina Central University and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist. Prior to her current position, Dr. Fortune was the director of the National HIV & CSHE Project with the American Association for Health Education. She has been a faculty member at the following institutions: East Tennessee State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Marymount University. Dr. Fortune received her B.S. degree in Biology from Mississippi University for Women, M.S. degree in Community Health Education from the University of Southern Mississippi, and her Ph.D. in Public Health Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Fortune has provided instructor training in comprehensive school health education (Growing Healthy curriculum and Teenage Health Teaching Modules), HIV/AIDS for African Americans, youth violence prevention, and cultural diversity in health education. Her research interests include HIV and sexual health among African American college women, youth violence prevention, professional preparation in health education, and faculty and youth mentoring. She has published and made numerous presentations on those topics.

Lisa is a Reimbursement Analyst at Centura Health in Colorado. She helps Centura hospitals with Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare cost reporting, and she assists hospitals with Medicare bad debt and reimbursement analyses, wage index reviews, volume decline and geographic reclassification, and various low volume and disproportionate share hospital applications. Lisa is passionate to support Centura hospitals tackle their healthcare and reimbursement needs. Prior to Centura, Lisa worked as a Senior Healthcare Consultant through BKD CPA's and Advisors, assisting clients with their reimbursement consulting. During her time there, she also served two years as the Chair of the Foundation Committee, BKD’s charitable arm. Lisa is the Chair of the Aspiring Leaders Committee through the Healthcare Financial Management Association Colorado Chapter. She, additionally, spends time as the Senior Director of Emerging Leaders through the Colorado Public Health Association’s Board of Directors. In her free time, Lisa loves serving the community. She has served four years on the Young Professionals Board of Boys Hope Girls Hope, raising over $300,000 for Colorado high school students who overcame a challenging or disadvantaged background. Lisa is a 2019 graduate of Colorado Christian University, Denver, with bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Business Administration. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health through Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, specializing in Health Systems and Policy, and she expects to graduate in 2024.

Samantha is a passionate advocate for accessible, high-quality healthcare - She is continuously in active pursuit of this vision.

 Samantha will graduate with a Master’s in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2023. She currently investigates global health as a Research Assistant for the university’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health. She is also the Associate Director of the Colorado Public Health Association’s Emerging Leaders Committee, where she supports fellow public health professionals. Samantha also serves as the Project Manager for the Otowi Group where she builds relationships with clients and generates solutions to help them effectively serve their communities and provide quality public health services. 

Previously, Samantha was the Community-Based Organizations Coordinator at Tri-County Health Department. Through this position, she built community partnerships, managed funding, and provided resources to support long-term recovery from COVID-19. Prior to moving to Colorado, she worked at a non-profit health insurance company, Blue Shield of California. At Blue Shield, she organized biometric screenings and flu shot events, implemented virtual wellness programs for clients and their employees, and served as a panelist at large nutrition and fitness events.

Samantha aspires to one day apply her skills and experience to supporting foreign health systems and work abroad in countries that may benefit from her assistance.

Chelsey Hughes, MS, CHES® is the Project Manager, Grants at the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Health Promotion from Maryland University of Integrative Health. She brings several years of experience in school health, health education, and health promotion as she has authored and co-authored health education and promotion programs focused on health, wellness, and nutrition for school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. Hughes oversees the CDC Healthy Schools cooperative agreements as well as several internal committees at SOPHE; SOPHE Awards, Professional Preparation Committee, and the Student Health Edu-Thon Subcommittee.

My name is Allison Oligschlaeger and I am a senior at Truman State University.  I am a health science major with a pre-med concentration. On campus I am involved in many organizations including Phi Epsilon Kappa, Purple Pride, and Pre-SOMA. I also work as a student ambassador giving tours to potential students. In my free time I enjoy staying active, practicing photography, and enjoying time with friends. My future plans are to attend medical school and become a primary care physician. 

Amanda Berry is a rising senior at Truman State University. She is majoring in health science with a concentration in community and worksite public health and minors in disability studies and psychology. This past summer, Amanda interned at CHADS Coalition for Mental Health focusing on health communication for youth suicide prevention programs. She will be interning at an area health education center this fall and looks forward to continuing to learn more within the field of public health.

Kirstyn is from a small Northeastern Missouri town near Hannibal, Missouri. Growing up, she lived a rural life. Having the opportunity to work with her team on this project at Truman State University meant a lot to her, as it was using real data from their part of Missouri to show how they would help youth from areas like Kirstyn grew up in. She finds the lack of resources, especially for mental health, as saddening. Kirstyn believes showing what can be done with technology interventions is something that can hopefully be utilized more in the future, especially for rural areas!

Health Science Major with Minors in Biology, Psychology, and International Studies and
President of the Student Public Health Association at Truman State University

Chelsey Hughes, MS, CHES® is the Project Manager, Grants at the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Health Promotion from Maryland University of Integrative Health. She brings several years of experience in school health, health education, and health promotion as she has authored and co-authored health education and promotion programs focused on health, wellness, and nutrition for school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. Hughes oversees the CDC Healthy Schools cooperative agreements as well as several internal committees at SOPHE; SOPHE Awards, Professional Preparation Committee, and the Student Health Edu-Thon Subcommittee.

Jordan Miller is a Doctor of Public Health and Master Certified Health Education Specialist. She serves on the SOPHE Professional Preparation and Student Health Edu-Thon Committees. She is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director for the Population Health, MS at Arizona State University. Her research and practice interests include experiential learning, mentoring, diabetes, and the health impacts of greenspace. 

email: Jordan.Anne.Miller@asu.edu

https://twitter.com/DrJordanMiller  @DrJordanMiller   

Dr. Susan Milstein is Master Certified Health Education Specialist. She has a PhD in Human Sexuality Education and serves on the SOPHE Professional Preparation and Student Health Edu-Thon Committees. She is the Lead Consultant for Milstein Health Consulting, and an author/editor of several textbooks. 

email: drsuemilstein@gmail.com

https://twitter.com/DrSueMilstein @DrSueMilstein        

Chelsey Hughes, MS, CHES® is the Project Manager, Grants at the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Health Promotion from Maryland University of Integrative Health. She brings several years of experience in school health, health education, and health promotion as she has authored and co-authored health education and promotion programs focused on health, wellness, and nutrition for school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. Hughes oversees the CDC Healthy Schools cooperative agreements as well as several internal committees at SOPHE; SOPHE Awards, Professional Preparation Committee, and the Student Health Edu-Thon Subcommittee.