Eta Sigma Gamma All Member Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony

Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES, has joined the College of Public Health (CPH) at the University of Kentucky as the new Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Advancement. With a strong passion for professional development and mentorship, she is dedicated to creating an environment where faculty and staff feel supported. In this role, Dr. Rees will focus on strengthening professional growth opportunities through mentorship, leadership training, and strategic initiatives that enhance career advancement. By working closely with the Dean’s team, she aims to align policies and resources that foster a collaborative workplace while ensuring faculty and staff have the tools needed to excel.

Before joining CPH, Dr. Rees spent over two decades at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she led programs in public health education and healthcare administration. She also taught at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the University of New Mexico. She earned her Ph.D. in Community Health Education from the University of New Mexico, an M.S. in Exercise Physiology and Health Behavior from South Dakota State University, and a B.A. in Health Education from the University of Minnesota Morris.

Dr. Bensley is a professor of public health at Western Michigan University. He has numerous years of experience working with populations through grant-funded program development, implementation, evaluation, and research related activities. He has served as the Project Director on 275 externally funded contracts, totaling over $16 million, most of which support the development and implementation of technology-based behavior change programming. Over the past year, Dr. Bensley has been heavily involved with COVID-19 related activities, including serving on university academic planning, back to work, and contingency planning committees; coordinating student contact tracing; sponsoring the COVID Student Coalition; serving as PI on a CDC mask wearing surveillance project; volunteering at a COVID vaccine clinic; and leading the project described in this presentation.

As a Professor at Texas A&M University, Kelly Wilson leads multiple projects focused on human-centered design, systems thinking, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health, along with systems-level community outreach and evaluation. Her research centers on adolescent health and the youth serving professionals around them. She also supports continuing education and professional development for youth-focused researchers and professionals. With a strong record of external funding, her role as an innovator and researcher on several community-based teen pregnancy prevention grants enhances her expertise in relevant community-based approaches. She leverages this experience to oversee research-to-practice initiatives and guide project efforts aimed at advancing adolescent health.

Leigh Szucs, Ph.D., CHES is a Health Scientist in the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) at the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her research focuses on implementation and evaluation of school-based health education programs, specifically sexuality education to prevent STIs, including HIV, and unintended pregnancy. Through this work, Leigh also provides technical and capability building assistance to school districts and NGOs, using evidence-informed strategies that address adolescent sexual health outcomes, and protective factors to support the social, emotional, and learning needs of youth. Leigh earned a Master of Education in Health Education at Texas State University and PhD in Health Education at Texas A&M University.

Samantha Ortega, MEd, CHES is a Doctoral student and Graduate Assistant in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Her research interests include sexual health education, teen pregnancy prevention, and maternal and child health. Samantha earned a Master of Education in Health Education from Texas State University and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dr. Blavos is currently an Associate Professor in the Health Department at SUNY Cortland, and also serves as the National Director of Advocacy for Eta Sigma Gamma, the Deputy Coordinator and Webmaster for the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations, and the co-chair of the Society for Public Health’s advocacy committee. Dr. Blavos’ academic and work experiences include 10 years of service in the public health field as a practitioner and researcher. Among her many research interests are advocacy and health policy. 

Dr. Elisa Beth McNeill is an Instructional Professor of Public Health at Texas A&M University [TAMU]. Beth is a 40-year teaching veteran having experience at all academic levels. Beth teaches courses in human sexuality, health pedagogy, technology for educators, and community & school health methodology. She is a co-author of the textbook, Health Education: Creating Strategies for School and Community Health. Beth has served on committees to update the Health Education Code of Ethics, The HESPA II project with NCHEC, the Health Education Terminology project and most recently co-chaired the committee to update the National Health Education Standards (3rd edition).