Elaine Auld, MPH, MCHES, has served as SOPHE’s Chief Executive Officer since 1995, where she oversees the organization’s portfolio in professional preparation, professional development, research, and advocacy/public policy.  Over her 30+ year career, Ms. Auld has published on more than 40 journal articles and book chapters on health education’s role in community/school health education competencies, health equity, national and international workforce development, and public policy.  For the last five years, she has been involved in quality assurance in school health education, promotion of the the WSCC model, and supported the National Task Force on the Future of School Health Education.  Ms. Auld holds her MPH from the University of Michigan School of Public Health with a concentration in health behavior and is a master certified health education specialist. 

As Chief Community Health Officer, Alexander Garza, MD, is responsible for deepening SSM Health’s focus on social determinants of health, equity and social justice, as well as supporting the work of SSM Health’s transition to population health.
Dr. Garza has decades of experience in public health, quality and safety and policy development. He has organized and led SSM Health’s overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic before assuming the role of Incident Commander for the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, overseeing the region’s coordinated response efforts.
Dr. Garza became Chief Community Health Officer in August 2020, after serving as Chief Medical Officer since 2018, overseeing quality, patient safety, clinical analytics. Prior to this role, he served as SSM Health’s Chief Quality Officer, as well as Chief Medical Officer for the St. Louis region.
Board-certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Garza has over 13 years practicing and teaching in higher education. Before joining SSM Health, he was an Associate Dean and Professor at the Saint Louis University College of Public Health and Social Justice. He has published numerous scientific papers on original research in peer reviewed journals and lectured nationally and internationally.
Previously, he served as Assistant Secretary and Chief Medical Officer to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He legislated health, medical and biodefense authority for the DHS and played a critical role in protecting the US from threats of terrorism. Dr. Garza is also a Colonel with over 20 years of service in the US Army Reserves. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and serves as the Command Surgeon for the 352 Civil Affairs Command. He has received numerous awards for his service including the Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge.
Dr. Garza received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, a medical degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a master’s degree in Public Health from Saint Louis University.

Dr. Escoffery is a Professor in the department of Behavioral, Health, and Social Sciences at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory. She has studied cancer prevention and control and the uptake of evidence-based interventions for over 15 years. She is the PI of the Emory Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network which is exploring multilevel interventions to increase HPV vaccination among rural residents in GA. She is active in SOPHE at the state and national level.

Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD is a family physician and epidemiologist whose work focuses on the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation.  She seeks to broaden the national health debate to include not only universal access to high-quality health care but also attention to the social determinants of health (including poverty) and the social determinants of equity (including racism).

As a methodologist, she has developed new methods for comparing full distributions of data, rather than simply comparing means or proportions, in order to investigate population-level risk factors and propose population-level interventions.  As a social epidemiologist, her work on "race"-associated differences in health outcomes goes beyond documenting those differences to vigorously investigating the structural causes of the differences.  As a teacher, her allegories on "race" and racism illuminate topics that are otherwise difficult for many Americans to understand or discuss.  She hopes through her work to initiate a national conversation on racism that will eventually lead to a National Campaign Against Racism.

Dr. Scharff has spent the majority of her academic public health career working with and in the community to help support their work in improving public health. She works with several local public health organizations to support them in organizational management and public health actions, including strategic planning, board development, grant reviews, assessment, planning, and evaluation. She directs the Office of Public Health Practice that assures that students and faculty have opportunities to work with and in the community on public health practice and practice-based research. She currently works with Generate Health, a non-profit organization with a goal of eliminating disparities in infant mortality, serving on committees and reviewing grants. In addition, she supports Nurses for Newborns, an agency that provides home visitation for pregnant and postpartum women, by evaluating their program and serving on the research advisory board. Finally, she is a co-developer with the St. Louis City and County health departments on a jointly formed academic health department that assures collaboration between the organizations in areas of research, policy, workforce development, and student training with the goal of improving the public health infrastructure. 

Dr. Jody Vogelzang, a nationally recognized speaker, and registered dietitian and health education specialist, is an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. An expert in community health, she has been formally recognized by her peers for excellence in practice and for service to the profession. She holds a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Health Science from Grand Valley State University, a Master of Arts in Biology from Miami University, and a PhD in Health Services with a specialization in Community Health from Walden University. She is the SOPHE Board Trustee for Ethics and Research.

Dr. Elisa Beth McNeill, a Clinical Professor of Pedagogy in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, servs as the Coordinator of the Health Education Teacher Certification Program. Beth has over 38 years of teaching experience working college aged health majors and middle high school experience with at-risk pregnant or parenting adolescents. McNeill teaches courses in human sexuality, elementary and secondary school health pedagogy, technology for teachers, and community & school health methodology. She is a co-author of the textbook, Health Education: Creating Strategies for School and Community Health.

Dr. Meagan Shipley received her PhD in Health Behavior from Indiana University. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor, teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in school and community health. She has updated several courses to incorporate high impact practices, which include service learning, writing intensive courses, capstone projects and courses, and study abroad fieldtrips. Dr. Shipley is the faculty advisor for the health education honorary, Eta Sigma Gamma - Alpha Pi chapter. She also received the Dr. Robert Snyovitz Emerging Professional Award from the American School Health Association in 2018.

Mary Lauren Salvatore is the Integrated Wellness Coordinator in the Office of Whole Child Supports at the Georgia Department of Education. In her role, Mary Lauren works with a dynamic team of wellness-minded individuals to build awareness around the importance of whole child education, specifically as it relates to Health Barriers to Learning, staff well-being, and local wellness policies. She enjoys the opportunity to build relationships with inter-agency divisions and external organizations who share the mission of integrating all aspects of student well-being. Mary Lauren received her Masters in Public Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, where she continued to work in the School of Medicine?s Department of Human Genetics prior to starting at GADOE in January 2019.

Dr. Barrington has been with the University of West Florida (UWF) for 17 years and holds several leadership positions on campus and in the community. She is committed to providing the next generation of health educators with opportunities to gain valuable experience through high-impact practices in the classroom that translate to the health profession.

Dr. Wirth is a faculty member at the UWF in the Department of Movement Sciences and Health. He received a PhD from the University of Florida in Health and Human Performance. His research interests include physical activity promotion and education for children in childcare settings.

My expertise is conducting community-based, participatory research (CBPR) and community engaged research, primarily using the Photovoice method. I have conducted funded Photovoice research with marginalized populations in the United States for 8 years with the overarching aim of capturing data to improve social and cultural tailoring of public health. Since 2015, I have used Photovoice and other qualitative methods to explore the health and healthcare experiences of Congolese women who are recent refugees to the Midwestern United States. The CBPR approach included partnership with a refugee resettlement agency as well as longitudinal data collection in 2016 and 2019. Since Photovoice is a participatory method that can also serve as a health promotion intervention, the research has captured both qualitative data to inform policy and practice and the benefits of implementing Photovoice to enhance health and reduce exacerbation of health inequities for this population. Moving forward, I aim to expand use of Photovoice research with refugee women in the United States and beyond.

Faculty Specialist II in the Interdisciplinary Health Programs at Western Michigan University. Leader in curriculum design, workship facilitation, learner support, professional life coach?

Dani Loebs is an Account Director at Rescue Agency. She leads the CalFresh Healthy Living SNAP-Ed campaign with the California Department of Public Health and focuses on nutrition education and obesity prevention messaging. During this time, she has helped to originate the statewide day of action movement through Rethink Your Drink Day, which encourages SNAP-eligible populations to drink more water and fewer sugar-sweetened beverages, and Healthy Snack Day, which promotes healthier snack choices to the same audience. She has overseen the implementation and evolution of over 1,000 of these local events as they transitioned from in-person tabling to interactive virtual experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeanine is the managing editor of Health Promotion Practice, SOPHE’s practice based journal, as well as the founding editorial manager for SOPHE’s youngest journal, Pedagogy in Health Promotion. Since 2014, Jeanine has had the opportunity to collaborate with four EIC’s, as well as guest editors and editorial boards to deliver best practices and innovative approaches in over 70 issues for these health education publications that continue to grow in submissions, visibility, and contributions to the field. Jeanine enjoys gaining a broad perspective of public health initiatives by supporting editorial leadership, authors, and reviewers that help enhance her competencies as a Certified Health Education Specialist. In addition to her work with the journals, Jeanine has worked as a technical assistance coordinator for Partnering 4 Health and supports grant writing teams. 

Prior to earning her Masters in Health Promotion Management from the American University in 2013, Jeanine taught middle school English for students with language based learning differences and worked as a writing tutor at the US Coast Guard Academy. Jeanine shares her dedication to healthy living with her four children and maintains sanity with running, reading, and lots of coffee!

Joseph Lee is originally from Madison County, NC. He attended Duke University for an undergraduate degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies. He has an MPH in maternal and child health and a PhD in health behavior from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Joseph is now an associate professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, where he conducts research on tobacco prevention and control and LGBT health inequities.

Jonathan Johnson comes to Teachers College from the Sexual Violence Response Office at Columbia University. As a Prevention Coordinator he co-managed the peer education program supervising and training a team of students on how to facilitate trainings on healthy interpersonal relationships, sexual consent and building a culture of accountability. Additionally, he managed the Men?s Engagement initiatives and provided consultation for staff and faculty on working with male identified students.

An Associate Professor of Community Health & Human Services at the UAB School of Education, Dr. Larrell Wilkinson is a teacher, researcher, and servant to the Birmingham metropolitan community. Dr. Wilkinson has a Master of Science in Public Health in Health Promotion Education & Behavior (2005) and a Ph.D. in Health Services Policy & Management (2011), both from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Wilkinson started his public health career as an intern at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (formerly National Immunization Program). Today, Dr. Wilkinson is a behavioral research scientist interested in addressing the biopsychosocial pathways and life course mechanisms determining health and social outcomes and related racial/ethnic health and social disparities.

Raffy R. Luquis is an associate professor of health education in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at Penn State Harrisburg. Dr. Luquis also serves as the professor-in-charge of the of the health education master’s degree and the program coordinator for the biobehavioral health undergraduate’ degree. Dr. Luquis has a broad background in health education and health promotion. His primary teaching and research interests are cultural competency and multicultural health, health promotion, and human sexuality. He earned the certified health education specialist credential in 1995 and the master certified health education specialist credential in 2011 from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing in 2011. He served in the SOPHE Board of Trustees from 2016-2020.

Mary Cheryl B. Gloner dedicated her career to addressing the priorities of vulnerable populations, building community capacity, and promoting health parity. She serves as Chief Executive Officer for Project Safety Net, a non-profit collective impact dedicated to youth resiliency, mental health promotion, and suicide prevention. Served as adjunct faculty for San Jose State University as well as guest lectured for local community colleges, high schools, and Stanford University School of Medicine. A first generation college graduate with advanced degrees in public health (MPH from San Jose State University) and business (MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business). Mary first joined SOPHE as a graduate student nearly 25 years ago. As a member, she served two terms as Treasurer (2008-2012) as well as chaired the Finance, Awards, and Nominating/Leadership committees. A former member of Resource Development Committee and Open Society Commission. She is also a Northern California Chapter Past-President. Mary draws inspiration from the following quote: “I have always known that at last I would take this road, but yesterday I did not know that it would be today.” - Narihira

Jean M. Breny is Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University. She has been on the faculty since 2000 and teaches undergraduate and graduate-level health promotion courses. Dr. Breny received her PhD in Health Behavior/Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MPH in Community Health Education from San Jose State University. Her scholarship aims to eliminate health disparities through community-based participatory research that informs public health practice. Dr. Breny was a Fulbright Senior Scholar, currently is an Associate Scientist at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (Yale University), and is a faculty collaborator with Liverpool John Moores University. She is the Immediate Past President of SOPHE.

Skye McDonald is a doctoral candidate at the University of Cincinnati. She received an M.S. in Health Education with an emphasis on Teacher Education as well as a B.S. in Health Education from Texas A&M University. Skye's research interests revolve around providing health education, specifically sexual health education, to individuals with disabilities, and the role caregivers play in decision-making for individuals with disabilities. She is CHES certified and has presented at numerous state, national, and international conferences. Skye currently teaches at The TALL Institute, a day program for individuals with disabilities, in Cincinnati, Ohio and is working towards becoming a Certified Sex Educator through AASECT.

Dr. Ashley S. Love, an experienced public health professional with over 20 years of expertise, is committed to addressing social determinants of health. Trained at Columbia University and Nova Southeastern University and having lived in Europe, Asia, and North America, she brings a multicultural perspective to her work. As the former State Epidemiologist of Delaware/Bureau Chief of Epidemiology, Dr. Love was crucial in effectively managing the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. Her interdisciplinary and interfaith approach, coupled with her experience working with diverse age and racial/minority groups, enriches her work. Dr. Love’s areas of expertise include public health, healthcare education, telehealth, nutrition, and gerontology. She has taught numerous community college and university courses, employing innovative approaches. She has been an award-winning educator, certified online instructor, and an active-duty military spouse for over two decades. She is an associate professor and director of graduate studies at the University of Incarnate Word’s Dreeben School of Education.

Lisa Lieberman, MA, PhD, CHES, has her master’s degree from Kent State University in Health Education, and PhD from the University of Michigan in Health Behavior and Health Education.  Currently, she is Professor and Chair, Department of Public Health at Montclair State University, in NJ.  She helped create and grow the department’s CEPH- accredited MPH program, and her work teaching and mentoring MPH students has been the highlight of her career.  Prior to coming to MSU, Lisa spent more than 20 years conducting program planning and evaluation work for a wide range of community and government organizations, with experiences ranging from tobacco control in a countrywide initiative, sex education in NYC and other public school systems, pregnancy and parenting among young women in the foster care system, comprehensive school health programs, and systems approaches to improving health in a variety of settings.  She has served on the editorial boards of SOPHE’s Health Education and Behavior, and on the Guttmacher Institute’s Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.  She was recently elected as SOPHE’s Trustee for Publications. 

Associate Professor & MPH Program Director, California Baptist University, Department of Public Health Sciences. Dr. Parks is an experienced educator and health administrator with a background in post-acute care and inpatient rehabilitation hospital quality and risk management. Dr. Parks currently works as an Associate Professor and the MPH Program Director in Public Health Sciences at California Baptist University (CBU) and as a healthcare quality consultant. Dr. Parks serves as the SOPHE Trustee for Professional Preparation. Prior to her current role, Dr. Parks worked previously as a Director of Managed Care at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and a Research Associate for the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

La Verne Partlow has over 23 years of public health experience at the local and state levels. She is currently a Health Education Coordinator at the Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services ? Public Health Division. Since Spring 2011, she has been an Adjunct Professor at Johnson C. Smith University, North Carolina A&T State University and Clinton College.

Kara Hughes is a Community Health Educator with BJC HealthCare and Healthy Schools Healthy Communities. An initiative funded by Missouri Foundation for Health, Healthy Schools Healthy Communities aims to increase access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities. Her work primarily focuses on food access and involves nurturing partnerships, promoting events and programs, and collaborating with a local urban farm to distribute affordable produce throughout the city of St. Louis. Kara?s experience includes providing direct health education and program coordination. Kara holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Missouri, a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from Illinois State University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES?).

As a Community Health Partner for BJC School Outreach and Youth Development, Erica convenes community members to promote the process of creating healthy change in the city of St. Louis. Funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health, the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities initiative partners BJC HealthCare with the St. Louis Public School District and communities throughout the city to create opportunities for kids and families to eat healthy and be active. Prior to her work as a Community Health Partner, Erica was a health educator with BJC School Outreach and Youth Development. Erica holds a Masters of Arts in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University and is a Certified Domestic Violence Professional.

Krystal serves as an executive leader and consultant at Mosaic Group and brings experience in the development and implementation of cross-sector interventions to address complex health and social issues. As

Dr. Meagan Shipley received her PhD in Health Behavior from Indiana University. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor, teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in school and community health. She has updated several courses to incorporate high impact practices, which include service learning, writing intensive courses, capstone projects and courses, and study abroad fieldtrips. Dr. Shipley is the faculty advisor for the health education honorary, Eta Sigma Gamma - Alpha Pi chapter. She also received the Dr. Robert Snyovitz Emerging Professional Award from the American School Health Association in 2018.

Caitlin Holden is a 4th year doctoral student in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. She earned her Masters in Health Education with a focus in teacher preparation, and a B.S. in Health with an emphasis in community health from Texas A&M University. She currently serves as a graduate teaching assistant for school and community health courses. Caitlin's research interests involve school, adolescent, and sexual health. She has been involved and presented at international, national, and state conferences. Caitlin is CHES certified, serves as the vice-president of the Eta Sigma Gamma, Alpha Pi Chapter, and as a Graduate Teaching Consultant Fellow through Texas A&M's Center for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Nicholas Beresic is the Director of Communications of the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance in Chapel Hill, NC. He is a Certified Health Educator Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer with 15+ years of experience in the health & wellness industry. Dr. Beresic has worked with clients in a variety of settings, including non-profit, commercial, corporate, higher education, and medical facilities. His specialties include social marketing, ergonomics, worksite wellness, and mentoring the next generation of health educators.

Ms. Gonzalez received her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from The George Washington University. Ms. Gonzalez gained clinical experience at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus working as a clinical technician. She holds a Certificate as a Health Education Specialist (CHES). Pronouns: she/her

Dr. Diana Karczmarczyk received her PhD in Education with a minor in Public Health and a specialization in International Education from George Mason University. She obtained her Master’s degree in Public Health in Community Health Education from UNC Greensboro and is a certified Master Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Dr. Karczmarczyk has 20 years of teaching experience in higher education and working in the health education and promotion field. She is a Professional Lecturer at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Prior to joining DC’s Metropolitan Police Department as the Director for Employee Well-Being Support, she worked at RAINN leading the development of educational content to support survivors of sexual violence. Prior to this role, she was an Assistant Professor at George Mason University teaching full time in the Department of Global and Community Health. She has also served as the Senior Analyst for Tobacco and Chronic Disease Prevention at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) where she focused on health policy. Prior to her role at ASTHO, she worked at the American Diabetes Association. Her last role while she was there was as the Director of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Initiatives and the Women's Initiatives.

 Dr. Karczmarczyk has also taught courses in health education at George Mason University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and at Randolph Community College. She has taught courses in Human Sexuality, Men's Health, Introduction to Behavior Change, Personal Health, Community Needs Assessments and Partnerships, Social Determinants of Health, Sexuality and Human Behavior, Program Planning and Evaluation, Health Education and Promotion, and Health Behavior Theory. She is a steering committee member of the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria and a Commissioner for the Alexandria Commission for Women. Dr. Karczmarczyk is the co-editor of Men’s Health: An Introduction and co-authored two children’s books to promote positive mental health. The children’s books, It’s GREAT to be YOU! and It’s GREAT to be LOVED!, also promote messages of inclusion and celebrating diversity.