Clear the Air Virginia

OUR SPEAKERS

Nationally Renowned Keynote Presenters
	Amy Barkley Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Amy Barkley is a member of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids' "State Team" and is based in Louisville, Kentucky. In that role, she provides technical assistance and strategic advice on tobacco control policy to advocates in some of the major tobacco producing states - Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee – as well as West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. Amy has worked in tobacco control for the past 17 years at the local, state and national level. Prior to joining the Campaign in 2000, Amy served as a Project Manager and consultant for the statewide tobacco control coalition Kentucky ACTION where she helped to direct the legislative, grassroots, media and youth advocacy efforts of the coalition. Amy also served as the Executive Director of a Kentucky-based non-profit organization, the Coalition for Health and Agricultural Development (known as CHAD) from 1995 - 2004. CHAD was a leader in establishing a dialogue between tobacco farmers and health advocates statewide and regionally. In addition to her tobacco control work, Amy served as Legislative Aide to a Kentucky state representative and worked on a successful congressional campaign in 1995-96. Before moving to Kentucky in 1995, Amy worked in tobacco control in North Carolina with both the American Cancer Society and Project ASSIST. Prior to that, she was in broadcast journalism, working at several television and radio stations in Virginia.
	Delegate Patrick A. Hope Member of the Virginia General Assembly as the Delegate from the 47th District of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He serves on the House Courts of Justice Committee and House Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee. He is a founding member and chairs the Virginia Progressive Caucus. Governor McDonnell appointed him to serve on the Virginia Health Reform Initiative and is the only House Democrat on that committee. He is a health care attorney with over 12 years experience working for Virginia and has been recognized by numerous organizations including the 2010 Legislator of the Year by both the VA Transit Association and the VA Academy of Family Physicians. He lives with his wife Kristen and three lovely daughters in Arlington.
	Danny McGoldrick Vice President for Research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The Campaign's mission is to promote policies and programs that prevent kids from smoking, help adult smokers quit, and protect everyone from secondhand smoke. Mr. McGoldrick's Research Department conducts secondary and primary research to support the advocacy and communication efforts of the Campaign. The research focuses on message development and testing for communications, monitoring public opinion, policy analysis, and producing information on tobacco industry marketing practices and their effects. The results are used in the development and refining of Campaign strategies and tactics, as well in the creation of fact sheets, briefing papers, and media materials. Mr. McGoldrick also provides support and technical assistance to the states as they design and implement comprehensive tobacco prevention programs and pursue tobacco policy change. In this role, he and his department have developed numerous materials on the need for these programs and policies, as well as on their key components and effectiveness. In addition to consulting with state advocates and health departments on these issues, he has provided testimony in state legislatures and public hearings and appears often in the media. Now in his fifteenth year at the Campaign, Mr. McGoldrick has more than twenty-five years of experience conducting marketing and communications research. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Georgia and a Master of Arts, also in Political Science, from Michigan State University.
	Peter Buckman, MD Dr Peter Buckman is a Thoracic Surgeon with HCA's Henrico Doctors' hospital and The Cancer Center at HDH. He is one of the leaders of the Lung Cancer Team and responsible for instituting the lung cancer screening program in 2006.
	Jeannette Noltenius, PHD National Director of the National Latino Tobacco Control Network and is Vice President of Strategic Solutions Washington, an independent public health and public policy firm based in Washington, DC. She was the Executive Director of the National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention (LCAT) from 1996 to 2002. LCAT is a national non-profit organization that combats alcohol and tobacco use in adolescents and adults and addresses the health consequences these products have in the Latino community. Under her direction, LCAT became a national voice on these issues on Capitol Hill. She has helped build Latino leadership nationwide, utilized the media effectively in expanding knowledge of her community most recently concentrating in the US-Mexico border region, the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic states with large Central American and Mexican immigrant populations. Dr. Noltenius is a founding member of the Out of Many, One a multicultural coalition working on a common agenda to address inequities in health and health care in communities of color. She has also worked in community mental health settings utilizing psychodrama with children and families and at a psychiatric hospital and community mental health center.
Guest Speakers
	Keisha Banks-Thornton, MPH, RD Ms. Banks-Thornton is the Diabetes Prevention and Control Project Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Health. Her responsibilities include training individuals on evidenced-based diabetes self management programs and providing the technical assistance needed to implement the programs. She is also a member of the Virginia Diabetes Council. Ms. Banks-Thornton previously worked at the Indiana State Department of Health as the Health Education Program Director providing trainings and technical assistance to organizations. She also worked as a clinical dietitian providing one-on-one nutrition counseling as well as conducting group education classes for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Ms. Banks-Thornton earned a bachelor's degree in dietetics from James Madison University and a Master's degree in public health from Indiana University Bloomington. She completed her dietetic internship from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Ms. Banks-Thornton enjoys cooking and spending time with her husband and 21 month old son.
	Domenick Casuccio An 11-year Melanoma survivor, Domenick Casuccio received his Bachelor of Science in Journalism specializing in Public Relations from West Virginia University in 2002. In 2003, He began his career with the American Cancer Society in the former Mid-Atlantic Division as a Community Manager in West Virginia. He managed patient service programs, volunteer recruitment and fundraising events in 5 rural counties. A year later he relocated to Richmond, Va. to serve as the Regional Communications and Marketing Director for both West Virginia and Virginia. In his current role he oversees all of the public relations, marketing campaigns, social media and media partnerships for the two states. Domenick also serves as the division-wide communications liaison for both Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. He lives in Richmond, Va. with his two cats and enjoys cooking, exercising and connecting with friends and family through his many social networks.
	Jessica Calderon Jessica has been with Design Electric for six years and has recently been managing the Wellness Program there. She has worked toward helping employees be more aware of their health so that Design can save money on their insurance premiums. She has worked with ACAC to provide a way for employees be informed of their cholesterol, body fat percentage, and other aspects of their health. She has also gone to different jobsites to talk about tobacco and why it is so important to quit, as well as the Free & Clear program available to help employees quit. Jessica graduated from Monticello High School in 2004. Later she went to Virginia School of Massage and received her certification as a Massage Therapist. She decided to stay with her family's company. Some of the goals that Jessica looks forward to working on are helping all employees to quit tobacco, as it would save lives, but also save Design thousands of dollars each year by lowering insurance claims from preventable illnesses. She wants to work on establishing a well rounded Wellness Program that has variety and helps employees at Design continue to value and improve their health.
	Janis Dauer, MS, CAC/CCS, CPP(ATOD) Ms. Dauer is the Executive Director of the Alliance for the Prevention and Treatment of Nicotine Addiction, where she is responsible for providing consultation, training, and program management services in the areas of tobacco use control, nicotine addiction treatment and prevention, tobacco use policy development and implementation, smoking cessation clinical services, and medical practice guidelines. In her previous position, she was a Field Coordinator and Trainer for the Virginia Tobacco Use Control Project providing technical assistance in program planning and implementation to tobacco use control coalitions; developing materials and training healthcare providers statewide on nicotine addiction, tobacco use policy, and smoking cessation; and collaborating on statewide program planning. She also has 10 years experience as a substance abuse Program Coordinator, Clinical Supervisor and Counselor. Ms. Dauer has given presentations and workshops on nicotine addiction treatment, tobacco-free policy, smoking cessation, and healthcare provider training throughout Virginia as well as nationally. Ms. Dauer has a BS in Psychology and an MSEd in Guidance and Counseling from Old Dominion University. She is a member of the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence, the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and the North American Quitline Consortium.
	Carolyn N. Graham, M.Ed., M.P.A., M.Div., D.Min. Dr. Carolyn N. Graham is a public administrator with over 25 years of experience in leading complex organizations. She was recently appointed by Mayor Dwight Jones as the Deputy Chief Administrative Office for Human Services, Richmond, VA. She is the Founder/President of the Elizabeth Ministry, Inc., a 501(c) 3 organization that works to empower teen mothers in the foster care system such that they are able to live healthy, spiritually-centered, economically self-sufficient, successful, loving lives. She served as Vice President for External Affairs for Greater Southeast Community Hospital; Vice President of the DC Board of Education, and Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families, and Elders for the District of Columbia. In this latter capacity, she was responsible for the health and human services cluster of agencies in the District government, with budgets in excess of $2.6 billion. Dr. Graham holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from Antioch College; a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from City University of New York; a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from the New York Theological Seminary; and a Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min.) from the United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH. She has done post-graduate studies at Regents Park College, Oxford University, Oxford, England and the Catholic University of America in Spirituality and Social Ethics; and she is the recipient of a number of awards and honorable citations. Dr. Graham founded a $7 million initiative to support teen mothers in the child welfare system. Her goal is to provide the support necessary for teen mothers to become women of charter and influence, with an economic stake in their communities. She has received support from the District of Columbia's Child and Family Service Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, M & T Bank, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), W. K. Kellogg Foundation and PNC Bank. The project has been designed to provide affordable housing and comprehensive supports to the teen mothers and their children. The housing project will consist of 27 housing units, and an onsite infant/toddler care center designed specifically for the children of the teen mothers.
	Carrie Fesperman Redden, MPH, MRP Health Planner, Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Alexandria Health Department Mrs. Fesperman Redden is the health planner and coordinator for the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria – a citizen-led community coalition dedicated to promoting and preserving a healthy Alexandria community. Mrs. Fesperman Redden has led partnership coordination and collaboration efforts for several tobacco and obesity-related initiatives underway, including a smoke-free homes and cars initiative; smoke-free signs located at parks and playgrounds; a partnership with public housing to provide gardening opportunities for low-income residents; and a "healthy preschool network" of preschool and daycare providers working to create healthier environments for preschoolers. Mrs. Fesperman Redden previously led the American Planning Association's Planning and Community Health Research Center where she conducted research on topics at the intersection between urban planning and public health. Her past work includes a multi-year effort, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of County and City Health Officials, to increase communication and collaboration between health officials and city planners in order to plan for healthier, more family-friendly cities. Mrs. Fesperman Redden holds dual Master's degrees in public health and city planning with a concentration in transportation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
	Rexford Anson-Dwamena, MPH, B.Sc, M.Sc Received his Masters in Public Health from the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA in 2008 and a Bachelors of Science specializing in Health System Management, from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Rex is employed as the Shortage Designation Specialist at the Virginia Department of Health in the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity. In his position Rex uses epidemiological methods, procedures, and statistical techniques and research designs to identify High Priority Target Areas by applying geospatial techniques (GIS software). Spare time activities include lawn tennis, golf and reading.
	Kara Grace Ms. Grace is no stranger to local government, having spent over a decade in a diverse range of public agencies, including: social services, recreation, public safety and an elected official's office. She is currently the Community Health Promotions Programmer for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources in Arlington, VA. In this role, Kara coordinates the leading fitness initiative for the local government, FitArlington. She also provides leadership to the Action Communities for Health Innovation and EnVironmental changE (ACHIEVE) grant, which is a community based health action initiative. Drawing on many years of experience in public safety and prevention, Kara now focuses mainly on chronic disease prevention and creating a culture of wellness in Arlington. Kara earned a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Elementary Education from Nazareth College of Rochester. She later earned a Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University in the Public Service Fellows Program.
	Patti Kiger Instructor in the Division of Community Health and Research of the Department of Pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Ms. Kigerconducts prevention research using the tools of social marketing, with a special interest in overweight and obesity. She lectures on Social Marketing, Focus Group Research, News Media Relations, Government Relations and Strategic Planning. She also serves as Executive Director of the Eastern Shore Healthy Communities ACHIEVE Coalition, which she convened with other community partners in 2009 to address significant obesity rates and consequent chronic diseases. She has served as Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Sentara Health System, CEO of Forrester Marketing Communication, and Director of Marketing for Riverside Health System. She holds a Bachelors Degree in English literature from Gordon College, a Masters of Education from the University of Virginia, is a PhD candidate in Health Services Research at Old Dominion University. Ms. Kiger is a member the Society of Professional Health Educators, the American Public Health Association, and serves as Vice Chair of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth Board of Trustees. She resides in Norfolk and Onancock,VA.
	Joseph G. L. Lee, MPH, CPH Joseph Lee holds a bachelors degree in Spanish and Latin American studies from Duke University and a master's degree in maternal and child health from the UNC School of Public Health. He works for the Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an evaluation manager for the North Carolina Health & Wellness Trust Fund's tobacco projects. He is responsible for managing the evaluation of the North Carolina Tobacco-Free Colleges Initiative and a pilot project to promote wellness in mental health settings. Joseph is also a member of the Network for LGBT Health Equity's steering committee, and he has led the writing of peer-reviewed papers on LGBT tobacco use published in Tobacco Control and the American Journal of Public Health.
	Amanda Noyes Ms. Noyes has worked at Design Electric since 1998. Design Electric is a large electrical contractor in the Charlottesville, VA area with about 250 employees. At Design, Amanda works as the Benefits Manager as well as serving as the technical advisor for the accounting staff on software related issues and specialized report designing. She also works in Program Implementation. Designing, organizing, and getting many of Designs internal projects up and running. One of which is Design Electric's Wellness Plan, a project favorite, that has had a huge impact on the company by lowering insurance cost and improving employee's health awareness. Amanda and dedicated co-worker Jessica created a program for employee biometric screenings as well as a comprehensive tobacco cessation program. Despite the challenges the program has seen, results have been clearly visible. Outside of her career at Design Electric, Amanda is a busy mother of two young children. She moved to the Charlottesville VA area from southeast KY in 1997.
	Karen Overmeyer, MS, APN Thoracic Oncology Nurse Navigator & Coordinator for Lung Cancer Program, HDH. Ms. Karen Overmeyer, ANP is the lung cancer program coordinator and navigator at The Cancer Center of Henrico Doctors' Hospital. She conducts smoking cessation programs, offers symptom management to patients with lung cancer related symptoms and provides counseling and support to patients and families throughout the cancer journey.
	Amy Charnley Paulson Amy Paulson has over fourteen years experience in public health program management. Ms. Paulson has served as Executive Director of the Consortium for Infant and Child Health (CINCH) since 2006. She is an Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters. As the Executive Director of CINCH, she is responsible for coalition development, fundraising, grant writing and management, program development and implementation, staff supervision, and general operations. She holds Bachelor's degrees in Business in Health Care Administration and in Psychology, both from Appalachian State University, and is completing a Masters of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She serves as the lead coach for the Portsmouth, Virginia ACHIEVE project and is also involved in regional policy, systems and environmental change projects through CINCH. Her background is in public safety, prevention behavior, chronic disease research and programming, and organizational psychology. She is interested in health promotion, behavior, and social justice as it applies to community systems and policies, particularly in under-served populations. Mrs. Paulson has consulted and presented locally and nationally on a variety of topics related to coalition development and maintenance, community leadership building, strategic development, action planning, group dynamics, health policy advocacy, chronic disease, and pediatric health.
	Kabi Pokhrel, MBA Kabi Pokhrel serves as the Director of Dissemination for Legacy. He leads Legacy’s efforts to highlight and draw lessons from the work of its past grantees in tobacco control across the U.S. His responsibilities include framing and writing reports that showcase promising strategies and tools used by Legacy’s grantees to achieve tobacco control outcomes. He has created several Legacy publications on a wide range of topics related to tobacco control. He recently authored, Tobacco Control in Low SES Populations, a report that seeks to highlight the issues of concentrated, highly prevalent tobacco use and limited access to and use of effective prevention and cessation services in low-SES populations. Kabi has been a critical part of Legacy’s Program Development team that created the strategic framework for a new community-based program called the Legacy Partnerships for Healthier Communities (LPHC). He is also the point person for the LPHC programs in WV. In his previous position at Independent Sector, Kabi led a civic engagement program to encourage U.S. nonprofit organizations to engage citizens in meaningful volunteer activities to address public problems facing their communities. Kabi also coordinated with many U.S. nonprofit leaders to find ways to elevate the role of the nonprofit sector in strengthening civic participation in the U.S. In his previous positions at the Consensus Organizing Institute in San Diego, he designed and managed several community organizing projects to address public issues facing various underserved, low-income communities in San Diego. He worked with UCSD and USD in implementing a training program on the topics of civic engagement. He also provided technical assistance in the area of community engagement to local coalitions of community-based organizations and government agencies in San Diego. Prior to joining the Consensus Organizing Institute, Kabi was strategic planning and evaluation consultant with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN), an international faith-based NGO. Using a community-based, participatory evaluation approach, he led UMN’s efforts to evaluate the impacts of its rural development and education projects in Nepal and advised UMN on how to realign its program strategies in Nepal in response to the findings from the evaluation.
	Donald R. Reed Jr Donald R. Reed Jr received his B.A. from Concord University with a major in History and a minor in Political Science in 2002. He was a Bonner Scholar. In May 2005 he received his M.A. with a concentration in History from Mountain State University. In July 2007 he became a Tobacco Treatment Specialist through the Mayo Clinic Education Department. He received a M.S. from Mountain State University in 2010 with a focus on Substance Abuse Prevention and Policy. He is a past Certified Prevention Specialist through the WV Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals. Donald is currently employed with the Southern Coalfields Tobacco Prevention Coalition Network as the Regional Tobacco Prevention Coalition Coordinator. Donald is responsible for helping to implement the WV Tobacco Use Prevention & Reduction Plan .He is responsible for the tobacco prevention coalition building and sustainability, secondhand smoke education campaign, tobacco prevention activities, and cessation promotion in McDowell, Mercer, Wyoming, Raleigh, Summers, and Monroe (WV) Counties. Donald’s community involvement ranges from substance abuse prevention coalitions, to health coalitions, to state wide partnerships to prevention substance abuse. Donald works with the McDowell DREAM Team, the McDowell Health Coalition, the Mercer County Youth Coalition, the Summers County Family Resource Network Health Committee, the Raleigh County SHAPED Youth Coalition, the Mercer County National Spit Tobacco Education Planning Committee, the Summers & Monroe Tobacco Prevention Coalition, the Wyoming County Prevention Partnership, and the WV CADCA Association. Donald has received the WV Division of Tobacco Prevention Coalition Building Award, Mercer Clean Indoor Air Recognition Award, and the Bonner Scholar Award for community service 2000, 2001, and 2002. In 2009 Donald received the American Legacy Foundation’s Community Activist Award (Honorable Mention), and the 2010 American Legacy Foundation Community Activist Award. In 2009, his network received the Amy Hertz Award for Spit Tobacco Education. Donald loves to travel had has been to every major Civil War battle field, England, Scotland, Wales, and Canada.
	Kevin Reid Community Health & Wellness Program Coordinator Health & Preventive Services Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield - Virginia Kevin Reid joined Anthem's Health & Preventive Services (HPS) team in 2010 as a wellness program coordinator. In this role, Kevin helps to manage nearly 200 HPS clients in the development, implementation and evaluation of worksite wellness programs. Kevin also partners with Anthem's Commercial Business Unit as an advocate for health promotion among potential Anthem customers. Previously, Kevin managed two WellPoint wellness centers, serving 3,000 members. As assistant executive director for the Medical Fitness Association, Kevin was responsible for the advancement of medically integrated health and fitness centers. With more than 14 years in the wellness field, Kevin maintains a personal commitment to healthy living and is an accomplished athlete in semi-professional ice hockey; a Duathlon World Championship competitor; and a three-time ironman finisher. Kevin attended James Madison University where he received a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a master's degree in Exercise Physiology. He is an adjunct faculty member for J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College in the School of Nursing & Allied Health. Kevin is certified through the American Council on Exercise and the American College of Sports Medicine. He is licensed by USA Track & Field, USA Cycling and USA Triathlon. Kevin lives in Maidens, VA with his wife Gwynne and their two young daughters – Annellice and Alexandra.
	Jason W. Smith, PhD Dr. Jason W. Smith is a Healthy Communities Liaison for the Bon Secours Richmond Health System. In this role, Jason has facilitated a partnership with CS2day, which brought together clinical medical education and community interventions. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Rural Health Resource Center, which receives funds from the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation for the Bath and Highland County Prevention Program. Prior to joining Bon Secours, Jason worked as a Research Associate for VCU and provided consulting services related to strategic planning and program evaluation for the VCU Division for Health Science Diversity's Health Sciences and Health Careers Pipeline. Jason also worked as an administrator for Baptist organizations addressing health and wellness. During that time he oversaw the implementation of a Positive Youth Development Grant from Phillip Morris. Dr. Smith received a PhD from the VCU School of Education in Organizational Learning and Leadership, where he combined coursework on Adult Learning and Nonprofit Administration. His dissertation on the role of cognition and emotion in organizational change received the 2010 Outstanding Dissertation Award. Jason also holds an MDiv from the Baptist Seminary at Richmond, a BA in Religious Studies from VCU, and a BS in Biology from VCU.
	Kenneth E. Studer Ph.D. Received his Doctorate in Sociology/Social Policy/Health Policy/Philosophy from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and a Masters of Divinity from the Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ken is employed as the Social Epidemiology and Shortage Designations Manager in the Division of Primary Care and Rural Health in the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity at the Virginia Department of Health. In his position, Ken introduced social epidemiological and geospatial analytic techniques for identifying high priority target areas for public health interventions. Ken develops linkages between educational institutions, communities, and health care providers and professionals, which improve access to health care, increased health care delivery effectiveness, and improved the quality of life for communities.