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DHPE Board of Directors

President
Johnnie (Chip) Allen, MPH,
Ohio

Johnnie (Chip) Allen currently serves as the first Health Equity Coordinator at the Ohio Department of Health. In this new position Mr. Allen is responsible for developing agency-wide goals and objectives to address, reduce and eliminate health disparities and promote health equity for all Ohio residents. Additionally Mr. Allen works in partnership with ODH program areas to target services to minority populations, measure performance and assess outcomes.

Since 1988 Mr. Allen has served in various capacities at the Ohio Department of Health including work as a Disease Intervention Specialist (STD Investigator), HIV Program Manager and the Chief of the Center for Health Promotion. While in the Center for Health Promotion Chip was responsible for social marketing activities, development of health education materials; the application of market research software and data for program planning; and the creation of enterprise-wide web-based computer applications for program evaluation.

Mr. Allen received a BA in Black Studies from The College of Wooster and a Masters in Public Health from Tulane University.

Past President
Don Bishop, PhD,
Minnesota

Don Bishop has been Chief of the Minnesota Center for Health Promotion since 1986. The Center includes Minnesota’s programs for Steps for a HeathierUS, Heart Disease & Stroke, Diabetes, Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity, Alcohol, Health Behavior Research, and Injury & Violence Prevention. In the past he has also been responsible for Tobacco and Cancer Control. One of his fondest memories is giving a 3-day deposition during the tobacco trial. Don has been Project Director on numerous CDC grants and Principal Investigator on eight separate NIH grants for improved nutrition and physical activity in children, including the American Indian Walking for Health Program and 5-A-Day Power Plus. He earned his doctorate in community psychology from North Carolina State University in 1983 and completed a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis in health psychology. Honors include chairing two review committees for NIH for breast and cervical cancer screening and, more recently, obesity and the built environment. He has over 30 publications in scientific journals and presently represents DHPE on the Physical Activity Collaborative (PAC).

President-Elect
Jane Moore, PhD, RD
Oregon

Since 1993, Jane has held the position of Section Manager for the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Program in the Oregon Department of Human Services, Public Health Division. In this position, Jane provides leadership and administrative oversight for programs in arthritis, asthma, comprehensive cancer, cancer surveillance through a statewide cancer registry, childhood diabetes database, diabetes, heart disease and stroke prevention, physical activity, nutrition and obesity, and tobacco prevention and education. The mission of these programs is to advance policies, environments, and systems that promote health and prevent and manage chronic diseases. The section works to achieve our Vision 2020: All people in Oregon live, work, play, and learn in communities that support health and optimal quality of life. Jane received her BS and MS degrees from the University of California, Davis and her PhD from Oregon State University in Human Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. She is also a registered dietitian.

Vice President

Jennifer Dunlap, BA,
Indiana

Jennifer A. Dunlap has been a member of the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE) since 2002. She served as Vice President from 2006-2007, and is currently serving as a Member at Large. She served on the planning committee for the 2007 annual conference for DHPE, and looks forward to the opportunity to help plan the 2010 conference, if elected Vice President. In the past, she served on the School Wellness Workgroup and gave a presentation about the School Employee Wellness (SEW) Guide to educators and public health workers in Indiana at the 2008 INShape Indiana Health Summit, which focused on school wellness.

“I have received so many benefits from my membership to the DHPE in terms of professional development and opportunities to represent Indiana on the national stage,” said Jennifer. “DHPE has become like a family to me, and I would appreciate being given the chance to give back to the organization by serving as Vice President. ”

Jennifer is currently the director of the Office of Public Affairs at the Indiana State Department of Health. In this role, Jennifer is responsible for promoting public health programs and events, developing media campaigns, and acting as a spokesperson for the agency. Most recently, she was responsible for handling media relations and external communications for her agency on the novel H1N1 influenza outbreak. During the first week of the outbreak, her office received more than 100 calls from the media. As part of her outreach efforts, she started her agency’s very first Twitter site that focused on H1N1.

During her years at the Indiana State Health Department, Jennifer has managed a variety of public health promotion campaigns, including one on West Nile virus in 2002, for which she received a Deputy Health Commissioner’s Award.

She is also responsible for overseeing the Office of Minority Health to help address health disparities in the state and has served over the past eight years on the state’s INShape Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair Planning Committee. This Health Fair, which provided more than 100,000 free health screenings to participants in 2008, is one of the largest health fairs of its kind in the nation.

Jennifer started her employment with the State Department of Health in June 2001, serving as marketing director. She was promoted to director of the Office of Public Affairs in May 2007.

Secretary
Linda Chasson, MS,
Wyoming

Linda Chasson has served as the Preventive Health and Safety Division Administrator for the Wyoming Department of Health since October 2004, and formerly served as the Chronic Disease Section Chief and the Program Coordinator for the Wyoming Diabetes Prevention and Control Program for five years.

Throughout her career, Linda has been a leader in developing chronic disease programs. She is currently the Wyoming state representative to the Directors for Health Promotion and Education. She serves as a peer reviewer for the Northwest Public Health Journal. Linda has served as the Secretary for the Director's for Health Promotion and Education (DHPE), Board of Director's since Aril 2008. She was appointed to complete the term as a returning Board member. Linda has also served as a past president of the Wyoming Public Health Association, and former Diabetes Council representative for School Health Council affiliated with the Chronic Disease Directors Association.

Linda previously served seven years with DePaul Hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming as the planning and marketing director for two of those years and as the Director for Home Health and Hospice for five years. Her work at DePaul concluded when the hospital consolidated with, what is now known as, United Medical Center in Cheyenne. Earlier in her career, she worked as the director of the Head Start Program in Cheyenne, and previously as the patient representative for Houston County Hospital System in Warner Robbins, Georgia.

Treasurer
Jayne Andreen
Alaska

Jayne Andreen has been Alaska's DHPE voting member since 2000. She served and co-facilitated the conference planning committees for several years, as well as served on the Board as a member at large before being elected as president elect in 2007. As president, Jayne's priority was to increase DHPE's organizational stability by integrating the board's strategic planning process with annual action plans. She led the staff and board to develop the first Board approved annual budget that is driven by the strategic vision of the organization. As a former bookkeeper and non-profit director, Jayne is interested in continuing to work with the Board, staff and audit committee in the financial oversight and development by serving as the DHPE treasurer.

Members at Large

Barb Alberson, MPH,
California

Barb Alberson is a public health educator with more than 35 years of experience in the government sector. For the last 18 years, she has served as the Chief of the State and Local Injury Control Section in the California Department of Public Health. In this role, Ms. Alberson provides direction and support to a multidisciplinary professional staff in designing and implementing a comprehensive statewide injury and violence prevention program. Her program is now one of the largest and most productive of its kind in the nation.

From 1984-89, she was the Health Education Consultant for the California Department of Aging. From 1981-83, she oversaw Medicaid community-based initiatives for seniors in the California Department of Health Services’ Office of Long Term Care and Aging. Before that, Barb was a local Public Health Educator with the San Diego and Sacramento county health departments. On the national level, Barb has served as a consultant to many federal agencies and national associations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Highway Traffic Safety

Janet W. Baggett, BS, CHES,
Florida

She formerly served as the Deputy Chief of the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. As deputy chief, Ms. Baggett has responsibility to guide the planning, implementation and evaluation of the following Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion programs: Arthritis, Breast and Cervical Cancer, Comprehensive Cancer, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Heart Disease and Stroke, Obesity and the statewide community based Healthy Communities/Healthy People Program. She also provides leadership for the development and analysis of legislative bills, proposals and language.

Ms. Baggett has served in the Florida Department of Health for over 30 years and as deputy chief for the last six years. She also serves as the Florida Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant Administrator and Florida representative to the National Directors of Health Promotion and Education. Ms. Baggett is a trained evaluator, Florida Sterling Examiner, and winner of numerous awards including the 2002 Joseph Porter, M.D. Award for Excellence in Health Education.

Ms. Baggett graduated Magna Cum Laude in Community and School Health Education from Florida State University and continued on to receive a Master’s degree in Community and School Health Education from Florida State University. She is a dedicated public health employee that advocates for community representation and ownership of chronic disease prevention and health promotion programs. She has been instrumental in helping Florida obtain several chronic disease CDC cooperative agreements and actively participates in the Florida Department of Health Strategic Planning and Community Assessment Projects.

She has three daughters (Lori, Jami, Alli), three grand daughters (Abbey, Ellie, Emma), two son-in-laws (Ab, Steven) and one husband (Steve). She enjoys gardening, decorating, and spending time with her immediate and church families.

Shonta Chambers, MSW,
Georgia

Shonta Chambers currently serves as Director of the Health Promotion Section, within the Georgia Division of Public Health, Office of Healthy Behaviors. In this capacity, she leads efforts to integrate primary and secondary prevention strategies for chronic disease and risk factor programs including: Cardiovascular Health, Diabetes, Tobacco Use, Asthma, Cancer, Arthritis, Obesity, Physical Activity and Nutrition. Prior to this position, she was Program Manager for the Georgia Cardiovascular Health Initiative.

Ms. Chambers has been involved with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors—CVH Council for the past four years. She is currently the chair-elect for the Partnership Committee where she will work with committee members to identify strategic partnerships to improve heart disease and stroke efforts.

Ms. Chambers received her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Talladega College and her graduate degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Over the past eight years, Ms. Chambers has served in various volunteer capacities for the American Heart Association at the regional and national level. She is a member of the American Heart Association Greater Southeast Affiliate and National Board of Directors. Ms. Chambers is the incoming chair for the Greater SE Affiliate Cultural Health Initiative Board and a member of the National AHA Diversity Leadership Committee. In 2006,

Ms. Chambers was recognized as Atlanta’s AHA Volunteer of the Year for her work in increasing awareness among women of their risk for heart disease and stroke. She is a Power to End Stroke Ambassador and is committed to educating minority communities about their risk for stroke.

Mary Bobitt-Cooke, MPH,
North Carolina

Mary Bobbitt-Cooke has just retired from the Division of Public Health, NC Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as the Director of the Office of Healthy Carolinians/Health Education (OHC/HE) for the past 12 years. During that time, she served as the Head of Health Education in North Carolina where she directed regional consultants who provide technical assistance and consultation to health educators in local health departments. At OHC/HE, Bobbitt-Cooke directed the expansion of Healthy Carolinians, a statewide network of public-private partnerships working toward community health improvement through policy changes, community programs and systems changes necessary to realize North Carolina's health objectives. In this capacity, Bobbitt-Cooke was also responsible for the administration of community health assessment conducted by local health departments.

Bobbitt-Cooke has been a member of DHPE for 12 years, serving as a representative of North Carolina. She is currently an associate member. Today, Bobbitt-Cooke is the Executive Director of the Healthy Carolinians Foundation. This is the financial arm for Healthy Carolinians with the goal of bringing business and industry into community health improvement. She works with state and local foundations, businesses, and universities.

Bobbitt-Cooke has a Masters of Public Health from the University of North Carolina, School of Public Health, in Health Behavior/Health Education. She serves as Adjunct Faculty at the School of Public Health, teaching in the Public Health Leadership Doctoral Program and the Department of Health Behavior/Health Education. She also serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for the Health Promotion Disease Prevention Center at UNC-CH.

Joyce A. Dantzler, MS, CHES
Maryland

I serve as the Deputy Director of the Center for Health Promotion, Education and Tobacco Use Prevention at the Maryland Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene. I have 25 years of professional practice in public health, having worked in a variety of settings. In my capacity as Deputy Director, Center for Health Promotion, Education and Tobacco Use Prevention I am responsible for providing leadership, direction and overall management to a number of statewide health education and health promotion initiatives. My responsibilities include those in rape and sexual assault prevention, maternal and child health, transportation safety, arthritis and tobacco control.

My oversight responsibility for the Center has afforded me an opportunity to develop increased skills in program planning, evaluation and policy development. I have worked on legislation designed to improve child passenger safety; collaborated with other state and local agencies on training and education programs for professionals; networked with other agencies that address issues of violence against women; and most recently, have been involved in a data collection initiative designed to evaluate and strengthen systems response to sexual assault and improve victim services.

Rochelle Hurst, BS, MA
Michigan

I currently serve as the Manager of several programs within the Division of Chronic Disease including: health promotion, physical activity, nutrition, obesity, heart disease, stroke, women’s health, dementia and several special projects. This area focuses on prevention of chronic disease and control of risk factors, emphasizing physical activity, healthy eating and the reduction of health disparities; as well as creating environments that support healthy behaviors in communities, schools, healthcare systems, faith-based organizations and worksites. I have served in this capacity for the past 13 years, while also serving on a variety of national committees and councils of the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.

Prior to my current experience, I had several years experience in clinical nursing in a variety of specialties and areas; and other public health programs including HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, family planning, prenatal care, diabetes, tobacco control and school health.

My qualifications and experience have focused on disease prevention, health promotion, policy change, and reduction of health disparities to improve quality of life – all aligned with the goals of DHPE. I am interested in continuing to work with these issues on a national level to have a greater impact and feel that I would be an asset to the Board. I would be honored to serve in this capacity with such a credible organization.

Kathy Payne, MPH
Oklahoma

Since going through the Public Health Education Leadership Institute in 2004-2005 (yeah cycle VII!), it has become evident to me that whether serving well at a community, state or national level, all the same skills are required. Those skills (modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, encouraging the heart), as they have been manifested in my career, have been confined to my neighborhood, my faith community, my working partnerships and of course daily as I try to be a productive member of our Community Development staff. Serving as a Member-at-large on the DHPE Board would afford me the opportunity to hone those skills at a different level, one that I have been a little shy about pursuing. And serving as a Member-at-large would be accepting yet another leadership challenge that I believe I am ready for!

Kathy Payne graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelors degree in Education and from the University of Oklahoma with a Masters in Human Relations. She began her public health career in a large metropolitan school district as the HIV/AIDS Prevention Coordinator, Trainer and Curriculum Development Specialist. Her work in this area attracted the attention of the Oklahoma State Department of Education who soon charged Kathy with helping to develop the first statewide school guidance for AIDS prevention education.

In 1992, Kathy joined the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Division, as a Health Educator and later became the Title X Training Manager. In holding this position Kathy developed adolescent sexuality curricula for family planning and youth development providers and trained county health department staff and local communities to implement adolescent sexuality seminars for both parents and professionals. She helped establish the Postponing Sexual Involvement program in many Oklahoma communities and has trained hundreds of adolescents to become teen peer educators. Along with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Kathy developed sexual health curricula for incarcerated women and women in state substance abuse treatment programs. She also developed sexuality education programs for Oklahoma women enrolled in TANF Welfare to Work programs. Kathy has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of sexual and reproductive health.

In 2003, Kathy joined the Community Development Service within the State Health Department as the first Health Promotion Director. In this capacity Kathy has been able to shape the Health Education program by promoting the need to hire more health educators, mentor and recruit health promotion students, establish health education core competencies for all health educators, promote CHES eligibility and enhance health promotion services on an agency-wide basis.

Doreleena Sammons-Posey, SM, CPM
New Jersey

Ms. Sammons-Posey received her Master of Science Degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pre-Medicine, from Bennett College for Women, and is a Certified Public Manager (Rutgers University). For the past 20 years she has been with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS), where she has been the Director for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Services where she manages programs for breast, cervical, prostate and cancers, diabetes, heart disease and stroke prevention, and asthma awareness, programs; and the administration of state funded renal disease, cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease and wellness promotion programs. She provides oversight for the development of categorical federal grant programs and serves as the State Chronic Disease Director; Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS)

Block Grant Coordinator and Region 2 Representative; Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Block Grant Coordinator; Principal Investigator for the Diabetes, Asthma and Heart Disease and Stroke PreventionCooperative Agreements. She seves on the Board of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the Board of the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE) and where she serves as Vice-President (2008-2009). Her 29 years in public health have been devoted to health promotion and disease prevention; health education and awareness; and, the elimination of racial/ethnic disparities.

Matthew Valliere, MPA
Lousiana

Matthew Valliere currently serves as the Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Unit for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. In his current job duties, Matthew provides strategic direction for all of the programs within the CDCPU (Asthma, Diabetes, Heart Disease & Stroke, Tobacco Control and Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System) to ensure that the chronic disease needs of Louisiana are appropriately addressed and that chronic disease initiatives are integrated across programs. Matthew has a particular interest in focusing on health disparities and the social determinants of health.

Prior to this position, Matthew served as the Program Manager of the Louisiana Tobacco Control Program. During his work with the Tobacco Control Program, Matthew’s primary focus was working with youth, community organizations, and faith-based groups statewide in mobilizing grassroots efforts for tobacco control prevention, education, and media advocacy, as well as develop tobacco control policies and plans.

Matthew was recently selected as a scholar in the 2009 class of the National Public Health Leadership Institute. Matthew has served as an abstract reviewer for the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE) and National Conference on Tobacco and Health (NCTOH). He has previously presented at annual conferences for SOPHE, NCTOH, and at the American Public Health Association. Matthew received his Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Public Administration from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge.