Title: Associate Director of Health Promotion
How I Support Student Health and Wellness: In my role, I oversee our mental wellness initiatives and work with our team to intentionally infuse mental wellness into other topic areas such as harm reduction and substance use, sexual health and sexual relationship violence prevention. I lead the Together We Thrive initiative, which works to provide tools and skills to the campus community to navigate stressors, while simultaneously working to create environments that are conducive to thriving for our students. I support our Health Promotion team in developing and assessing the programs and services offered by the office.
Professional Interests: Prior to starting at Syracuse University, I oversaw health promotional efforts and programming for individuals of all ages across Onondaga County as it pertained to sexual and reproductive health. I believe that caring for all parts of a person, their holistic health, is the best way for our students to be well. For me, this means focusing on intersectionality to ensure we are providing the most encompassing and inclusive services and education possible. Overall, my experience has centered on trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive strategies to empower positive health behavior change.
Educational Background: I attended Daemen University, where I earned a bachelor of science degree in health care studies (health promotion) with a specialization in community health and administration. I earned a master of public health (MPH) degree with a focus in health education and promotion at the University of Alabama. Additionally, I conducted research during my educational experience in the topics of labor and delivery, Black, Indigenous and women of color (BIWOC) maternal health, and comprehensive sexual health education in schools. I am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers