Conference Committee Acknowledgements
Special thank you to the following partners for planning and supporting the Empowering Communities for a Healthy Mississippi Conference 2025.
Lead Organizing Committee
- Jennifer L. Lemacks, Ph.D., The University of Southern Mississippi
- Victor Sutton, Ph.D., Mississippi State Department of Health
- June Gipson, Ph.D., My Brother’s Keeper
- David Buys, Ph.D., Mississippi State University
- Kaye Bender, Ph.D., Mississippi Public Health Association
- James L. Coleman, Jr., Ph.D.,A. Carmichael Family Health Center, Inc.
- Catherine Brett, MD, MPH, FACPM, Mississippi Division of Medicaid
- Cassandra Dove Brown, MPH, Mississippi State Department of Health
- Karen Matthews, Ph.D., Delta Health Alliance
Continuing Education Sub-Committee
- Sermin Aras, MS, RDN, LDN; Chair, The University of Southern Mississippi
- LaWanda Baskin, Ph.D., FNP-C, FAACN-DLI, The University of Southern Mississippi
- Mayantoinette Watson, Ph.D., RN, PMH-BC, The University of Southern Mississippi
- Traci Hayes, DrPH, MS, MBA, The University of Southern Mississippi
- Danielle Seale, LCSW, Mississippi State Department of Health
- Audrey Gill, Mississippi State Department of Health
Curriculum Organizing Committee
Co-Chairs
Tasha Lock, Mississippi State Department of Health
Dr. Traci Hayes, The University of Southern Mississippi
Committee Members
- Anne M. Cafer, University of Mississippi
- Victoria Gholar, University of Mississippi Medical Center
- Tangela Hales, The University of Southern Mississippi
- Jude Haney, William Carey University
- Martha Ravola, Alcorn University
- Wendy White, Tougaloo College
- Brenda Campbell-Jenkins, Jackson State University
Mississippi State Department Committee
- Jacquilyn German, JHS CEC
- Catherine Young, Cancer Director
- Kina White, Community Health Improvement
- Lindsey Williams, Pharmacist
- Tiffany Johnson, Tobacco Director
- Nikki Johnson, Health Equity
- Felisa Wilson-Simpson, CHW Director
- Jayda Lee, Diabetes Director
- Darryl Jefferson, Heart Disease Director
- Augusta Bilbro, Director of Cardiovascular Health Programs
- Chenoia Bryant, Evaluation Director
- Vernesia Wilson, Maternal and Child Health
- Felicia Kent, CEAL
- Kenneth Judie, Delta Health Collaborative
- Erica Cousin, Injury Prevention
- Taylor Henderson, School Health and Worksite Wellness
- Paulita Edwards-Childs, Healthy Aging
- Sudheer Koutha, Lead Epidemiologist
- Brandi Sanford, Community Health Director
- Erin Richards, Community Health Worker
- Gladys Peters, Health Equity/Faith Based
- Xavier Johnson, Interpersonal Violence
- Vickie Tucker, Office of Tobacco Control
- Lisle Hites, University of Alabama
- Selma Alford, Director of Languages Access
- Kendra Johnson, Office Director of Communicable Diseases
- Caroline Newkirk, Mississippi Public Health Institute
- Jordan Hillhouse, Mississippi Public Health Institute
- Kathy Van Cleave, UMMC, The Mind Center
- Amy Ellis, American Cancer Society
- Charlotte Bryant, Mississippi Department of Mental Health