Board of Directors

Emily Rushing, MPH (President)
County Director
Henderson, Carroll and Chester County Health Departments

Dawn Ford, PhD, MS, CPH (Immediate Past-President)
Faculty at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga and Walden University

LaShan Dixon, MS, GCHCM, GCG (President-Elect)
Director
Office of Faith-Based and Community Engagement
Tennessee Department of Health

Marian Levy, DrPH, RD, FAND (Affiliate Representative to American Public Health Association)
Associate Dean and Professor
School of Public Health, The University of Memphis

Michelle Moyers, MPH (Vice President/East Tennessee)
Director of Community Health
Knox County Health Department

Sarah Boop, RN, MPH (Vice President-elect/East Tennessee)
Epidemiologist
Northeast Regional Health Office

Shatonia Kenion, MPH (Vice President/Middle Tennessee)
Director of Strategic Operations, Office of Strategic Initiatives
Tennessee Department of Health

Kaysi Paul, BS, CHES, CPSII (Vice President-elect/Middle Tennessee)
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
Prevention Coalition for Success

Matt McDaniel, MPH (Vice President/West Tennessee and Chair of Audit and Finance Committee)
Assistant Professor of Teaching
College of Health Sciences, University of Memphis

Shelley Hayes, MBA (Vice President-elect West Tennessee)
Regional Director of the West Region
Tennessee Department of Health

Joshua Woods, MPH (Board Representative/Middle Tennessee)
Public Health Workforce Specialist
Office of Human Resources and Talent Management
Tennessee Department of Health

Poliala Dickson, PhD, MS, CHES (Board Representative/Middle Tennessee)
Assistant Professor
Tennessee State University

Chelsei Granderson, MSPH (Board Representative/West Tennessee)
Local Engagement Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives
Tennessee Department of Health

Emma Davis, PhD, MPH, CPH (Board Representative/East Tennessee)
Chronic Disease Program Director
Tennessee Department of Health

David Shoham, PhD (Board Representative/East Tennessee)
Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
College of Public Health
East Tennessee State University

Lauren Weiland, MPH (Representing Dental Section)
Assistant State Dental Director
Tennessee Department of Health

Laurie Gavilo-Lane, PhD, MPH, MSSW (Co-chair, Epidemiology & Communicable Disease Section)
Assistant Professor, Public Health Program
Belmont University

Aubrenie Jones, MPH (Representing Health Education/Health Promotion Section/Nutrition)
Local Engagement Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives
Tennessee Department of Health

Sarah Boop, RN, MPH (Representing Nursing Section)
Epidemiologist
Northeast Regional Health Office

Bradley Hawkins, PhD (Representing Public Health Academics Section)
Practicum Director, Master of Public Health Program
Vanderbilt University

Alina Cernasev, PhD (Representing Pharmacy Section)
Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Jodi Southerland, DrPH (representing Aging Section)
Assistant Professor
Department of Community and Behavioral Health
College of Public Health
East Tennessee State University

Richard Savoy, OD, MPH (representing Vision Section)
Optometrist, Association Professor
Southern College of Optometry

Kim Harrell (ex-Officio)
Executive Director
Tennessee Public Health Association