About the CPH Alumni Board
Mission
The College of Public Health (CPH) Alumni Board’s mission is to support the Office of Development and Alumni Relations by fostering meaningful and lasting connections among the CPH alumni family. The CPH Alumni Board seeks to unite a network of dedicated alumni to create programming and engagement opportunities for our community of alumni, students, and faculty to connect and show their commitment to the UGA College of Public Health.
Meet our Board Members
The CPH Alumni Board’s membership is comprised of UGA 40 Under 40 honorees, Bulldog 100 members, and alumni who have been active in a variety of board roles at UGA. Seeking to increase engagement and commitment to CPH through more volunteering and events, the Board will help alumni to build meaningful and lasting connections with other alumni, students, and faculty.
Kim Metcalf (BSEH ’93, MS ’96), President
Kim Metcalf is an environmental scientist and “double dawg” with BSEH and MS in environmental health from UGA. She can be found, most days, in the field evaluating construction site compliance, obtaining environmental samples and analyzing results, or conducting training programs. A dedicated alum, Kim is past vice president of the Athens Chapter of the UGA Alumni Association and served on the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors, including as an Executive Committee Member, multiple terms. She is a UGA 40 Under 40 recipient, and her business, Riverbend Environmental Inc., has been listed, many times, among UGA’s Bulldog 100.
William “David” Johnson (BSEH ’93), Vice President
William David Johnson, CIH, MSPH is a native of Elberton, Georgia. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from Georgia, David attended the University of Utah and received his Master of Science in Public Health with a specialty in industrial hygiene. David currently leads the industrial hygiene and health team for SAIF Corporation, Oregon’s largest workers’ compensation carrier, and is responsible for industrial hygiene, ergonomic, and occupational health nursing consultative services for over 55,000 policyholders. David is also board certified in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene. At UGA, David was the recipient of the 1993 Rowe Environmental Health Award and served as President of the EHS Club.
Claire Alvey (BSHP ’16), Treasurer
Claire Alvey, MBA, MHA is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator for Empire Care Centers. She earned her B.S. in Health Promotion at UGA and completed an executive management advancement program in post-acute care while completing her MBA/MHA through Georgia State University. She is passionate about health at every stage of life and currently serves to improve quality of care and healthcare literacy in the post-acute care industry and throughout the community. She serves as a Y Ambassador Board member, promoting YMCA community programs. Outside of work, Claire enjoys mentoring students, cooking, and spending lots of time with family and friends.
Erin Napier (MPH ’16), Secretary
Erin Napier is an Atlanta Realtor and a “Double Dawg” with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health from UGA. She is currently an agent with RE/MAX Around Atlanta. Previously, Erin worked for private medical practices serving in management, medical assistance, and administrative roles. In her free time, she enjoys reading, walking with her Labrador Retriever, Tweety, and trying all the newest restaurants in the city. Erin received an MPH in Epidemiology from The University of Georgia in 2016.
Meridith Keller Woodman (BSEd ’96), Communications Committee Executive Chair
Meridith Keller Woodman is a passionate public health leader and dedicated global health professional. She is currently the Director of Pharmacy Client Experience Program & Project Management at Elevance Health, Carelon Rx SAM CSBD Integrated Account Management. Previously, she worked as a Senior Portfolio Manager at AmeriHealth Caritas leading its COVID-19 enterprise program focused on membership surges due to the pandemic, as well as its integrated healthcare solutions programs for shared services. Meridith worked for NASCO, a healthcare IT company, as a project management leader focused on delivering critical implementations for Blue Cross Blue Shield companies. She also worked at the CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention supporting media relations, study coordination and project management. A UGA Presidential Scholar, she received her Bachelor of Science in Education, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in 1996. Meridith is a proud mother of two, Girl Scout leader of 10 years, Kappa Delta alumni, and loves cheering on the Dawgs.
Erica N. Parks (MPH ’11), Immediate Past President
Erica Parks, MPH, is a vetprenuer and the CEO & Founder of Camouflage Me Not. Through her work, she is challenging community, business, and government leaders to address the systemic issues hindering veterans and their dependents from successfully transitioning into society. Active at UGA, she was an inaugural member of the UGA Black Alumni Leadership Council and is a UGA 40 Under 40 honoree. Erica received an MPH in health policy and management from UGA in 2011.
Joy Battles (BS ’11, MPH ‘17)
Joy Battles is a supervisor of an FDA regulatory microbiology lab in New York where she reviews results and oversees their whole genome sequencing lab, protecting the public from foodborne illness. She earned her MPH at UGA in 2017 and specialized in Environmental Health Science. She previously earned her BS in Microbiology and Psychology at UGA, as well as a graduate certificate in water resources through the Department of Marine Sciences. Joy is passionate about public health, molecular genetics, and epidemiology. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring, music, and experiencing new cultures while traveling.
April Crow (BSEH ‘95)
As a globally recognized Sustainability leader, April Crow has more than two decades of experience working throughout the value chain in a diverse set of roles in Sustainability, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs and Quality. April has been one of the leading industry voices — pushing forward research, coalitions and programs to help understand and tackle the marine debris issue and advancing the Circular Economy. An active volunteer and mother of two, she was named to the University of Georgia’s 40 under 40 for her impact in business, leadership, community, and philanthropic endeavors. She has served as a trustee for the 4-H Foundation, the University of Georgia Alumni Association, the Captain Planet Foundation and Leadership Georgia.
Nichole Hancock (BSEd ‘98)
Nichole Hancock, BSEd, M.Edm, has over 20 years of experience working in a variety of sectors developing community-based health education programs in areas that include women’s health, adolescent health, HIV/AIDS, and cancer care. In 2005, she was recruited by Maximus, a healthcare consulting company, as their Community Education Program Director to develop, implement, train and manage the State’s managed care transition program from State control into a program called “Georgia Families” for all 159 counties. Nichole is also the founder of the Shades of Pink, a non-profit breast cancer survivorship organization serving metro Atlanta.
Keisha Jennings (BSEd ‘98, Health Promotion)
Keisha Stewart Jennings is a lifelong academic and health educator, with a BSEd in Health Promotion and a Master of Arts in Leadership. Keisha is a passionate and experienced learning specialist, having spent the past 17 years teaching Health and Physical Education, English Language Arts, and Science to middle and high school students. Keisha is also the owner and Chief Education Officer (CEO) of The Living Center- Youth Enrichment Services, LLC, an educational support service offering various programs that empower young people to use their strengths to overcome obstacles both in school and in life. Keisha is the proud mother of 3 young adults while professionally she enjoys her work as a Special Education Teacher and Case Manager for high school students at Georgia’s largest virtual charter school. In her personal time, Keisha revels in every opportunity to go hiking, travel trailering, spend time with family and friends, and cheer on our beloved Bulldogs!
Fabrice Julien (BA ’13, Public Health Minor)
Fabrice Julien, PhD, MPH, MA, is a Medical Sociologist and an Assistant Professor of Health and Wellness at The University of North Carolina Asheville. At UNCA, he directs the Contextual Investigations of Health Outcomes (C.I.H.O) Research Lab. Prior to his faculty appointment, Dr. Julien’s research was funded by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality through the National Research Service Award grant program. During his time at UGA, he was named ‘Student of the Year’ by the Residence Hall Association and served on ‘The Arch Society’. After graduating from UGA, he completed a year of national service as an AmeriCorps volunteer. He and wife Carissa live in the South Asheville area.
Derek Kemmerlin (BSEH ‘98)
Derek Kemmerlin has over 25 years of environmental and insurance experience. Since 2021, Derek has served as Executive Vice President of Commercial Insurance for the Southeast Region at Chubb, the largest publicly traded Property and Casualty Insurance Company in the world. Prior to his current role, he served as Senior Vice President & Director of Field Operations for Chubb Environmental, managing the North American team of environmental underwriting specialists deployed throughout the U.S. and Canada. Prior to his insurance career, Derek worked as a Project Manager for Antea Group (formerly Delta Environmental Consultants) helping clients remediate contaminated properties throughout the United States. Derek received his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health from the University of Georgia.
Jane Mitchko (MEd ’00, Health Promotion)
Jane Mitchko has over 20 years of communication and marketing experience at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is currently the Branch Chief of the Communication Science Branch in the Division of Communication Science and Services in CDC’s main Office of Communication. Prior to this position, Jane was the Deputy Chief of the Health Communications Branch in CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for over 11 years. Prior to joining OSH, Jane held several communication leadership positions at CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control over a span of 10 years where she led the Heads Up: Concussion campaign. Jane began her public health career as a CDC Fellow in 2000 and holds a Master of Education in Health Promotion and Behavior from the University of Georgia.
Bryan Russell (BSEd ’02, Health Promotion)
Born in Miami, FL and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, Bryan graduated High School out of country before attending University of Georgia. He participated in numerous campus organizations such as CARIBSA and an active member of the Zeta Nu Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. During this time at UGA, Bryan pursued his passion of Health and Wellness/Sports Medicine by actively working for the Athletic Department and Novacare Physical Therapy. Bryan obtained his Master of Physical Therapy and Doctor of Physical Therapy from Nova Southeastern University and briefly practiced in S. Florida before returning to Metro Atlanta. Bryan’s early career emphasized Sports Medicine and the injured athlete across the entire spectrum of age and amateur thru professional status. Bryan has sought to eliminate the disparity in delivery of healthcare services in rural vs. urban settings, race, and socioeconomic status. He recently obtained his MBA at Georgia State University. Bryan has two sons and enjoys being an active Father. Additionally, Bryan enjoys attending UGA sporting events and solo world travel.
Meet our Student Officers
Emily Armstrong (BSHP ’23, MPH ’24)
Emily G. Armstrong is a Double Dawg in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia having finished her Bachelor of Science in in Health Promotion in the Spring of 2023 and in the last year of her MPH. In addition to her work with the Lamm Lab, she was also an undergraduate researcher on the CPC Map Project under Dr. Danielle Lambert and Dr. Andrea Swartzendruber. With the Lamm Lab, Emily works on the Healthier Together project as part of the field work team. She assists with focus groups and survey collection in the five rural communities for project evaluation.
Kendyl Hayes (AB ’24, BSHP ’24)
Kendyl Hayes is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Lawrenceville, GA, majoring in Dance and Health Promotion with an emphasis in Health Services. Kendyl is also in the Pre-Med track and has post-grad goals of going to medical school and career aspirations of being a diagnostic radiologist. She is currently serving as 2023-24 Young Choreographer Series’ Secretary in the UGA Dance Department and as an Xtension Peer Leader under Georgia Daze. She enjoys helping people and volunteering and plans to dedicate some of time this year as a volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, Georgia. Kendyl looking forward to serve as Student Officer on CPH Alumni Board this year and is ready for an amazing year.
Ashley Okosun (BSEH ’25, MPH ’26)
Ashley Okosun is currently an undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Health with a minor in Women’s Studies. She is also a part of the Double Dawgs program working towards an MPH in Epidemiology. Ashley is passionate about addressing environmental health hazards that unhoused populations disproportionately are affected by. She has worked in laboratory settings as well as with the New Orleans Health Department as an Environmental Health Intern through the National Environmental Health Association.
Meet our Staff Representative
Heather McEachern
Heather McEachern is a member of the College of Public Health’s Academic Affairs and Student Services Office and serves as the information resource for students, faculty, and staff in the College of Public Health. She maintains undergraduate records and matters related to the CPH undergraduate programs. She is responsible for admissions, recruitment, and graduation for all undergraduate students within the College.
Submit an Application to Join the CPH Alumni Board
Want to make a difference at your alma mater? We invite you to give back to the College of Public Health through membership on our CPH Alumni Board. Click here for more details and to submit your application.
To learn more about the CPH Alumni Board or to find out how you can connect with other alumni, students, faculty and friends, contact Lynnsey Lafayette, CPH Development & Alumni Relations Coordinator.
