Missouri Institute for Community Health

Judy Alexiou

Judy has worked in the field of public health for over 30 years, at the local, district, and state level. A registered nurse, Judy has served in a number of leadership positions: as a county public health nurse, local health administrator, district and maternal health nurse consultant, program manager, bureau chief, and program coordinator.

For four years Judy was a member of the Performance Management Collaborative, a RWJ funded group of representatives from eight states who developed a Performance Management Model for State and Local Health Departments. She also facilitated the development of the original Accreditation Standards for Local Public Health Departments in Missouri.

She is a member of the American Nurses Association where she served as a delegate from Missouri to the ANA Convention for six years; Missouri Nurses Association where she was a reviewer for continuing education; as President of the Missouri Public Health Association, and as a member of the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association for several years. She has served as a mentor for student nurses through the Missouri League of Nursing.

At the community level, Judy is President of the Dental, Eye, and Shoe Program, a United Way Agency that provides care to children who do not have Medicaid or other health insurance. She is also on the Board of Directors of St. Marys Health Center and serves in leadership positions of several other local organizations.

Judy has a Master’s in Public Health from St. Louis University School of Public Health and a Bachelor in Nursing from Drury College. Judy is also a Fellow from the Missouri Public Health Leadership Certification Program.

Phil Brunner

Phil has had over 34 years of public health experience. He worked at the Missouri Department of health and Senior Services for 22 years as Deputy Director for the Center for Local Public Health Services, Director for the Division of Injury Prevention, Head Injury Rehabilitation and Local Health Services, and District Health Administrator for the Northwest District. Before his career at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Phil was Chief for the Division of Radiological health at the Illinois Department of Public Health. Phil participated as an invited panel member on the public health performance measures at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Just after Phil retired from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, he was Executive Director for the Missouri Association of Local Public Health Agencies, responsible for the on-going supervision of the state-wide association. Phil has also been the President of the Missouri Public Health Association. Phil has also spent time as a Lecturer at St. Louis University School of Public Health in public health administration. He has also taught at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois, Chicago and summer environmental health institute at Southern Illinois University.

Blanca Domingorena

Blanca has had over 19 years of experience in the field of public health, both at the local and state levels. She also held positions of leadership as Assistant District Health Director, District Public Health Nurse Consultant, and Maternal Child Health District Nurse Consultant. In addition, Blanca has over 30 years of nursing and teaching experience in hospitals and colleges in the states of New York, Kentucky, and Missouri. Her community activities included Healthy Communities St. Charles, member of the Steering Committee and the Teen Pregnancy and STD Prevention task force, and a member of the Advisory Board, South Side Catholic Community Services. Blanca is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Blanca has a BSN, is a Fellow, Public Health Leadership Certificate Program, St. Louis University School of Public Health, and was trained as a Midwife at the University of Buenos Aires School of Obstetrics, Argentina.

Debra Dorshorst

Debra has had over 30 years of experience in the field of individual health care and health promotion and wellness. She has 15 years experience with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In the course of Debra’s daily activities she writes health policies and procedures and provides health education/wellness programs to both professionals and the public. Her community activities include: American Association of Respiratory Care, American Lung Association, American College of Sports Medicine, Missouri and Kansas Association of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Missouri Association of Respiratory Care, and has been an annual presenter for the American College of Sport Medicine Conference.

Debra has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Public Health from Missouri State University.

Gail Carlson

Gail has recently retired after almost 20 years as a state specialist for Health Education as an assistant Professor of Extension Education at the office of Continuing Medical Education, University Outreach and Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. With a Masters in Public Health, Gail has always been interested in public health issues and has been a part of the Missouri Institute for Community Health almost since its inception. Gail was Secretary/Treasure for MICH for their first four years and has worked extensively on the accreditation standards and the accreditation program.

Gail is a member of the Missouri Society of Public Health Educators, Missouri Rural Health Association, and the Missouri Public Health Association. Gail has written extensively for the University Extension, University of Missouri on health and safety issues.

Gail has a Doctor of Philosophy (Family Studies), a Master of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work.

Gregg Fast

After 31 years at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Gregg retired and started working for local public health agencies. For the past five years, Gregg has worked part time as an Interim Administrator and Environmental Public Health Specialist and Consultant. During his tenure at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services he was an Environmental Public Health Supervisor for the Northeast District. As such his number one priority was to work on the establishment of local health departments. When he started in 1969 there was only 2 Health Department s and 4 Nursing Services in the 21 counties he was responsible for. Now there are 21 County Health Departments with 20 being supported by a mil tax. During the course of his long career in public health, Gregg was active in the development of the core functions of public health and the certification and standardization of public health activities in Missouri.

Gregg is a member of the Missouri Public Health Association, Environmental Committee for the Local health Partnership Council, National Environmental Health Association, National Society of Professional Sanitarians and the Missouri Milk, Food, Environmental health Association.

Gregg has a Masters Degree in Sanitary Science and a Bachelors Degree in Biology and General Science. Gregg has also completed the Public Health Leadership Course at St. Louis University.

Steve Fine

Steve has had over 25 years of experience in the field of public health. He has held positions of leadership as a Division Director of Public Health and Ancillary Services, Assistant Director, Division of Personal Health Care, Director, St. Louis County Emergency Medical Services, Director, St. Charles County Ambulance District, and has been very involved in directing the development of a disaster plan for a large local public health agency. Steve’s many community activities include the St. Louis Child Immunization Coalition, St. Charles County Healthy Communities 2000, Missouri Department of Health Council for Adolescent Health, Missouri Patient Care Review Foundation, Christian Hospital Northeast/Northwest EMS Advisory Council Committee, St. Louis Medical Society Bi-Ste EMS Operations Plan Committee, YWCA Health Start Health Advisory Committee, East Central Missouri Area Health Education Center Board Member. Steve’s professional associations include being a member of the Missouri Public Health Association, the Missouri Institute for Community Health, and the St. Louis Refugee and Immigrant Community Coalition for Health.

Steve has a Master of Science in Public Health and Hospital Administration and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Psychology.

Marty Galutia

Marty has had over 20 years experience working in public health at the Kansas City Missouri Health Department. She has worked in a variety of functions for the Department as a health educator, Administrative Officer and now as an Assistant to the Director. In her various roles she has had an opportunity to work on department wide initiatives dealing with contracts, policies and procedures, strategic planning, score cared development and on a variety of quality improvement projects. She initiated and organized the accreditation process for the department. Most recently, Marty has been serving as the Grantee for the City’s HIV Services Program and has been the Program Manager for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program. Marty has been actively involved with the Missouri Institute for Community Health, serving on the Board and Accreditation Council for the past 5 years. Currently, Marty overseas all the quality improvement efforts for MICH and has developed an active social marketing program for the Accreditation Program.

Marty is a member of the American Society for Quality and has been involved with the Missouri Quality Award Program as a MQA Examiner. Marty has a Master of Science in Quality Sciences, a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Sociology and has completed the Missouri Public Health Leadership Program.

Glenda Kelly

Glenda started her public health experience over 34 years ago as a public health nurse at a local health department. After working at local public health agencies for five years she became a Patient educator at a local Hospital. In 1985, Glenda started working for the Missouri Department of health and Senior Services in a variety of positions, until most recently when she was the Public health Nursing Liaison for the Center for Local Public Health Services. Glenda is currently working at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Sinclair School of Nursing as a Clinical Instructor.

Glenda is a member of the American Public Health Association, Association of Community Health Nursing Educators, Association of State & Territorial Directors of Nursing, the Missouri Nurses Association and the Missouri Public Health Association.

Glenda has a Master of Science-Nursing and a Bachelor of Science-Nursing. Glenda has also completed the Public Health Leadership Certificate Program, St. Louis University.

Debra Lueckerath

Debra has had over 17 years in public health practice. Starting her career as a Communicable Disease Control Office Administrator, Debra moved from communicable disease to HIV/AIDs counseling to Environmental Health Supervisor. For the past four years, Debra has been working as an Infection Prevention Specialist with a large medical center. In spite of moving away from public health she finds her work still involves communicating and coordinating with the county health department on a regular basis.

Debra is on the St. Louis County Health Advisory board and is a member of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control.

Debra has almost completed her Masters in Nursing. She also holds a Bachelors Degree in Nursing and is Certified in Infection Control & Epidemiology.

Bernard Malone

Mr. Malone has over 32 years of public health experience and service at the federal, state and local level of government. From 1974-1989 he was employed as a Public Health Advisor with the US Centers for Disease Control. In that time, he provided service in a number of assignments to state and local health departments around the nation, including Saginaw, MI, Miami, FL, Baltimore, MD and to the state of Missouri. In 1989, he left the federal service to continue his work with the Missouri Department of Health in Jefferson City, MO where he served in a variety of roles, including the Director of the state’s Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and on an interim basis, as the Department’s Deputy Director. In 2003, he left the state service to accept a position in Kansas City, MO as the Director of the Division of Environmental Health Services at the local health department. In September 2005, he was asked to assume the duties as of the Deputy Director, a position he holds to this date on an interim basis.

Mr. Malone is co-author on a number of public health publications and has served in a variety of voluntary positions in public health organizations. Chief among these is his role with the Missouri Public Health Association where he has served on the Board of Directors for over 15 years. He currently serves as President of that organization. He has received numerous acknowledgements and honors in his career, including the Administrator of the Year in 2001 by the MO Institute of Public Administrators and the Mentor of the Year, 2005 from the MO Association of Local Public Health Agencies. He has served as an Accreditation Site Reviewer for the MO Institute of Community Health since 2005.

Ross Marine

Ross has had over 30 years of experience in the field of public health, both in the United States and overseas. Ross is currently working with a healthcare and management consulting firm. During Ross’s many years serving as a CEO for rural and urban hospitals and local public health agencies, Ross has strived to integrate community based health services into a seamless system of care. Community assessments have always been a part of Ross’s vision, whether he is working in Malaysia, Europe, or the United States. Ross is affiliated with many community health associations such as the Jackson County, Missouri Public Health Task Force, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the Missouri Public Health Association Foundation, American Public Health Association, and the Black Health Care Coalition. In addition, Ross takes his civic duties to heart and is a member of the People to People International Board of Trustees, UNICO National, The Salvation Army, the YMCA, and St. Thomas More Catholic Church Ministry.

Ross has an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, KCMO, a Masters in Health Administration, a Bachelors Degree in Health Services Administration, and a Bachelors Degree in Accounting.

Stephen Njenga

Stephen has just recently started his public health career having just earned his Masters Degree in Public Health. Stephen is currently working for the City of Branson working on surveillance issues. This year, Stephen worked as an Epidemiology Intern with a local public health agency and further developed his skills working on community assessments and assisting the agency prepare for accreditation. Before he graduated, Stephen worked as a Graduate Assistant conducting health related research and analyzing data acquired from many sources. While working through university, Stephen was a Mental Health Technician and a Pre-Med Intern with a local surgeon. In his spare time, Stephen took relevant training in Emergency Response, ICS 100, ICS 200, NIMS 700, and Weapons of Mass Destruction – Radiological/Nuclear Training.

Stephen is a member of the Missouri Public Health Association, the American Public Health Association, the International Society for Infectious Diseases and is a Community Hero, a volunteer during emergency situations.

Stephen has a Master of Public Health and a two Bachelors Degrees in Biology and Psychology.

Pat Parker

Patricia has a long history working in the health care field. She started her career working in California as Assistant Executive Director at a comprehensive rural health center. From there, Pat worked at a Postgraduate Medical School as the Administrator of their Adolescent Program and continued to work in Administration for a hospital in Illinois. In 1996, she joined the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as a District Health Director then as the Senior Systems Specialist. Pat then spent a year as an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Community Health for the School of Public Health at St. Louis University. Currently, Pat works for the US Department of Health and Human Services as a Public Health Analyst, Office of Performance Review where she provides grantee performance reviews to assess and improve health care delivery.

Patricia is a member of the American Public Health Association and the Missouri Public Health Association for which she serves as the Affiliate Representative to the (APHA) Governing Council.

Patricia has a Master of Science in Public Health, Health Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science, Community Health Education and School Health Education from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Marie Payne

Marie has had over 15 years of experience in the field of public health, both in academia and nursing. She has held positions of leadership as administrator for a rural local public health agency, director of a nursing home, instructor at a community college, and as a consultant in long term care. Marie has had years of experience helping facilities prepare for state inspections, evaluating documentation and resident care. During Marie’s tenure at a local public health agency, she was a member of their CHART community assessment coalition and continues to participate in the local county emergency management team. Marie is currently the coordinator for the Benton County Community Emergency Response Team training program as well as an instructor for the program.

Marie has a Bachelors Degree in Science, Nursing. She is currently working on her Masters in Education.

Jean Sax

Jean has been a registered nurse for the past 30 years and is currently serving on the Board of Health for a large local public health agency. Jean currently works at a local mental health center and provides nurse consulting and death investigation for a local lawyer. Jean is also serving on a Community Health Information Committee List Serve, ensuring they are current and up-to-date. Jean has spent her nursing career as a nurse manager as well as teaching and writing for various health institutions and universities. Jean has also had experience as an Accreditation Site Visitor for the American Association of Child Bearing Centers.

Jean is a member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses, American Association of Child Bearing Centers Board of Accreditation, the Medical Reserve Corp, The American Red Cross Disaster services, and is on the Board of the Columbia League of Women Voters.

Jean has a BS in Health Services Management and has an Associate Degree in Nursing and Licensed Practical Nurse.

Ivah Scott

Ivah has thirty years of experience in the public health field with extensive experience in a local public health agency. She has recently retired as the director of a local health agency that is accredited at the Advanced Level. She held the director’s position for over 18 years responsible for the overall public health activities of the department. Prior to that time for 12 years, she functioned as a public health nurse coordinating many programs including Communicable Disease Investigation, follow-up and management of the response to disease outbreaks.

In addition, Ivah has ten years of experience in acute care and long term care working in many positions from staff nurse, evening supervisor, Recovery Room Head Nurse, etc. In addition she worked as a consultant to a local nursing home in rural Missouri.

Ivah has a BSN, is a Fellow, Public Health Leadership Certificate Program, St. Louis University, School of Public Health and as well as the National Public Health Leadership Institute, University of North Carolina.

Owen Smith

Owen has 10 years experience in Public Health, including Administrator of the Pettis County Local Public Health Agency, Director for the Center for Public Health Service in the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Missouri Institute of Community Health. He has taught Community Health classes at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. Owen was a member of the first Leadership in Public Health class at St. Louis University.

Prior to working for Public Health Owen worked for 26 years for the Social Security Administration as District Manager for the Sedalia Mo District. He is currently employed by PearsonVue Company administering nursing boards, physician board certification examinations, and many other professional tests.

Owen has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education from Missouri State University and a number of post-graduate courses primarily in administration and management.

Frank Thompson

Frank has had 12 years of community and public health experience. Frank started his career in health as a Special Projects Consultant with the Massachusetts Department of Health. He has also worked as an Administrative Director for a Charter School in Massachusetts before coming to Missouri and is now working as the Division Manager for the Strategic Management Office at the Kansas City Health Department. Frank has participated on numerous city-wide commissions, planning bodies and/or advisory bodies in both Kansas City and Springfield, Massachusetts. He was also instrumental in the creating of the first statewide AIDS resource directory and database for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health – AIDS Office. Frank has also had 12 years experience facilitating community collaboration and inter-agency cooperation and has experience with program administration/coordination in non-profit and government sectors.

Frank has spent 15 years developing and/or implementing programs focused on community health issues including: teen pregnancy, mentoring and teaching sexual responsibility for teen males, remediation of education deficiencies for urban youth, education reform, minority health disparities, HIV/AIDS education, chronic disease prevention, and public policy development.

Frank has a Master of Science in Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.