Keynote Presenters

Ivan Juzang, MBA, is the founder and president of MEE Productions Inc., a unique research and communications company dedicated to using socially-responsible entrepreneurship to reach and positively influence urban residents and difficult-to-reach minority populations. MEE first gained national prominence in 1992, with the release of its primary research study, " The MEE Report: Reaching the Hip-Hop Generation." Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the report focused on the previously unexplored cultural and communications dynamics of urban teens.

Artie Kamiya is one the premier physical education consultants in the United States.  He is the former Director of K-12 Health & Physical Education for the State of North Carolina and the founder of the Great Activities Publishing Company. His company produces a wide variety of physical education resources including the Great Activities Newspaper, a K-8 physical education magazine with over 3,000 readers.  He has written or edited over 18 different publications, including the Elementary Teachers Handbook of Indoor and Outdoor Games and the Gym Dandies Series.

Well-known for his visionary leadership, Artie was selected as the 2004 National Physical Education Administrator of the Year by the Council for School Leadership in Physical Education.  In 2007, Artie was selected as the National “Joy of Effort” Award recepient by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.  During the past 20 years, Artie has presented over 400 workshops in 40 different states.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Faculty

Sharon Baty

Ivan Juzang, MBA - see bio above in Keynote Presenters.

Jennifer Rodgers

Officer Shane Rodgers

Elementary Education Faculty

Caroline Enos is a Volunteer educator for the Mid-Rio Grande Chapter of the American Red Cross. She coordinates Community Prevention Education Programs. She has been doing community education for the Red Cross for 15 years, serving in Virginia and Texas prior to moving to New Mexico in June of 2002. She specializes in providing preparedness and prevention education for volunteers and the community at large. She teaches in both English and Spanish courses as diverse as CPR and First Aid, Working with Diverse Communities, and Disaster Family Services Training. Recently, her focus has been in providing Culturally Sensitive HIV/AIDS Prevention Education, Injury Prevention, and Disaster Preparedness.  She is a certified preventionist for the State of New Mexico, and is an active member of the New Mexico HIV Community Planning and Action Group (CPAG). She is also a member of the Albuquerque Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). In the spring of 2007, she was recognized by the Bernalillo County Community Health Council and the local community with “The outstanding community member committed to community health award.” She has a BSME from Northeastern University, and is interested in pursuing a Masters in Public Health and Public Safety.

Karen Gonzales, BA, works as Hepatitis C Coordinator with the Infectious Disease Bureau of the NM Department of Health.  In this position she is responsible for identifying and developing resources for persons infected and affected with hepatitis C.  Paramount in the fight against hepatitis C is increasing awareness of hepatitis prevention methods, transmission routes, available treatment options, and local resources among people at greatest risk for acquiring infection, public and private healthcare providers, harm reduction service providers, persons who are infected and affected with hepatitis C, and community members.  Over the last six years, she has developed and implemented training curricula targeting these populations.  Karen began her career in Public Health as the Immunization Coordinator for the northeastern quadrant of New Mexico.  This is where she learned about the great impact hepatitis has on New Mexicans and how important education is for the infected individual, but also the well-being of the entire community.  In addition to working with local pediatricians to ensure that children in NM are properly vaccinated, she also conducted epidemiologic case investigation and education for patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases and pregnant woman who tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. 

Artie Kamiya - see bio above in Keynote Presenters.

Doug Monaghen has experience teaching physical education at all instructional levels over the past 30 years. He holds a Masters Degree in Health and Physical Education from Stephen F. Austin University. For 15 years he served as K-12 Coordinator for Physical Education, Health and Wellness for the Alief I.S.D. in Houston, Texas. He has been a full-time consultant for Seminar Specialist, presenting approximately 50 physical education workshops per year all across the U.S. He currently teaches K-8 physical education and is department chairperson at St. George Episcopal School in San Antonio. He teaches “Physical Education for the Secondary School Student” as an adjunct instructor at The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Nutrition Faculty

Douglas Adams is the President of Prime Consulting Group Inc., and has over twenty-five years of sales, research and management consulting experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, including a variety of management positions at Frito-Lay and ACNielsen before founding Prime in 1996.  The firm’s focus is to make a measurable difference.  Doug has helped individual clients address go-to-market strategies, retail execution and measurement, category development opportunities, sales training, ROI projections and merchandising and advertising effectiveness. Under Doug’s leadership, Prime has also conducted numerous groundbreaking industry-level studies for the milk industry. These include the MilkPEP Foodservice study, several Convenience channel studies and the Improved School Milk Test in St. Louis, the largest school milk test ever fielded.  Over the past four years, Doug has authored and taught the Capturing the School Milk Opportunity seminar series sponsored by MilkPEP and the School Nutrition Association (SNA), which was attended by over 1,500 dairy and school foodservice professionals.  Other industry projects include developing the approach to measuring at-retail advertising for Point of Purchase Advertising International, leading three Scan Based Trading studies -- two for the DSD (Direct Store Delivery) Committee of the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) and one for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.  Doug earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Masters of Business Administration from Emory University in Atlanta.  Doug is a past School Board President and resides in a Chicago suburb.

Le Adams' background is in natural resource management and in farming.  She worked for many years with the federal Bureau of Land Management and the national, nonprofit, Trust for Public Land.  In the 1980s she began her association with the Santa Fe Farmers' Market, as an organic vegetable farmer, a board member, and as a market manager.  After many years selling at the market and seeing the dwindling population of farmers, she took the opportunity to teach young people about the importance of this noble profession and also about the importance of supporting our local farm economy by eating locally-produced food.  She is Co Director of Farm to Table and the Director of the Farm to School Program.

Ivan Juzang, MBA - see bio above in Keynote Presenters.

Barbara Kitay has over twenty years of experience in food service, food service management, and food safety. She has over 16 years of experience working as a health inspector for state and local agencies.  Barbara has had the privilege of working as the food service manager for Banner Health, overseeing various hospitals food service departments, and prior to working at the NM Public Education Department was the Food Program Manager with the New Mexico Environment Department.  Since 1984, she has been a licensed Environmental Health Specialist, and has received certifications from the National Environmental Health Association, Center for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administrations, and is a certified ServSafe instructor.  Barbara received a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Arizona.

Tawnya Laveta enjoys promoting the values of “knowing the source of your food” through Farm to School programs, farmers’ markets and CSA’s, educational events, progressive policy making and writing articles.  When farmers and farmland are valued as priceless resources for every community, she’ll call it a day.  She is currently the project associate at Farm to Table.

Physical Activity Faculty

Doug Monaghen - see bio above in Elementary Track

Safe Schools Faculty

Carolina Yahne, MD

Scott Poland, MD, is a nationally recognized expert on school crisis, youth violence and suicide intervention, and has lectured and written extensively on the subject and is frequently approached for his expertise by national media including Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post. Dr. Poland is currently on the Psychology Faculty for NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the sixth largest private university in the nation. Formerly, he was the Director of Psychological Services (1982-2005) for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, a school district of 85,000 students in Houston, Texas. Under his leadership, the department was named Most Outstanding Psychological Division by the Texas Psychological Association four times, and received the Excellence in School Psychological Services Award presented jointly by National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and American Psychological Association (APA). In addition, the department developed an APA accredited professional psychology intern training program under his leadership.

Sexuality/HIV Faculty

Lonnie Barraza, MS Ed, currently works for the NM Public Education Department as the HIV Prevention Program Administrator.  In this position, she coordinates efforts around HIV issues throughout New Mexico.  Before taking on this program, she worked as the Consultant for the Safe Schools Program.  In that role, she assisted school districts in the development of their New Mexico Safety Plan.  Lonnie continues to provide technical assistance and support to NM families, schools, and other youth-serving community agencies in relation to health issues and health education curriculum.  Both experiences relate to healthier students and safe schools.  Before coming to NM PED, Lonnie worked as Sandoval County’s Coordinator of the Healthier Schools Program, which she created and developed.  In her role, she provided guidance on health-related issues to four school districts and their surrounding communities.  During her time with Sandoval County, Lonnie’s priority was to focus on violence prevention.  She was instrumental in bridging groups who were concerned about violence prevention.  Prior to working in Sandoval County, she taught health for over eighteen years.   Eventually, Lonnie left teaching and community partnerships development to work at NM PED.

Susan Casias, MSW, ACSW, is a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation in northern New Mexico.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and a MSW degree from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.  She has 30+ years work experience as a professional Social Worker and 19+ years as the Director of Social Work at the Indian Health Service Hospital in Whiteriver, Arizona.  Starting in 2000 she began her work and learning experience on suicide prevention strategies with Native people.  She was the co-chair of the White Mountain Apache “Celebrate Life” Coalition (formerly the Suicide Prevention Coalition) and the Child Protection Team or Multi-disciplinary Team.  She has provided consultation with Tribes in Arizona on team development, suicide prevention strategies including developing protocol for referrals and case management.  She is also a member of the New Mexico Chapter-National Association of Social Workers, New Mexico Suicide Prevention Coalition, Bernalillo DWI Planning Council and IHS Suicide Prevention Committee (IHS wide).

Caroline Enos - see bio above in Elementary Track

Peter Fishburn has been working in the field of public health for 17 years. He started as a public health advisor for the CDC with a primary focus on syphilis eradication. He joined the NM Department of Health as a disease prevention specialist and later became the HIV/STD prevention health educator for regions 1 & 3. Peter is a resource for all regional local public health offices and community based organizations that do HIV/STD prevention work. He provides trainings to HIV counselors, coordinates the NM DOH local street outreach efforts, and is the longest standing member of the NM CPAG and YIPES groups. 

Karen Gonzales, BA, - see bio above in Elementary Track

Dean Hopper, MA Ed, has been with the NM Public Education Department for 11 years, serving as the HIV Education Consultant, HIV Education Coordinator and since 2002, as the Assistant Director of the School and Family Support Bureau. Prior to coming to NM PED, Dean worked in the Public Health sector as a Disease Prevention Specialist. Additional, Dean taught at both the high school and middle school level in the Santa Fe Public School system for 6 years. In 1999, Dean received national recognition by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when was awarded the Leadership Award for HIV Education.

Tessa Medina-Lucero, MPH, currently works for the NM Department of Health, Office of School and Adolescent Health (OSAH) as the Adolescent Health Coordinator.  In this position she coordinates, identifies and develops training and technical assistance materials and resources on a variety of adolescent health topics, including but not limited to obesity prevention, teen pregnancy, suicide prevention, positive youth development and leadership.  She delivers training and provides technical assistance on adolescent health topics to NM DOH staff, community partners and program.  She also coordinates and oversees positive youth development activities used to increase and support youth involvement and leadership in school health advisory committees and community health councils throughout the state. She assists in the development of a Statewide Adolescent Health Strategic Plan.  Prior to working with NM DOH, OSAH, Tessa worked has worked with various organizations on improving the health status of youth.

Ron Meurer, ATC LAT, has been an educator for 26 years and is currently teaches Health Education at West Mesa High School.  From 1980 through 2001, he worked as an athletic trainer also at WMHS.  He has a B.S. in Physical Education with a minor in Biology as well as earning his M.S in Health Education.  Both degrees were completed at the University of New Mexico.   Ron is certified to teach health education 7-12 and physical education K-12.  Additionally, he is a certified athletic trainer as well as Red Cross CPR instructor. Ron is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, Inc.; Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers Association, Inc.; and New Mexico Athletic Trainers Association, Inc. He is also the Activities Health Education Department Chair, West Mesa High School. 

Carolyn Montoya, MSW, LISW, has over twelve years of social work experience in the behavioral health field.  For many of those twelve years, she worked with adolescents and adults who have addictions to alcohol or drugs.  For the past four years, she has done a lot of prevention activities with pre K through 12th grade.  Carolyn is a member of the Sandoval County DWI Planning Council.  She is also certified in DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) a specialty therapy that has shown great success with borderline personality disordered clients.