SPH Alumni Society

SPH Alumni Board Convenes

The newly re-established SPH Alumni Society Board recently met for the first time. The board will lead initiatives to provided lifelong learning opportunities for SPH alumni. Board members are diverse in graduation years and expertise:

James Anderson (M.H.A. ’68) is a senior executive with 39 years of health administration leadership experience. He is currently the chief administrative officer for Mayo Clinic Arizona.	Judy Beniak (M.P.H. ’81) has extensive experience in public health administration. She currently directs the Health Careers Center for the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center.
Amos Deinard (M.P.H. ’85) is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Maternal and Child Health program in the SPH.	Mary Hunt (M.P.H. ’83) is a consultant for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard School of Public Health. Her international experience includes teaching nutrition courses in Bahrain and working at the World Health Organization.
An Liu (M.S. ’02) founded A&L Consulting, where he serves as principal statistician and president. A&L specializes in designing and analyzing clinical trial research data for biomedical sciences.	Linda Olson Keller (M.S. ’79) is a public health nurse with experience as a consultant, evaluator, professor, and staff nurse. She recently accepted a position as senior research scientist in the University’s School of Nursing.
Cynthia Kenyon (M.P.H. ’99) is a senior epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health. Her duties include statewide disease surveillance and overseeing projects directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.	Cecilia Amor Kramer (M.P.H. ’90) has more than 15 years of experience in communications and fund development. She is currently director of development for the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii.
Richard Person (M.P.H. ’83) is a program administrator for the Saint Paul Department of Public Works. He oversees waste management and recycling and public right-of-way issues.	Brigid Riley (M.P.H. ’98) is the executive director of the Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention, and Parenting. She previously worked as a health promotion specialist for Hennepin County and the City of Bloomington.
Mary Sheehan (M.P.H. ’84) is health and human services director for Chisago County in Minnesota. She has previously worked as an epidemiologist, public health nurse, and administrator of programs in food safety and tobacco control.	Gizaw Tsehai (M.P.H. ’06) is a consultant to the Midwest Training and Education Center and a coach for leadership fellows at Clearway Minnesota. From 1983 to 1991 he served as Minister of Health of Ethiopia.
Michael Trujillo (M.P.H. ’84) is the executive director of program development and community outreach for the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, Ariz. He previously served as director of the Indian Health Service.	Gita Uppal (M.P.H. ’99) is a senior health policy analyst with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She has also worked within the United Nations in Rome and Albania and in the U.S. Senate.
Brenna Vuong (M.P.H. ’04) is a program specialist, Employee Health & Wellness, at Fairview Health Services. She also serves on the Policy and Advocacy Committee for the Minnesota Public Health Association.