SPH Alumni Society Board

Membership and Mission

Membership in the Society is open to all graduates, former students who have completed a minimum of 12-18 credits (a full load for two subsequent semesters), faculty, and administrators of the School.

The mission of the Society is to work collaboratively with the School of Public Health to promote excellence in the School’s programs, to be of service to its alumni, and, through the alumni, students, to advance the development of public health in our community and the world.

The SPH Alumni Society is part of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.

The Alumni Society Board is currently working on:

• Developing a strategic plan that will promote a sustainable relationship between the alumni society and the School of Public Health
• Promoting a lifelong partnership of learning and professional development between the school and its alumni
• Maintaining the Annual Alumni and Friends Scholarship Gala, the student Mentor program and a voice for public health at large.

New members will assist with creating and executing our current goals and with developing future strategic priorities.

We encourage board applicants from around the country and the world. We currently have several board members that reside outside of Minnesota.

Meet the SPH Alumni Board

The SPH Alumni Society Board leads initiatives to provide lifelong learning opportunities for SPH alumni. Board members are diverse in graduation years and expertise:

SPH Alumni Society Board
Joy Ahern (Community Health Education, 2007) is a Public Health Planner for Carver County, Division of Public Health. She has experience developing, implementing and evaluating public health programs, projects and initiatives.	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.	Dawn Bazarko (Occupational/ Environmental Health Nursing, 2004) RN, MPH is Senior Vice President of UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Nursing Advancement, focused on positively impacting nursing workforce issues. She has extensive experience developing and implementing a number of delivery system redesign and other quality improvement initiatives and is a national speaker on key health care topics.
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.	Shelly Espinosa (MPH ’99) Shelly has been an active volunteer on the School of Public Health Alumni & Friends Scholarship Gala Committee for two years. Her work experience is around relationship and program management, and grantmaking. She is currently director of community affairs at UnitedHealth Group	Haudy Kazemi (MHA ’08) Haudy brings a background as a business consultant/technical analyst, with a formal education in health administration and computer science, and an emphasis on finance and health informatics. His interest in policy and legislative matters led to his participation in student and community governance. He participates in multiple organizations, including Ramsey County’s Community Emergency Response Team, Medical Reserve Corps, and Metro Skywarn.
Larry Kuusisto (MS ’10) Larry is the vice president of education for Minnesota’s LifeScience Alley, and executive director of Alley Institute. He brings many connections to the life science industry in the region, and wants to support the SPH in becoming an even stronger entity in driving innovation for the health sciences industry.	Lara Lamprecht (MPH ’99) Lara has extensive work experience in the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., including guiding the development, priorities for, and coordination of several national health security funding and technical programs. She has also been part of the board of the D.C. Chapter of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) for almost a decade, serving as both vice president and president.	Deborah Lasher (Community Health Education, 1998) is a Senior Clinical Research Specialist with Medtronic Diabetes business unit. She has a strong background in clinical research, strategic planning and financial management and is the past Chair of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.
Angie Lillehei RN, MPH (MPH‚ ’84) is a senior executive with years of health care leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. She is currently Chief Clinical Officer for Sage Health Management Solutions, which offers web based decision support for appropriate diagnostic orders at the point of care. She is interested in public-private sector partnerships for solutions to public health issues and is currently working on a PhD at the University of Minnesota in the area of holistic healing.	Charles N. Oberg (MPH ’84) Chuck is an associate professor at the SPH in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. His research interests include health disparities, childhood poverty, and health care access. Included among his accomplishments are awards for teaching and excellence in the field: 2006 Leonard M. Schuman Excellence in Teaching Award, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; 1994 The Albert Justus Chesley Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Public Health, Minnesota Public Health Association.	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.
Lisa Pogoff (MPH, MSW‚ ’85) is a continuing education specialist with the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Education and Outreach. She has a broad public health background, including experience in environmental health, health policy, rural health and primary care, emergency preparedness, and tobacco prevention and control.	Charlotte Sortedahl (MPH ’07) Charlotte is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She recently completed the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at the University of Minnesota. She has long experience in financial oversight as the Health Officer for Saint Croix County in Wis., including budget creation, managements, administration, evaluation, and reporting. She has led strategic planning efforts, developed community partnerships with many sectors, and facilitated departmental communications.	Gita Uppal (M.P.H. ’99) is the director of policy analysis for the Office of the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health Policy and Planning at the Veterans Health Administration. She was formerly the senior health policy analyst with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She has also worked within the United Nations in Rome
Student Senate Representative PhD candidate Meghan Mason (MPH ’10)