Richard “Rick” Hodges is Assistant Clinical Professor at Ohio University. He is also Director of the Ohio Alliance for Population Health, Executive Director of the Ohio University Health Collaborative, and Fellow at the George Voinovich School for Leadership and Public Service. Rick began his career as an elected local official and State Representative from rural Northwest Ohio. After leaving the legislature he worked in hospitals and private industry groups designing and managing population health programs for communities and employers in Toledo, Ohio, Tucson, Arizona and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From 2014-2107 he served as Director of the Ohio Department of Health in the Kasich administration.

Misty Cole, MSW, LSW, is a leader in mental health, trauma-informed care, and workforce development. With over two decades of experience, she has worked across direct service, training, and statewide leadership to strengthen systems and improve outcomes for children and families in Ohio. She currently serves as the Continuing Education Coordinator at Ohio University’s Alliance for Population Health, where she develops and manages statewide training opportunities for community health workers and social workers, ensuring high-quality professional development and cross-system collaboration. Previously, Misty was a Mental Health Administrator and Program Manager for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. In this role, she led cross systems integration in collaboration with multiple behavioral health agencies in Ohio. She is a trainer and keynote speaker in multiple evidence-based models and has presented at state and national conferences on topics including trauma, resilience, leadership, and family engagement. She holds a Master of Social Work from Boise State University, and undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Early Childhood Education. Her work is grounded in collaboration, equity, and a commitment to building stronger communities, particularly in rural and Appalachian regions.

Aimee Collins conducts applied research projects including program evaluations and needs assessments in the areas of education, public health, and social services. She managed the evaluation work of Ohio Project LAUNCH, a five-year SAMHSA funded program that included the integration of services for children, birth through age eight and a partnership between state policy makers and local service providers in southeast Ohio. Aimee served as a coordinator for a public council with duties to assess and prioritize regional needs, develop a five-year prevention plan, and select service providers to implement child abuse and neglect prevention services across 13 southeast Ohio counties. Aimee provided training and technical assistance to support adults who facilitate youth-led prevention programs through the Ohio Adult Allies Initiative. Prior to joining the Voinovich School in 2006, Aimee worked in the child welfare field where she provided case management services to adolescents and families involved with juvenile court as well as home study and large family assessment services for special needs adoptions. Aimee holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology-Criminology and a master’s degree in social work, both from Ohio University. Aimee is a licensed social worker (LSW).

Savannah Flesher is a senior at Ohio University. She is studying Health Services Administration with minors in Political Science and Business Administration. She plans to attend law school following graduation.

In senior communication positions at the White House, for two governors, in Congress and at leading health care and business organizations, Scott Milburn has provided strategic communication counsel to some of the most demanding and transformative leaders of our day. Now he puts this experience to work as an executive-in-residence at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs and in his consulting business. He has also taught executive communication at the University of Dayton. He is a graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism where he has been recognized as an outstanding public affairs and journalism alumnus, and lives with his wife and their two sons in Upper Arlington.

Sherri Oliver, MPA, is a community health leader at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, working at the intersection of academic medicine and community-based care. Since 2017, she has served as Executive Director of Community Health Programs and the Area Health Education Center, supporting a 21-county region across Appalachian Ohio. Her work focuses on expanding access to care, strengthening the rural health workforce, and building partnerships that address social drivers of health. She works with her team to lead initiatives that connect students, providers, and community organizations through community health outreach, workforce training, and service-learning programs. Sherri is passionate about creating sustainable, locally-driven solutions that improve health outcomes and opportunity in the rural Southeast Ohio community which she has called home for more than 30 years.

Kerri Shaw, MSW, LISW-S, C.CHW, is a Professor of Instruction and the Director of Community Health Workforce Programs for the Ohio University Alliance for Population Health. With more than twenty years of experience in Appalachian Ohio, she brings a multidisciplinary background as a social worker, counselor, educator, and community-based leader, with a strong focus on advancing health equity and improving population health outcomes. From 2012 to 2021, she served in the Ohio University Department of Social Work as a Field Education Instructor and Field Director, where she developed and led the online Master of Social Work field program and built partnerships with hundreds of organizations nationwide to strengthen the future workforce. A leader in community health workforce development, Shaw coordinated the creation of a Community Health Worker (CHW) training program certified by the Ohio Board of Nursing, which has trained more than 500 CHWs across the state. She has served in leadership roles with the Ohio Community Health Worker Association and the Center for Community Health Worker Excellence, and has secured state and federal funding to expand apprenticeship pathways and continuing education opportunities. A certified CHW, Shaw is a recipient of multiple leadership and advocacy awards, including the National Association of Social Workers–Ohio Chapter Region 7 Social Worker of the Year, and is committed to strengthening community health systems and advancing health, equity, and well-being across Ohio.

Dr. Jacob White is the Co-Director of the PEER Applied Research Team at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service where he provides strategic leadership in the design and implementation of applied research and evaluation projects for public and non-profit organizations. The Planning, Evaluation, Education, and Research (PEER) Team manages an annual portfolio of approximately 40 externally funded projects spanning multiple sectors including healthcare, social services, education, addiction and recovery, energy, and the environment, with specific focus on initiatives that impact the Appalachian region. The Team’s project work includes support from a multitude of federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Education. Before joining the Voinovich School, Jacob served as Professor of Chemistry at the University of Rio Grande (URG). His work has been published in various academic journals in the fields of chemical education, STEM education, teacher preparation, and environmental chemistry. Jacob was the 2005 recipient of the Donald R. Clippinger Research Award from Ohio University, the 2011 recipient of the Edwin Jones Teaching Award from URG, and he received Professor Emeritus honors from URG in 2022. Jacob has a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Analytical) from Ohio University.

Calista H. Smith began C H Smith & Associates dba Scale Strategic Solutions in 2011 to transform information into action with expertise and love. As president, Calista steers strategy, training, evaluation, and implementation projects in the public and social sectors for clients across the nation.

In her work with Scale Strategic Solutions, Calista has served as project manager and lead consultant on implementation, research, and program evaluation projects for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Interact for Health, the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, Ohio Department of Higher Education, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Westat, and regional councils of the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. Her work has also included strategic planning services, organizational development, training, and community facilitation for organizations such as Education Strategy Group, National Association of City and County Health Officials, the Ohio Department of Health, Park Board of Galveston, TX, and Vermont Department of Health.

Before starting the firm, Calista was supervisor of development at Butler Tech and had previously managed industrial programs for adult workforce education for the career-technical school district. Calista was also a senior consultant with Haverstick Consulting, facilitating teams in project management methodologies to create business plans and implement technology applications. Calista started her career with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, holding various roles in public relations, program evaluation, development, and grant selection and monitoring. Calista is a certified project management professional (PMP) with a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and bachelor’s degrees from Villanova University. Calista lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and daughter.