Members

There are currently seven member organizations in the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations (CPHNO). Each organization has three Board representatives. See below for member organizations and Board Members and Officers. 

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) is the only national nursing organization that focuses solely on the intersection of health and the environment.

The Mission of ANHE is to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy.

Tom Engle, MN, RN

Tom Engle, MN, RN is mostly retired. His past work history includes County Health Director, County Mental Health Director, and Community Liaison Director Oregon Health Division. He was the chair of the organization of county health departments in Oregon for 10 years. He is on the board of the Oregon Public Health Association, Co-Chairs the Oregon Action Future of Nursing group, is on a County health department advisory board and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health advisory board. He is on the APHA Governing Council. He has been on the board of the Association of Public Health Nurses. He facilitated passing the first local tobacco ordinances in Oregon. He was an early chair of the Oregon Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition, and was an early scholar of the National Public Health Leadership Institute.

Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN

Vice-Chair

Katie Huffling is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and the Executive Director of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE). With ANHE, Dr. Huffling works with nurses and nursing organizations to elevate environmental health issues, such as climate change, toxic chemicals, and sustainability in healthcare, amongst the nursing profession. Dr. Huffling was an editor of the environmental health e-textbook “Environmental Health in Nursing” that won the 2017 AJN Book of the Year in Environmental Health. She was also the recipient of the 2018 Charlotte Brody Award which recognizes nurses who go beyond everyday nursing endeavors to proactively promote and protect environmental health.

Adelita Cantu, PhD, RN, FAAN

As a public health nurse, my priority and impact are focused in environmental health with an international, national, and local reach. I have led and initiated the Air Quality Youth Leadership Academy in Texas, recruiting and educating minority youth on air quality issues; mentoring them on their community projects. Recognized for my environmental health expertise, I am highly sought for local/national meetings leading discussions and providing keynotes related to high-impact of environmental issues.  My work has been instrumental in developing an interprofessional environmental health curriculum used in medical and nursing schools. I role-model mentoring interdisciplinary health professionals as a foundation for improving public/population health. I received the national Charlotte Brody Award for my work in environmental health and justice and served on the national Board of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE). I am deeply embedded in many local and state collaborations where I bring a critical health perspective to their missions and highlight the importance of social determinants to community well-being.  Known for my advocacy work with underserved populations, I was sought to serve on San Antonio’s Climate Adaptation Equity Technical Working Group as well as the city’s COVID-19 Community Response and Equity Committee. 

Recently, I was included among the Best 25 Nurses in South Central Texas. I have received my institution’s Teaching Excellence Award for expertise in increasing student learning and clinical experiences through discussion of the complexity of social determinants in relation to individual health. 

American Public Health Association – Public Health Nursing Section

APHA champions the health of all people and all communities. We are the only organization that combines a nearly 150-year perspective, a broad-based member community and the ability to influence policy to improve the public’s health.

The Public Health Nursing Section advances this specialty through leadership in the development of public health nursing practice and research. The Section assures consideration of nursing concerns by providing mechanisms for interdisciplinary nursing collaboration in public health policy and program endeavors.

Lisa Campbell, DNP, RN, APHN-BC

Lisa Campbell, DNP, RN, APHN-BC is an associate professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing and teaches in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. Her teaching focus for doctoral students is population health, epidemiology, and health policy. Through her teaching role, Dr. Campbell engages students in real world population health and policy projects that include environmental health related topics. Dr. Campbell founded Population Health Consultants, LLC a company whose mission is building human capital to improve population health. She served as the director of two health department in South Texas, where she led a diverse staff and implemented initiatives to advance public health in these urban and rural communities. Dr. Campbell is the immediate past chair of the American Public Health Associate Public Health Nursing Section & is a member of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments’ Board of Directors.

Joyce K. Edmonds, PhD, MPH, RN

Dr. Joyce K. Edmonds is an Associate Professor at Boston College School of Nursing. She received an MPH from Oregon Health Sciences University and a PhD from Emory University.  Dr. Edmonds holds the following two certifications: Advanced Public Health Nurse, Board Certified, (APHN, BC), American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and Certification in Public Health (CPH), National Board of Public Health Examiners. She has experience in state and local health departments with Title V maternal and child health programs including evidence based home visitation. Her research interests are in maternal health and health seeking behavior. Her current research concerns risk factors for cesarean delivery among low-risk women and the influence of culture on childbirth decisions. She has research appointment with the Munn Center for Nursing Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is chair-elect of American Public Health Association, Public Health Nursing Section.

Julie Kruse PhD, RN

Dr. Julie Kruse is an Associate Professor and Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) grant project director at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. Her nursing background spans over 25 years with 16 years of public health experience. Dr. Kruse’s research dealing with vulnerable populations has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Advanced Nursing, Military Medicine, and the International Journal of Childbirth.

Dr. Kruse has participated in five diversity-related HRSA funded grant projects over the past 16 years and served as Project Director during her last several involvements with HRSA NWD grants. The purpose of the current Oakland University Nursing Workforce Diversity project, Achieving Success through Professionalism, Integrity, Resilience, and Engagement (ASPIRE), is to increase nursing progression and graduation rates and retention in practice for students who are from diverse and/or disadvantaged backgrounds–specifically those from racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among RNs.

Dr. Kruse was elected to serve as Chair-Elect for the American Public Health Association Public Health Nursing Section and she was also nominated and serves as a member of AACN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group (DEIG). As a member of DEIG, she has been able to influence nursing curriculum and learning for nursing students nationally and worked to develop curriculum standards related to cultural competency.

Association of Community Health Nursing Educators

Gina Alexander, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN

Dr. Gina Alexander, Professor in the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas Christian University, teaches public health nursing at the undergraduate level and research advising at the graduate level. With a research background in integrative therapies for health promotion and self-care, her current scholarship focuses on promoting food literacy and environmental health literacy across the lifespan. As the project lead of RxPLORE™: Prescribing Life Outdoors and Real Exploration, she directs undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from a diverse range of disciplines on nature-based health promotion and conservation efforts.

Dr. Alexander is a consultant on professional development and continuing education with the Tarrant County Public Health Department, where she also serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Nurse-Family Partnership. Within the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations, she serves as the appointed representative of the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators.

Krista Jones DNP, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC

Chair

Dr. Krista Jones is Director of UIC College of Nursing’s Urbana Campus and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Nursing Sciences where she instructs undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. She is a board certified Advanced Public Health Nurse and the author of numerous publications. She has served as Co-PI on two National Library of Medicine grants to instruct public health nurses (PHN) on the acquisition and application of evidence to inform practice and PI on a recently funded third phase to expand sessions to acute/ambulatory care nurses.

She is a member of the Illinois PHN Leadership Academic Practice Partnership (APP) Workgroup. This team has championed three state-wide APP conferences and received a Robert Wood Johnson grant that funded 25 APP community service projects. Dr. Jones serves as Vice Chair of the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board, President of the Champaign County Board of Health, Section Councilor of the American Public Health Association PHN Section and is President of the Association of Community Health Nurse Educators.

In 2019, she received the Midwest Nursing Research Society Public Health Section Research Excellence award. Additionally, she has received the Daisy Award and two Silver Circle Awards for teaching excellence at UIC.

Heide Cygan, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC

Dr. Heide Cygan is an Associate Professor at the Rush University College of Nursing, in the Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health where she teaches public health nursing to graduate and doctoral students. She is the Co-Program Director of the Advanced Public Health Nursing and Transformative Leadership: Population Health DNP programs. She is the president-elect of the Association of Community Health Nurse Educators.

As a board certified public health nurse, a main tenant of Dr. Cygan’s practice is understanding the reciprocal relationship between humans and their environment. She is a student health and wellness expert, with a focus on policy development, implementation and evaluation and the role of the school nurse. Further, through her practice and scholarship, she develops nurses as planetary health leaders, mitigating the impact of climate change on the populations we serve. Dr. Cygan is committed to improving population health and life outcomes through innovative academic-practice partnerships. She immerses nursing students in practice and research efforts at community-based partner sites.

Dr. Cygan is a practice-scholar, publishing in peer-reviewed journals and presenting at national conferences. She serves as the Associate Editor of Practice Scholarship for the Journal of School Nursing. Dr. Cygan earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Advanced Public Health Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Association of Public Health Nurses
The Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) began as the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing (ASTDN) in 1935 as an advisory group of state health department nurses. The organization has grown over the years with members from across the United States and territories, supporting all nurses working in community and public health.  In 2012, ASDTN became APHN, providing a forum for public health nurses at all levels of practice to network and exchange ideas.  APHN is an affiliate of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).

Carol McDonald, MSN, RN

Carol McDonald, MSN, RN recently retired from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a nurse consultant.  She is an experienced public health nurse with over 32 years in the profession. She has been an active member of APHN since 2014 and has served as Region VIII representative for 4 years, elected as a Board Member at Large, and is the current President of the organization.  Some of her accomplishments include: serving as one of the primary designers of a new public health department in Colorado; leading some of the first emergency preparedness and response projects for Colorado post 911; assuming lead roles within nursing and public health organizations including President of the Public Health Nurse Association of Colorado; co-creating the online Public Health 101 Interactive Microlearning for Public Health in Colorado; and receiving recognition and awards for her work such as the John Muth award, the Most Innovative Project award, and the Public Health Nursing Award for Excellence.  Carol earned her BSN and MSN degrees from the University of Phoenix graduating with honors from those nursing programs. She is also a fellow of the Regional Institute for Public Health and Environmental Leadership.

Mallory Bejster, DNP, RN, CNL

Mallory Bejster, DNP, RN, CNL, is an Associate Professor at Rush University College of Nursing in the Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health where she teaches public health nursing courses and advises students in the DNP – Advanced Public Health Nursing Program. Along with teaching, she is involved in several local public health efforts including the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) process at the county level. Her experiences in public health nursing, nursing education, and the inextricable connection between them provide the foundation for her practice and scholarship work. Throughout her career, Mallory has focused her education, practice, scholarship and service activities around assessing for and meeting the needs of learners and community-based partners by planning, implementing and evaluating evidence-based strategies and programs. She has been a member of APHN since 2016. Currently Mallory is APHN’s President-Elect.

Shirley Orr, MHS, APRN, NEA-BC

Shirley Orr, MHS, APRN, NEA-BC, has served as Executive Director for the Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) since 2015. Additionally, she maintains a public health consulting practice, SOCO Consulting. Shirley’s public health experience spans over 30 years in leadership roles for local and state health departments in Kansas, along with 12 years of national consulting experience, focused on public health systems improvement, public health workforce and leadership development, and organizational leadership and management.
Through her consulting practice, Shirley has supported national public health standards and accreditation in approximately 35 states and the US-Associated Pacific Islands. Her consulting clients have included the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), state and local health departments, public health institutes, foundations, academic institutions, and other health-related organizations. Her work with RWJF included supporting the RWJF Future of Public Health Nursing initiative, which included convening the Forum on the Future of Public Health Nursing and completion of a national public health nursing enumeration.
Shirley is an adjunct faculty member for the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and a lecturer for the Wichita State University School of Nursing. She is currently a student in the PhD in Leadership and Change Program through Antioch University.

National Association of School Nurses

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) has emerged to lead the transformation of school health. Partnering with national health organizations, NASN continues to strengthen its membership, develop educational programs, resources, and research, and influence stakeholder support for school nursing through advocacy.

The NASN vision is that all students are healthy, safe and ready to learn.  The NASN mission is to optimize student health and learning by advancing the practice of school nursing.

Laurie Fleming RN, MPH, NCSN

Treasurer

Laurie Fleming is a nationally certified school nurse who serves 600 middle school students in Derry, NH.  She is the president-elect of the NH School Nurses’ Association and represents the public health interests of the National Association of School Nurses on the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations.  Laurie proudly serves as a council member for Youths with Chronic Conditions which advocates for the special health care needs of over 55,000 children in New Hampshire.  Laurie also works as a health consultant for 27 preschools in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts.

Laurie earned her Bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology from Liberty University, an Associates in Nursing from NH Vocational Technical College, and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of NH.  Laurie recently contributed to revising the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice 3rd Edition.  Laurie has been an active member of NASN for the past 15 years, having served on the NASN board of directors for 4 years.   

Lisa E. Patch, MSN, RN, NCSN

Lisa E. Patch, MSN, RN, NCSN has been the Executive Director of Health Services for the Alamogordo Public Schools for 22 years.  Her role includes oversight of the nursing department, counseling department and community schools.  Her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Sciences as well as her Master’s degree in Nursing has been advantageous in recognizing and addressing public health concerns.  She was instrumental in passing state legislation on allowing stock emergency medications in the schools to include epinephrine and albuterol.

She has served on the National Association of School Nurses Board of Directors 2016-2020, served as the New Mexico School Nurses Association President 2012-2014, served as the Otero County Community Health Council President 2013-2014 as well as many other local boards. 

She has received the honor of being selected as the New Mexico School Nurse Administrator of the Year 2014 and presented at many conferences.  Two National conferences, NASN: Reducing Youth LGBTQ Adverse Outcomes and upcoming ASHA conference.

Katie Johnson, DNP, RN, NCSN-E, APHN-BC, FNASN, FAAN

Kathleen H. Johnson is a nationally recognized school nurse leader. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Community Health Systems Nursing from the University of Washington, Seattle.  She has 30 years of nursing experience, including 20 in the PK-12 school setting serving as a direct care school nurse, the Interim Health Services Supervisor at the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and managed the Student Health Services Department at Seattle Public Schools responsible for 90 nurses serving 54,000 students in a diverse, urban setting.  Most recently, she was Lecturer and Affiliate Faculty at the University of Washington, Seattle teaching doctoral and undergraduate nursing students in population health with a focus on program planning and the impact of social determinants of health.  She currently serves as Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) mentor faculty for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction where she developed a nurse focused mentorship program.  Dr. Johnson is a founding member of the Nationally Standardized School Health Dataset: Every Student Counts! and the Center for School Health Innovation and Quality.   

Dr. Johnson’s work has been recognized with multiple honors including Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and Fellow of the National Academy of School Nursing.  She was selected as a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow, and Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow. She received the 2022 National Association of School Nurses Recognition Award for work as Co-Chair of the School Nursing Scope and Standard of Practice, 4th Edition, 2020 Distinguished Advocate, Administrator, Leader as a UW Nurse of Influence, the School Nurse Organization of Washington 2016 School Nurse Administrator of the Year, the 2013 National Board Certified School Nurse of the Year, and the 2010 Washington State March of Dimes Distinguished Nurse of the Year. She is the author of numerous articles and presentations on school nursing including many on documentation and use of data.  Her passion is the elevation of school nursing as an efficient, effective intervention to advance the health and future well-being of school-aged children.   

Rural Nurse Organization

The Rural Nurse Organization is an organization formed for the purpose of recognizing, promoting, and maintaining the unique specialty of rural nursing practice.

The RNO Envisions:

  • Recognition of the diversity of rural nursing practice
  • A voice for rural nurses to healthcare agencies, academia, and government
  • Continuing education and access to resources for rural nurses
  • Quality healthcare for rural communities

Dayle Sharp, PhD, DNP, McPH, FNP-BC, APRN

Dayle Sharp, PhD, DNP, McPH, FNP-BC, APRN is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner (NP) program at University of New Hampshire.  Dr. Sharp’s area of focus is access to health care to rural and underserved populations. She has practiced as a rural NP in Idaho and along the United States-Mexico border working with underserved populations. She has over fifteen years instructing graduate nursing students and directing nurse practitioner programs. She is committed to advancing health care to rural and underserved residents. Dr. Sharp  is a board member for the International Rural Nursing Organization (RNO), she represents the RNO on CPHNO, and she conducts research in both the United States and internationally on rural nursing. 

Audrey Snyder, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAEN, FAAN

Secretary


Audrey Snyder is the President of the Rural Nurse Organization. She is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Practice and Innovation in the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro in the United States. Dr. Snyder’s contributions have focused on promoting access to care for rural and under-served populations national and internationally and decreasing barriers to access advanced education for rural nurses. Clinical and research interests include rural underserved populations, evaluating methods to improve access to health care locally and globally, emergency medicine, disaster preparedness and response, international health, and nursing history. She is a dynamic education and health care professional, and is certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner. She has been honored as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the Academy of Emergency Nurses and the American Academy of Nursing. She received her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Nursing from the University of Virginia in 2007.

Mary J. Isaacson, PhD, RN, CHPN®

Dr. Mary Isaacson is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing in Rapid City and is 1 of 16 nurses in the state certified in hospice and palliative nursing and in 2023 became a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing. Dr. Isaacson’s passion is to eliminate the health disparities that severely impact South Dakota Native Americans. Since 2008, she has worked in partnership with the Indigenous population on the Pine Ridge Reservation to address these disparities. Mary’s research is in transcultural care and palliative end-of-life care communication, where she co-developed and psychometrically tested an instrument to measure healthcare professional comfort in palliative and end-of-life communication with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary team. Currently, Dr. Isaacson is a partner in the Great Plains Palliative Care Collaborative where five interdisciplinary/national institutions are working in partnership with three Tribal Nations in the implementation of culturally responsive palliative and end-of-life care community health advocate program.

CPHNO Liaison Positions

The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) is a collaborative of 23 national organizations focused on improving public health education and training, practice, and research. Established in 1992 to implement the recommendations of the Public Health Faculty/Agency Forum, the Council on Linkages works to further academic/practice collaboration to ensure a well-trained, competent workforce and the development and use of a strong evidence base for public health practice. 

Lori Edwards, DrPH, MPH, BSN, RN, APHN, BC

Dr. Lori Edwards is the Associate Dean for the MSN program at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Nursing. She is also Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Community Health, and in the School of Medicine, MPH Program, and Department of Occupational Medicine.  She is a faculty director and leader at UMB in the Interprofessional Program for Academic Community Engagement (IPACE).  Edwards has extensive experience working in local Baltimore communities and globally.  She teaches courses on Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health.  She is serving as Immediate Past President of the American Association of Community Health Nursing Educators.  Dr. Edwards received her BSN from University of Maryland, and her MPH and DrPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has been board certified as a clinical specialist in Public Health Nursing since 1997.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) was established in 1996 to develop The Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). The founders understood right away that it was impossible for the CPSTF to represent all of the perspectives and experiences needed to inform their work. Therefore, they invited Liaison organizations and agencies to participate in the process of developing the Community Guide. Liaison representatives do the following

  • Represent the views, concerns, and needs of their organization and constituents
  • Provide input into review prioritization and CPSTF recommendations and other findings
  • Serve on, or recommend participants to serve on individual systematic review teams
  • Disseminate CPSTF recommendations among their members and constituents
  • Help their members and constituents translate CPSTF recommendations into action
  • Provide feedback on how CPSTF recommendations and other findings were disseminated, implemented, and used, and how well the recommendations and other findings met the needs of their constituents

Soohyun Kim, MPH, MSN, RN, CPH, APHN-BC

Soohyun Kim is a Public Health Analyst with the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs at the Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Soohyun received an MPH and an MSN from Johns Hopkins University and holds two certifications: Advanced Public Health Nurse, Board Certified, (APHN, BC), American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and Certification in Public Health (CPH), National Board of Public Health Examiners. She has worked for State of Alaska, supervising public health centers and itinerant public health nurses and providing safety net public health services at individual, community, and system levels. Soohyun had also been previously involved in various maternal and child health projects, including a national evaluation of neonatal health program in Malawi, CYSHCN community health needs assessment, and health education and promotion among resettled refugee mothers.