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.

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.

Susan V. Coleman, MPH, BSN, RN

Susan Coleman is currently adjunct faculty at Georgetown University School of Nursing and current Immediate past chair of APHA PHN Section.  She serves as the nursing director for the Health Justice Alliance, a medical-legal partnership based at Georgetown Law Center. Susan is an Engelhard Faculty Fellow, part of The Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning using curriculum infusion to integrate well-being topics into course content. She has developed and taught courses focusing on health equity, and in addition, works with students in community and clinical settings, seeking to provide a hands on approach to community engagement.

Susan has served in various elected and appointed roles within APHA PHN Section, including Section Chair, Section Counselor and founding Chair of the Diversity and Social Justice Committee. She is currently co-chair of APHN’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee. She has served in various supporting roles since the inception of the Anti-racism Pre-conference Committee of APHA PHN Section.

Susan is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

Rebecca Shasanmi Ellis, PhD, MPH, RN

Dr. Rebecca Shasanmi Ellis is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing. Dr. Ellis is experienced at the international, regional, national, and sub-national level in public health research and education; health workforce development; program coordination and technical assistance. Her long-term research aim is to explore the intersections of health workforce/systems development, mental health, and structural determinants to alleviate health disparities in underserved and developing communities globally. 

Dr. Ellis’ background as a field-trained health professional for over 20 years (15 years post MPH), with program management and implementation science experience in research, education, health system development, and policy uniquely position her to execute and manage interprofessional programing. She is currently chair-elect of the Public Health Nursing (PHN) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Before her transition to Georgetown, she was an instructor at Emory University since 2018; and provided care as a registered nurse at SisterLove, Inc. (first Black women’s HIV organization in the south) and Our House Health (formerly CAPN Clinics; free clinics in homeless shelters) in mental health and women’s health in Atlanta, GA.

Marina Gettas, DrPH, MPH

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, I am a doctoral-prepared public health and nursing leader with a unique blend of system-level strategy, clinical expertise, and community-focused practice. I earned my Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Riverside, Master of Public Health at the University of Southern California, Doctor of Public Health at Loma Linda University, and Master of Science in Nursing with certification as a Clinical Nurse Leader.

My career spans public health consulting, operations, strategic planning, quality improvement, organizational effectiveness, and program development, alongside hands-on clinical nursing experience in pediatric psychiatry and adult medical-surgical care and higher education. Over the course of the last ten years, I have sat in a number of leadership roles that have helped bridge population-level initiatives, policy, and access to care. 

I am passionate about health equity, workforce development, and evidence-based practice. I seek to advance population health, nursing leadership, education and social justice through collaboration, innovation, and community engagement.

Association of Community Health Nursing Educators

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.

Joy Hoffman, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC

Dr. Joy Hoffman is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing, where she previously served as a full-time faculty member for 20 years. She is currently President-Elect of the Association of Community Health Nurse Educators. Dr. Hoffman has extensive experience teaching undergraduate community health nursing didactic and clinical courses, RN-to-BSN community health courses, and recently developed a population health course for master’s degree students.

Dr. Hoffman earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Public Health Nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Olaf College. She is board certified as an Advanced Public Health Nurse through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). In addition to her academic career, Dr. Hoffman has professional experience in a community-based organization, a local health department, and a state division of public health.

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.

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).

Julianna Manske, MSN, RN, OCN

New to Public Health Residency Program Manager, University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Nursing

Julianna Manske is the manager and co-founder of the New to Public Health Residency Program, employed with the University-Wisconsin Madison School of Nursing. Julianna spearheaded the workgroup in 2016 that developed and implemented the Southeastern Wisconsin Public Health Nurse Residency Program. This program, which ran from 2017-2020, served as a foundation to build the New to Public Health Residency Program, which supports early career public health professionals working at governmental public health organizations. Julianna served a variety of APHN committees and board positions since 2018 and is currently serving as APHN president. Julianna graduated from Concordia University in 2014 with a Master of Science in Nursing Education, and Carroll University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Denise Lozares, MS RN, PHN

Denise Lozares, MS RN, PHN, is the Director of Nursing for Public Health Services with the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency. She has over 20 years of experience leading teams in the public health, non-profit, and private sectors. She is the current President of the Association of Public Health Nurses. She currently oversees nursing practice to achieve excellent outcomes in the areas of disaster preparedness and response, maternal and children’s services, immunizations, epidemiology, tuberculosis, and clinic services. During the recent pandemic she co-led the clinical team at the nation’s largest homeless shelter collaborating with the multi-disciplinary Incident Management Team. During the Mpox outbreak, she collaborated with inter-professional teams while leading the clinical team. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from North Carolina State University.

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.   

Lynnette Ondeck, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN, FNASN

After 35 years in school health and 40 years as a nurse, I retired in 2025.  I continue to have several volunteer positions.  I am the current Conference Chair for the School Nurse Organization of Washington, a member of the Whatcom Oral Health Coalition, and a co-lead for Diabetes in School Health Washington.  I am also a member of the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations. 

I have been active in both the School Nurse Organization of Washington (SNOW)and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). I served on the SNOW Board as Area 1 representative, Vice President, President, and NASN Director.  Positions I have held for NASN include being a member of the Nominating Committee, Fellows Committee, Ethic Committee, Executive Committee, Bylaws Committee, and I served as the Vice President of NASN from 2018 to 2022 and was the School Nurse Administrator Special Interest Group Co-Chair from 2023 to 2025.  


I am passionate about school nursing and encourage all school nurses to be advocates for the students they serve.  Helping nurses to find their voice and to tell their stories, I believe, is key to advancing the practice of school nursing.

Louise Wilson, MS, BSN, RN, LSN, NCSN, FNASN

Louise Wilson is an accomplished nursing leader with over 32 years of experience in school health services and 45 years in Nursing. As the State School Nurse/Health Services Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) she provides state-wide leadership in the areas of school health, students’ physical and mental health, school nursing, and student health services in general. Louise was appointed to the Executive Committee of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) while serving on the board of directors for NASN. Louise has been a past president of the Wisconsin Association of School Nurses (WASN) and past president of the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants (NASSNC). Louise received NASSNC’s Outstanding State School Nurse Consultant of the Year Award in 2022. She is also a recipient of  the Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services Distinguished Service Award. Louise is a Nationally Certified School Nurse, holds a voluntary DPI license in School Nursing,  and is a Fellow in the National Academy of School Nursing.

Rural Nurse Organization

Mission: The mission  of the Rural Nurse Organization is to recognize, promote, and sustain the unique specialty of rural nursing practice by serving as a unified voice to healthcare agencies, academic institutions, and government; honoring the diversity of rural nursing roles; and supporting rural nurses through education, collaboration, and advocacy to deliver high-quality, accessible healthcare to rural communities.
   Vision: The Rural Nurse Organization envisions thriving rural communities where empowered, well-prepared rural nurses are valued partners in health, whose expertise and voices shape policy and practice to ensure equitable, high-quality care for all rural populations.
   Purpose: The Rural Nurse Organization is an organization formed for the purpose of recognizing, promoting, and maintaining the unique specialty of rural nursing practice.

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

Secretary


Dr. Audrey Snyder is a Past-President and member of the Rural Nurse Organization. She is the Dean of the Dwyer School of Nursing at Widener University. She is a passionate nurse, nurse practitioner, educator, researcher and advocate.  Dr. Snyder’s contributions have focused on promoting access to care for rural and under-resourced populations nationally and internationally and decreasing barriers to accessing advanced education for rural and underrepresented nurses. She has a passion for building working teams to address community and educational needs. 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 educator and health care professional, and is certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner.

She is a founding member of the Global Rural Nurse Exchange Network and is the recipient of the 2023 Lillian Wald Humanitarian Award by the National League for Nursing. 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, RHNC, CHPN®, FPCN®

Dr. Mary J. Isaacson is an Associate Professor and Christine Heide Sorensen Endowed Professor in Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing and is certified in hospice and palliative nursing and rural health nursing.  Dr. Isaacson’s NIH-funded program of research (NCI & NINR) centers on addressing health inequities through the development of culturally responsive palliative care and culture-centric palliative care messaging in partnership with American Indian Tribal communities in the Great Plains. Dr. Isaacson is nationally recognized for her transcultural health disparity work and serves as a consultant for researchers working collaboratively with Tribal communities. Dr. Isaacson is highly skilled in Indigenous and qualitative methodologies and is the co-author of the “Comfort with Communication in Palliative and End of Life (C-COPE),” which is a validated instrument to measure healthcare clinician comfort with palliative and end-of-life communication. Dr. Isaacson serves as President-Elect for the Rural Nurses Organization and is past=chair of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association’s Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing Committee. In recognition of her achievements in research and diversity, Dr. Isaacson was named the recipient of the 2026 Midwest Nursing Research Society Excellence in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Award and the 2024 F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity at South Dakota State University.

Judith Paré PhD, RN

Dr. Paré is an experienced nurse educator who rejoined the Massachusetts Nurses Association in June, 2023. Prior to that, she had a dual role as a Clinical Professor & Program Director for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program for the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Paré remains active as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University and as an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University.

Dr. Paré’s areas of expertise include rural nursing, psychiatric nursing, and community health. She is a published author and a national speaker in the fields of dementia care and the lived experiences of rural and remote nurses.

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.