Community Health Presenters

Scott Minarcine, Deputy Director, Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response

Scott Minarcine, Director for the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response

Scott became the Deputy Director for the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Office of Preparedness in September of 2009. Before that, Scott was the Emergency Preparedness Exercise Program Manager for the Georgia Division of Public Health. Prior to coming to work for the state, Scott worked in both the East Metro and Cobb and Douglas Health Districts as an Emergency Preparedness Specialist. In addition, Scott was the Senior Planner for the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.

Scott's initial experiences with emergency preparedness and public health came when he served in the United States Navy as a Naval Hospital Corpsman.

Scott is a Department of Homeland Security recognized Master Exercise Practitioner, as well as a certified train the trainer in numerous other preparedness disciplines. Scott graduated from North Carolina State University in 2002 magna cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy. Scott was also recently awarded the Georgia Department of Defense Commendation Medal for his work in preparing Georgia for a biological terrorist attack.

Pam Blackwell, RN, Director, Center for Emergency Preparedness & Response for Cobb/Douglas Boards of Health

Mrs. Blackwell has 40 years experience in Emergency Medicine and Trauma care and served as the State Trauma Director for Georgia in the Office of EMS. The Center for Emergency Preparedness supports the all-hazards approach to planning and response and also recognizes the current emphasis on threats from biological/chemical/nuclear/radiological/pandemic influenza incidents. She lectures locally, State and nationally regarding the roles and responsibilities of local Public Health as the lead for ESF 8 Health and Medical. She served as the Operations Section Chief for the responses to Katrina and Rita hurricanes at the National Disaster Medical System, Patient Reception are at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Over 1900 patients, evacuees and pets were received via military jets and Delta humanitarian flights for Katrina and over 400 from Rita during the operation.

Kelly Nadeau, Health Community Emergency Preparedness Director, Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response

Kelly Nadeau is the Director of the Healthcare Community Preparedness Program (ASPR) within the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response. This program is responsible for emergency preparedness of hospitals, nursing homes, community health centers, and other long term care facilities. Coordination of the Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and others registered with the SERV-GA database fall under this umbrella. Training in various areas of preparedness and response is also coordinated from this office.

Prior to beginning this position in August of 2009, Kelly was the Trauma Coordinator and Emergency Management Coordinator at DeKalb Medical for twenty years.

Kelly graduated in 1980 from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a B.S. in nursing and practiced at Charleston Area Medical Center in critical care and emergency care. In 1986, she graduated from Emory University with a Masters Degree in Adult Critical Care Nursing and Nursing Education. She practiced at the VA Medical Center in Augusta until moving to DeKalb Medical in Decatur.

She enjoys teaching and has formally taught classroom Pathophysiology for bachelor's degree nursing program and also on-line Pathophysiology for a B.S.N. completion program. She also regularly teaches Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Trauma nursing courses, and Emergency Management courses.

Roy McClain, Atlanta Federal Security Directors

Mr. McClain joined Atlanta Federal Security Directors Staff in August of 2009, coming from the Federal Air Marshal Service where he had been assigned since October 2002. He is responsible for coordinating outreach initiatives the Federal Security Director participates in with the Explosives Industry, as well as, maintaining daily relationships with Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement officials who support the Aviation and Multimodal Transportation Industry.

Mr. McClain accepted an appointment as an FAA Special Agent in September 1991 and worked numerous assignments assisting in national level programs at the Regional and Headquarters level. Mr. McClain was the senior field Explosives Specialist, Special Agent, when the FAA Explosives unit transferred in mass to the Federal Air Marshal Service and then to the Federal Directors Staff.
Mr. McClain is a 1982 graduate of the Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Indian Head Maryland, and served in many capacities through his 24 year career, culminating as the Chief of Explosive Ordnance Disposal for the 94th EOD Unit, Dobbins ARB, Georgia, at his retirement in May of 2008.

During his career with the FAA, DHS, and USAF EOD, Mr. McClain has been assigned to the Atlanta FAA Field Office, the Atlanta Federal Security Directors Staff, Bagram Airfield Afghanistan, Tyndall AFB Florida, Moody AFB Georgia, Osan AB Korea, Eglin AFB Florida, as well as major deployments including Desert Shield / Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. As the Southern Region Explosives Specialist, Special Agent, Mr. McClain was the lead FAA liaison with US Airports conducting Explosive Security Surveys and Blast Analysis during heightened Security postures from 1993 2002, which included parking of vehicles near Airport Terminal complexes, with regard to standoff against Explosives Threats. Mr. McClain conducted numerous major investigations including the 1996 TWA-800 accident investigation, 1995 Philippines Air Lines 434 bombing, as well as supporting the 1996 Olympic Games, the 2004 G8 Summit in Savanna Georgia, and the 2009 G20 Summit in Pittsburgh PA.

Mr. McClain holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Cum Laude) in Religion with a Criminal Justice minor, from Saint Leo University, Ft McPherson GA Campus as well as an Associate of Applied Science in Disaster Preparedness, from the Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB Alabama.

Leticia Mathis SNS Program Administrator, DCH-EPR

In 2007, Leticia Mathis became the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Program Administrator for the Georgia Division of Public Health. Ms. Mathis has seven years experience within the public health emergency preparedness field where she served at the local level for five years as the Bioterrorism/Emergency Preparedness Administrative Assistant, the Medical Reserve Corps Project Manager, Bioterrorism/Emergency Preparedness Training Coordinator, and lastly, as the Emergency Preparedness Specialist in both Gwinnett and Cobb Counties.

In May, 2004, Ms. Mathis responded to the BioLab Fire in Conyers, GA and took the lead in the beginning as the Incident Manager for Public Health, providing information and coordination of resources to state and local responders.

In September, 2005, Ms. Mathis served as both the Deputy Operations Chief and the Planning Section Chief during the first ever activation of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) in the United States for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, respectively.
Over the past two and a half years Ms. Mathis has worked diligently partnering with local, state, federal and private entities to move the SNS Program forward, increasing the states' preparedness by 291% according to the assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ms. Mathis is no stranger to hard work; she served as a medic in the United States Air Force for two years, and then completed thirteen years with the State of Ohio, Department of Corrections, Adult Parole Authority where she served as a regional office manager, managing 28 support staff, and four district offices.

Dr. Robert Geller- Chief of Emory Pediatric Service, Medical Director of the Georgia Poison Control Center

Dr. Robert Geller currently serves as the Chief of the Emory Pediatrics Service at Grady Health System and as Medical Director of the Georgia Poison Center, the poison center serving the entire state of Georgia. Dr. Geller was graduated in 1979 from Boston University School of Medicine. He then pursued his residency and Chief Residency in Pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, followed by a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He has been the Medical Director of the Poison Center and a member of the Emory faculty since 1988. His clinical activities focus on medical toxicology, environmental pediatrics, and asthma management. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and is the author of more than 50 professional publications.

Charlotte Schroeder Clark, CHSP, CHEC-III, Grady Healthcare

Charlotte Schroeder Clark currently holds the position of Emergency Management Manager in the EMS Division at Grady Health System in Atlanta. She is responsible for the operational oversight for the internal Emergency Management program at Grady, and the Region D Coordinating Hospital program in partnership with the State of Georgia Division of Community Health (DCH).

Prior to assuming manager responsibilities, Ms Clark was responsible for the simultaneous coordination of General Safety and Emergency Management programs at Grady, holding that role for five years. Charlotte was also at Shepherd Center, an acute care rehab hospital, for ten years in the operational section of Facilities Management,

A Master Level Certified Healthcare Safety Professional for many years, Charlotte also secured the top level of Certified Healthcare Emergency Coordinator master level (CHEC-III), working for several years on a task force with the state training officer from DCH in the development of the CHEC program for Emergency Management professionals in healthcare.

At the end of 2003, Ms Clark was asked to participate in the two-year project of Healthcare Incident Command System (HICS) national review group for version IV the version currently being used in healthcare incident management.

Ms Clark earned her A.S. in Biology Honors program with a concentration in land and marine invertebrates, completing her Kennesaw State University internship with Dr Fred Sherberger of Fernbank Science Center. She was the Biology labs instructor for 2 years at DeKalb College now known as Georgia Perimeter College -- working under Professors Sam Laffoday and George Sanko.

Shana Lightfoot Medical Reserve Corp Coordinator, DCH-EPR

Shana Lightfoot is the statewide Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) coordinator. Ms. Lightfoot has been with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response since June 2009. Ms. Lightfoot is responsible for facilitating communication, and coordinating and information-sharing between the 14 local MRC units, MRC units nationwide, and state and federal agency counterparts. She assists with marketing, management, improvement and oversight of Georgia's State Emergency Registry of Volunteers (SERVGA). Her duties also include providing funding opportunities, program recruitment and training/exercise support. Her continuing education has included training in Psychological First Aid, Crisis Intervention and Peer Support and Certified Hospital Emergency Coordinator Level I & II.

Ms. Lightfoot is a seasoned volunteer coordinator, having spent the last five years as a volunteer services specialist for Grady Health System. At Grady, she was responsible for the recruitment, screening, training and retention of more than 500 volunteers. Ms. Lightfoot developed her program management/outreach skills, while working at Georgia State University Career Services department. Ms. Lightfoot earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Georgia Southern University. Additionally, she is a Hands On Atlanta AmeriCorps alum and has been involved with various organizations, such as Georgia Society of Directors of Volunteer Services, Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism and the Atlanta Nonprofit Professional Board.

Nina Cleveland - Emergency Preparedness Specialist, District 2 Public Health

Ms. Cleveland currently holds the position of Emergency Preparedness Specialist for District 2 Public Health in Gainesville. In addition to these duties, she coordinates the Northeast Georgia Mountains Medical Reserve Corps affiliated with District 2.

She received her Practical Nursing diploma from Dalton Vocational School of Health Occupations in 1983 and then went on to complete a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work at the University of Georgia. With these degrees, she practiced as a therapist in the Alcohol and Other Drug and Grief therapy fields.

In 2006, Ms. Cleveland received her Master's in Public Health from the new College of Public Health at the University of Georgia. This curriculum emphasized both program planning and Disaster response. While in her current position, she has worked on planning for pandemic influenza, Strategic National Stockpile, and CBRNE events. Her continuing education has included training in CBRNE and Pandemic Response at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, and completing her Amateur Radio Technician License. She is a member of the Georgia Public Health Association.

While coordinating the Northeast Georgia Mountains Medical Reserve Corps (NGMMRC), she piloted the SERVGA volunteer data base and has built specialty groups within the unit such as NGMMRC communications and Psych Responders groups. The NGMMRC unit is heavily involved response and exercise with the health district and is currently a vital part of the H1N1 response.

Kevin Caspary Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

Kevin Caspary works for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education supporting training and educational program development at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Radiation Studies Branch. He earned his MPH from the University of Georgia in 2006 and worked as the Chemical and Radiation Planner for the Georgia Division of Public Health from 2006 to 2008. He is certified as a hazmat technician and radiation safety officer.

Dr. William Bell Lead Exercise Planner, University of Georgia, College of Public Health's Institute for Health Management and Mass Destruction Defense

Dr. Bill Bell has worked in emergency management on three continents for over ten years. He has worked for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) in several complex emergencies in civil war environments such as Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nicaragua and Colombia. He currently works for the University of Georgia, College of Public Health in the Institute of Health Management and Mass Destruction Defense where he teaches Graduate Disaster Management courses in Public Health and the AMA's BDLS and ADLS courses. He has worked the last five years on exercise management, especially the Georgia Hospital exercise program for DCH EPR. He is a recognized expert on the mass casualty effects of nuclear terrorism.

Dr. Curt Harris, Emergency Preparedness Planner, University of Georgia, College of Public Health's Institute for Health Management and Mass Destruction Defense

Dr. Curt Harris received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Georgia College and State University and a PhD in toxicology and pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences from the University of Georgia. While in graduate school, Dr Harris' research included evaluating public health outcomes under varying prophylactic regimes in response to radioiodine contamination, as was seen by the thousands by the victims of Chernobyl. He also worked in disaster preparedness while in graduate school evaluating hospital exercises and writing after action reports. Upon graduation, he accepted a position as the Emergency Preparedness Manager at UGA in the College of Public Health's Institute for Health Management and Mass Destruction Defense. Over the past year he has been part of the exercise planning team in hospital preparedness and in the food emergency response plan in the State of Georgia. Dr. Harris teaches graduate disaster management courses and is recognized as an instructor for Basic Disaster Life Support and Advanced Disaster Life Support through the American Medical Association.

Matthew Crumpton, Health Community Emergency Training and Exercise Coordinator, Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response, Ga., DCH

Matthew Crumpton is the Health Community Emergency Training and Exercise Coordinator for the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Department of Community Health. He is responsible for overseeing the development of curriculum, scheduling of courses, and registration of students for classes offered by Georgia Division of Public Health through the National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program. In collaboration with the local health districts, the Georgia Hospital Association Exercise Coordinator, and the GDPH Exercise Development Team, he is responsible for developing an ongoing Statewide Health Community Emergency Exercise Program.

Before coming to EPR in January of 2010, Matthew served as the Trauma Coordinator and the Emergency Manager at Hamilton Medical Center from 2004 to 2010 also serving as the Regional Coordinating Hospital Coordinator for Region A. Prior to that role, he was a Supervisor with Hamilton Emergency Medical Service for the hospital. Matthew's career in the Emergency Management field started while in the US Army 75th Ranger Regiment where he worked as a Counter Intelligence Analyst and Medic. Matthew has over 15 years experience in the pre-hospital setting. He served on the Executive Committee of the Region One EMS Council for 5 years and also as the Chair of the Transportation Committee.

Adrianne Feinberg, LCSW, CHEC II

Adrianne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Hospital Emergency Coordinator, Level II, and an Accredited Case Manager. She received her Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia.
                       
Adrianne is the Project Manager for Bioterrorism Preparedness at the Georgia Hospital Association.  In this capacity she assists hospitals in their emergency preparedness and response activities by providing education, consultation, advocacy, information, resources, and administration of grant funding.  She recently participated in the NDMS Haiti Earthquake mission that brought Haiti patients to Georgia hospitals during February of 2010.

Adrianne has over 26 years of hospital Social Work and Case Management experience. This includes 24 years at Piedmont Hospital where she was most recently the Director of Patient Care Coordination.  The Olympic Park Bombing, Buckhead nightclub bombing, and the relocation of Hurricane Katrina & Rita victims all occurred during Adrianne’s tenure at Piedmont Hospital.  Adrianne has also worked as a consultant to nursing homes and home health agencies.  She is a Board member for the Georgia Society of Clinical and Resource Managers.

Yusuf Rahman Exercise and Planning Coordinator, Georgia Hospital Association

Yusuf Rahman, B.A., RRT, CHEC has served as the Preparedness Exercise Coordinator for the Georgia Hospital Association since 2008. He is responsible for providing emergency preparedness exercise planning technical and subject matter expertise to hospitals across Georgia. He also collaborates with the public health and the emergency management communities to provide a team-based, interdisciplinary approach to exercise and emergency management planning. He has worked in the emergency preparedness community since 2005, having previously served as Emergency Preparedness Training Coordinator and Preparedness Associate with the DeKalb County Board of Health.

Yusuf holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Maryland and is currently working toward a Master of Public Health Degree from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. He also has over 15 years of clinical experience as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in Georgia and Washington, D.C. area hospitals.

Lee Oliver - Assistant Vice President Emergency Services The Medical Center of Central Georgia

Lee P Oliver III, FACHE, Assistant Vice President Emergency Services The Medical Center of Central Georgia. Areas of responsibility include pre-hospital EMS, three free standing Urgent Care Centers, Emergency Center (level 1 trauma center), Valet services, dismissal area and emergency management. Board Certified in Hospital administration, Georgia Cardiac Technician, CHEC III, ACLS instructor, adjunct CHEC instructor for The Medical College of Georgia.

Jeannette David Disaster Mental Health Services Coordinator, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

Jeannette David is the Disaster Mental Health Services Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. She has been working in the field of disaster preparedness and response since 1993, which includes 11 years experience with the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has been on several national disaster field deployments, has received extensive training in disaster preparedness and response and has significant experience as a trainer of adult learners using the participant centered approach.

Annette Neu, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Costal Health District, Ga. DCH

Annette Neu currently serves as the Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for the Coastal Health District, Georgia Department of Community Health. Neu also manages the Infectious Disease Division which includes the Epidemiology, Tuberculosis, STD, and the Comprehensive Cancer Registry programs.

Neu serves as a member of the Georgia Southern University Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health Adjunct Faculty and is a member of the College of Coastal Georgia Advisory Board for the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Neu is a Registered Professional Nurse with the Georgia Board of Nursing and is licensed as an Amateur Radio Technician through the Federal Communications Commission. Neu is also certified in Infection Control and Epidemiology through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Neu received her Masters in Homeland Security degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security in March 2007 and her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing with Honors from the University of Florida.

Natasha Brown Pope, Specialty Care Program Administrator, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response

Natasha Brown Pope, Specialty Care Program Administrator, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response. Worked in Long Term Care and Hospice for 10 years and is currently overseeing disaster preparedness for the special needs population of Georgia. She holds both a Bachelor's and Maser's degree in Social Work and currently pursuing a Doctorate degree in Public Policy and Administration in Health Services. Her goal is to reach out to the specialty care population and in return, she will create new and more engaged partners.

Captain Patti Pettis MS, APRN, PNP-BC,
Captain, USPHS

Captain Patti Pettis is an active duty Commissioned Corps Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. She is assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (HHS/ASPR), Region IV in Atlanta, Georgia and currently serves as a Regional Emergency Coordinator working with the eight southeastern states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi on all matters concerning Emergency Support Function (ESF) 8 Public Health and Medical.

CAPT Pettis is currently a member of the USPHS Nurse Professional Advisory Committee's Readiness and Response Committee and is a HHS/ASPR Region IV Liaison to CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. She also serves in a voluntary role as Senior Advisor and Instructor to the Harvard School of Public Health's Center for Public Health Preparedness.

Before assuming in her current role, CAPT Pettis worked at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Strategic National Stockpile. There, her primary responsibilities included supporting the CDC leadership and staff as well as state and local planners with written guidance and technical assistance for the Cities Readiness Initiative; a federal effort to assist our country's most populous cities to prepare to provide mass oral prophylaxis to their entire population within 48 hours of the decision to do so in the potential event of a large scale act of bioterrorism.

Prior to transferring to the USPHS in 2002, she was in the Air National Guard where she served on active duty as Nurse Practitioner and Medical Advisor for the Georgia National Guard's Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team for 4 years.

CAPT Pettis spent a majority of her 28 year nursing career in the U. S. Air Force and Air National Guard in a variety of nursing leadership and emergency responder positions before transferring to the U.S. Public Health Service in 2002. She received her Masters of Science Degree in Ambulatory Pediatrics from Boston College in 1990 and is currently a board certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Michael W. Terwillger, Director South Health District Emergency Preparedness

Michael Terwilliger is currently the South Health District Emergency Preparedness Director, and has held this position for 8 years. He retired from the USAF after serving 22 years. He has a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Health Care Administration from Wayland Baptist University, Plainview, Texas. Duties in the Air Force included overseeing and training staff in emergency preparedness and response in the hospitals and clinics where assigned. Michael has extensive knowledge and experience in emergency preparedness and disaster response, from the perspective of both the responder and the planner. His current duties include in-district and cross-border emergency planning. He and his family enjoy traveling and various sporting events.

Dan Kotz, Emergency Management Coordinator

Dan Kotz is the Emergency Management Coordinator for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a system of 3 pediatric hospitals and 17 neighborhood care centers in the Atlanta metro area.

Dan served in Latin America with the U.S. Army before moving to Atlanta. He is a graduate of Georgia State University, and he has worked in hospital security and emergency management for the last 20 years.

Dan currently serves as the Mutual Aid Coordinator for Pediatric Emergency Response in Georgia, and he is a member of several state and local emergency planning committees.

Jeff Jeffries Jr, PA, MA, GA-MCEM

Harry Bruce (Jeff) Jeffries, Jr, PA, MA, GA-MCEM is the Interim Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Community Health. Selected as the Interim Director by the Division Director in March 2009, Jeff is responsible for the management of the preparedness and grant activities at the state level, ensuring the state funded positions, the 2 Peachtree ESF 6/8 Emergency Operations Center and the 18 Public Health District Emergency Preparedness programs have the resources needed for planning, preparation and response to events of Public Health significance. Jeff is responsible for management and distribution of the H1N1 dollars received from CDC.

Retired Air Force Physician Assistant, Jeff was the Senior Planner when he joined Emergency Preparedness in 2002. He was the first Public Health and non-Emergency Manager to be awarded the GEMA Master Manager award, completing GEMA’s Master Certified Emergency Manager Program in 2006.

Living in Fayetteville, GA, he and his wife Vickie have 4 children (the youngest a US Coast Guard pilot) and 8 grand children.

Mark Reiswig, GA CEM

Mark Reiswig, GA CEM is the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for East Metro Public Health, which serves approximately 1,000,000 people in Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale Counties.

Although a relative newcomer to the Emergency Response and Preparedness field (2006), Mark has had a thorough immersion during the past couple of years, having either coordinated or assisted with (among other things), hurricane evacuation shelter operations, flood response, NDMS Haiti medical refugee operations at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, and of course the nation’s first flu pandemic in over 40 years. His varied background includes over 15 years in GIS software/data sales and running an advertising business for three years. He is married with four daughters and has been active in church and coaching girl’s fastpitch softball.

Charles Denard, Emergency Preparedness and Response Asset Manager-Georgia Department of Community Health.

Charles Denard has a background in heath services and emergency management. He worked as a FEMA consultant and Southern Company External Environmental Affairs consultant. He has a Masters in Public Administration in Health Services. He currently works in the Division of Emergency Preparedness as the Asset Manager. He manages all assets purchased my CDC and ASPR funds.