IHLA Multitask Force
A little magic must run throughout the IHLA team because each one of us is passionate about improving the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment—and we get to do it every day!
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Central Service Team
Jessica Smith Schwind
PhD MPH CPH
Director
Jessica is an infectious disease epidemiologist whose work is focused at the human-animal-environment interface. Her research and service is rooted in disease surveillance, health capacity building, and risk communication for the prevention and/or early recognition of emerging health threats.
Phone: 912-478-0919 • Jessica’s Email • Research Profile
EDUCATION
- BS in Applied Biology, Georgia Tech
- MPH in Epidemiology, New York Medical College
- PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, UC Davis
HOME SWEET HOME
She grew up on a cotton and peanut farm in south Georgia, where she is currently raising her twins.
BOOK ADVENTURE
She goes on Hemingway treks to experience the adventures written about in his books, including to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
FAVORITE THINGS
Books, bucket list adventures, big ideas, and Bon Jovi, in no particular order.
Jill Johns
MS CHES®
Project Manager
Jill is a dynamic creative force, excels in diverse industries focusing on wellness, performance, and strategic initiatives. Jill focuses on Total Worker Health: implementing evidence-based interventions to develop a healthy workforce. As the IHLA Project Manager, Jill manages federal OSHA grants, ensuring Georgia businesses are prepared for future disease outbreaks.
Phone: 912-478-0918 • Jill’s Email
EDUCATION
- BA in French, University of Notre Dame
- Masters in Industrial Management and Safety, Georgia Southern University
- DrPH (in progress) in Community Health Behavior & Education, JPHCOPH, Georgia Southern University
HOME
Jill and her family reside at “Space To Thrive,” their 15-acre retreat where she practices self-care daily and helps others shift from a life by default to a life by design.
ADVENTURE
Jill takes monthly “Hell Yes” adventures. Her favorites include Burning Man, Asheville, and Paris. Upcoming in 2025: Bora Bora!
BOOK
She loves to read self-help books. Her favorite is ‘Emotional Intensity and Sensitivity’ by Imi Lo.
Kathryn Stewart
Business & Finance Coordinator
Kathryn provides budgetary and administrative support to the Institute while enhancing business operations. She led both rounds of the COVID-19 Mitigation project for Georgia’s Confinement Facilities, discovering a passion for serving correctional institutions throughout the state.
Phone: 912-478-0917 • Kat’s Email
EDUCATION
- BA, Georgia Southern University
HOME SWEET HOME
She grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and now resides in Statesboro with her husband and dogs.
CRITTERS
All the dogs!
COFFEE
Kathryn is a coffee lover! “I can’t stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking the coffee, I stop doing the standing and the walking and the words putting into sentence doing.”
Michelle Tremblay
Learning Experience Designer
As the Learning Experience Designer (LXD), Michelle merges design and learning principles to create engaging and impactful tools for learners. Her work allows IHLA to provide unparalleled immersive learning experiences to the audiences we work with.
Phone: 912-478-0961 • Michelle’s Email
LEVEL
- MPM, Simon Fraser University
MAGICAL ITEMS
Camera, scanner, tablet, vintage books and papers, paint, fountain pens, legos, and tarot cards.
FAMILIARS AND ALLIES
Spiders, cats, bats, and medicinal plants.
COLOR AURA
#000000
Deborah Harvey
MA
Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
Deborah is passionate about using marketing to enhance community health and wellbeing. Her work on COVID-19 vaccine clinic campaigns ignited her dedication to health behavior change through social marketing. She enjoys being able to leverage her skills at the IHLA.
Phone: 912-478-0927 • Deborah’s Email
EDUCATION
- BS in Biology, Chapman University
- MA in Museum Studies, San Francisco State University
- Graduate Certificate in Social Marketing, University of South Florida
HOME SWEET HOME
Although always a Californian at heart, Deborah and her husband have happily made Georgia their home for the past 25+ years.
MUD
As a novice ceramic artist she is always looking forward to time spent playing in the “mud.”
OUTDOORS
When not working or creating art, she can be found exploring Georgia’s State Parks with her husband and dog Ollie.
Zach A. Pantin
Operations Manager
Zach is the glue that holds the IHLA together. He manages our office in downtown Statesboro and provides project and administrative support. As the IHLA’s Operations Manager, Zach follows his passions for community health & development, animal welfare, and environmentalism.
Phone: 912-478-0983 • Zach’s Email
EDUCATION
- BA in Philosophy, Kennesaw State University
- Grant Writing Certificate, University of Georigia
PHILOSOPHY
Zach is a metaphysical agnostic who loves thought-provoking conversations about the unknowable nature of the Universe and pushing the boundaries of human imagination.
CRITTERS
Zach is fortunate to call two rescue cats his children: a sweet orange boy named Moki and his little goblin sister, Freyja.
OUTDOORS
His heart set on the Blue Ridge Mountains, Zach enjoys hiking and spending time close to Nature. He also enjoys gardening and playing pickleball and soccer.
Megan Mercer
MPH CHES®
Community Relations & Event Coordinator
Megan is thrilled to support the mission of the Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics (IHLA) as Community Relations and Event Coordinator. She has a passion for building relationships, creating sustainable collaborations with community partners, and working to achieve health equity among underserved communities.
Phone: 912-478-0922 • Megan’s Email
EDUCATION
- BA, University of New Hampshire
- MPH, Georgia Southern University
HOME
Megan is originally from New York but has lived in Georgia for the last ten years and is happy to call Statesboro home.
OUTDOORS
Megan loves kayaking, hiking, camping, and doing yoga outside (when her toddler allows).
CRITTERS
Megan coparents a very badly behaved chihuahua named Porkchop, a sweet kitty named Bloopie and four outside cats.
Tahir Dulaney
Multimedia Coordinator
Tahir crafts dynamic multimedia content that advances the institute’s One Health mission. With a strong background in video and audio production, he is looking forward to telling IHLA’s story and raise awareness about the impactful services and initiatives the institute is driving to positively shape our communities.
Phone: 912-478-0983 • Tahir’s Email
EDUCATION
- AA Liberal Arts, East Georgia State College
FOOD
Tahir loves trying foods from different backgrounds, but is always in the mood for Chinese. Also cooks a lot and enjoys grilling!
NATURE
Constantly looking for opportunities to be outside, from walking around the yard to chilling by the water. Sunlight is just as important as food!
ART
Music, movies, painting, and so on. The creative arts is a part of who I am. I have much respect and appreciation to everyone at all levels of ART!
Project Service Team
Tanya Jules
DrPH, MPH
Community Outreach Coordinator
Tanya has expertise in technical assistance, capacity building, program development, and non-profit consulting. Her public health interests encompass community violence prevention, youth development, and community-based engagement and qualitative research strategies. Tanya’s passion for community-driven health solutions led her to the IHLA’s mission.
Phone: 912-478-0951 • Tanya’s Email
EDUCATION
- BS, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- MPH, Mercer University
- DrPH, JPHCOPH
HOME SWEET HOME
From the Bay State to the Peach State, Tanya is originally from Massachusetts. She finds a bit of home at Franklin Square in Savannah, as it honors her rich Haitian-American heritage.
ADVENTURE
Tanya loves to travel, but when that isn’t an option for a mental health reset, her zen moments center around yoga and mindfulness practices.
FOOD
Where should you go to get the best type of food? Ask Tanya. She’s a foodie who loves experiencing different cultures through cuisine.
Jennifer Drey
MPH
Community Outreach Coordinator
Jennifer has expertise creating and implementing community-based programs to improve health and quality of life in underserved communities. With a background in communications and past work on IHLA’s K-12 COVID-19 Mitigation Team, Jennifer is skilled at evaluating evidence-based literature and translating it into points of action. She is passionate about innovative strategies that focus on prevention.
Phone: 912-478-0924 • Jennifer’s Email
EDUCATION
- BS in Journalism, University of Maryland
- MPH in Prevention Science, Emory University
HOME SWEET HOME
Jennifer has called Savannah home for more than a decade but still holds a special place in her heart for her past homes in Oregon, Maryland, and New York. She takes pride in having lived in such diverse regions of the country and tries to revisit each of them as often as possible.
OUTDOORS
On warm weekends, Jennifer can often be found on the water, exploring the rivers and tiny islands that make up coastal Georgia. If it’s remotely cold out there, you can bet that she’s conjuring up her next ski trip.
ADVENTURES
There have been many, but the ones she’s most proud of are climbing to the crater rim of Mount Saint Helens, skiing in the Andes Mountains, and simultaneously raising two teenagers and a ‘tween.’
Patricia LaRose-Walthour
MPH
Community Outreach Coordinator
Patricia has expertise in wellness program coordination, program evaluation, and community engagement. Her public health interests center on promoting health and well-being, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and fostering community-driven health solutions. Patricia’s dedication to enhancing health outcomes through evidence-based initiatives fuels her enthusiasm for contributing to IHLA’s mission.
Phone: 912-478-0966 • Patricia’s Email
EDUCATION
- BS in Kinesiology, Exercise Science, Georgia Southern University
- MPH in Applied Public Health, Georgia Southern University
HOME
Originally from South Florida, Patricia moved to Kennesaw, GA during middle school, a place she now proudly calls home.
BOOKS
She enjoys attending her monthly book club meetings with her friends, where they explore a diverse selection of genres. By the end of 2024, she’s on track to complete her ambitious goal of reading 20 books and she looks forward to increasing this goal each year!
Favorite Things
Anything I can make with my Cricut Machine (I love a good DIY Project), Books, Pickleball, Travel, and Family.
Research Graduate Assistant
Joana Tome
Research Assistant
Joana Tome, MPH, is an epidemiology doctoral student in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.
Joana’s Email • Research Profile
Her area of expertise is epidemiological study design and statistical analysis skills.
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Tome’s research interests encompass survival analysis, pharmacoepidemiology, global health, health economics, and predictive analysis. Joana has authored articles published in high-impact journals and acted as a peer-reviewer. She is past-president of the One Health Organization at Georgia Southern University.
As an IHLA Research Assistant, Tome has trained Georgia Southern students how to prepare and respond to natural disasters. Simultaneously, she is researched natural disaster emergency preparedness practices.
Research Team
FELLOWS
Ed Mondor
Faculty Fellow
Ed Mondor, PhD, associate professor, Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University.
912-478-7908 • Ed’s Email • Research Profile
Mondor holds a PhD in entomology from Simon Fraser University, an MS in Zoology from the University of Alberta, and a BS in Psychology from Brandon University. He has almost 40 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Ethology, Functional Ecology, Global Change Biology, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Journal of Insect Behavior, and PLoS One. He has had his research featured in the Editor’s Choice section of Science Magazine.
More
In addition to his studies on insect behavior, ecology, and evolution, he is the only practicing Forensic Entomologist in Georgia. Over the past 12 years, he has assisted various law enforcement agencies with determining the “time of death” of human decedents, contributing to approximately 30 death investigations.
As an IHLA Faculty Fellow, Mondor is eagerly looking forward to using his knowledge of biological processes and the justice system to improve the health and safety of our local communities.
Steven Tolman
Faculty Fellow
Steven Tolman, EdD, associate professor of Educational Leadership, College of Education, Georgia Southern University.
912-478-5971 • Steven’s Email • Research Profile
Tolman holds an EdD from Rutgers University, an MS from Texas Tech University, and a Bachelor’s from Central Michigan University. Prior to Georgia Southern, he held previous roles, including serving as a graduate program director and 12 years as a college administrator.
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Tolman’s research is theoretically informed and guided by the tenets of student development theory. In particular, he explores the application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Kolb’s Experiential Learning, Sanford’s Model of Challenge and Support, and Astin’s Theory of Involvement. This theoretical framework is intertwined with the two streams of his scholarly agenda: 1) The profession of student affairs and 2) The residential and co-curricular experience of college students.
He is excited to be an IHLA fellow to offer his perspective as an educator to the IHLA team as they collaborate to improve the health of our communities.
Hayden Wimmer
Faculty Fellow
Hayden Wimmer, PhD, professor, Department of Information Technology, Georgia Southern University.
912-478-4848 • Hayden’s Email • Research Profile
Wimmer holds a PhD and MS from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, an MBA from Penn State, and a BS from York College of Pennsylvania. In addition, he has over 10 years of experience working in the IT industry. He directs the GS DAC-Lab, focusing on data science, AI, and cybersecurity (http://www.daclab.net).
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He has nearly $3 million in external funding from federal sources and publications in well-respected journals and conferences.
Wimmer has worked in the community with students on projects and service-learning ranging from IT support, e-commerce, web development, training, and custom programming.
He brings his academic and industry experience to IHLA to contribute to improving community outcomes by applying technology solutions to benefit the local community. He aims to apply data science and AI to improve health outcomes and patient education.
AFFILIATES
Emmanuel Balagon
Student Affiliate
Bio
An ambitious graduate student at Georgia Southern University, majoring in information technology, building on a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Management. Currently employed as a Graduate Assistant in the International Admission and Programs Office, combining administrative skills with a global perspective. Research interests focus on the intersection of computer vision and machine learning engineering. Actively enhancing machine learning skills through Google Cloud training, with a project on using machine learning for image classification in counterfeit note detection. Proficient in Python, SQL, SPSS, and Rapid Miner.
Meenalosini Cruz
Faculty Affiliate
Patrick Esmonde
Community Collaborator
Bio
Patrick Esmonde is an experienced entrepreneur and technology professional. He co-founded Vestibular First and Dizzy Care Network, focusing on developing accessible vestibular technologies and improving healthcare navigation for patients with dizziness. With a background in IT consulting, project management, and teaching, Patrick has worked across various industries to enhance systems and processes. He holds advanced degrees in technology management from The Wharton School and has a proven ability to lead diverse teams and tackle complex challenges effectively.
Stacy Fisher
Community Collaborator
Bio
Dr. Stacy Fisher currently serves as the Director of Community Standards and Title IX Coordinator at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Stacy previously served in various roles in Residence Life at Arizona State University, the University of Connecticut, Montclair State University, and most recently served as the Director of Residential Education at Stevens before transitioning to her current role. Stacy has always been passionate about supervision. In 2022, she successfully defended her dissertation on the impact of supervision on graduate assistants in higher education and student affairs and earned her doctorate in education from Drexel University.
Tara Goodarzi
Student Affiliate
Bio
Tara holds an MD from Arak University of Medical Sciences and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Public Health while working as a graduate assistant at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. Before her graduate studies, she worked as a family physician and served as a research assistant. Her research interests include health education, health promotion, and maternal and child health, drawing from her medical experience and passion for improving public health outcomes through community engagement and education.
Chiazam Izuchukwu
Student Affiliate
Bio
Chiazam is a Master’s student in Information Technology at Georgia Southern University. His pursuit of a graduate degree encompasses diverse IT aspects, including Data Science and Analytics, IT Project Management, IT governance and other core areas within the IT domain. He worked with KPMG as an audit intern where he formed part of the financial services audit team that conducted a statutory audit and analytical review of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
His current interests include data science, AI and machine learning. He also possesses expertise in data mining and visualization tools: Python, SQL, PowerBI and Tableau.
Ryan Lofaro
Faculty Affiliate
Bio
Ryan Lofaro is an assistant professor in the Department of Public and Nonprofit Studies at Georgia Southern University. He holds a Ph.D. in public administration from Florida Atlantic University. His research aims attention at policy responses to health crises and their associated policy debates, with a focus on the opioid crisis and COVID-19. Specifically, he examines how such policy responses impact public servants and what these policies and the attitudes and behaviors of public servants mean for the protection of marginalized groups during crises. He is excited to be a faculty affiliate at IHLA and to help improve our communities.
Casey Long
Student Affiliate
Juliann McBrayer
Faculty Affiliate
Bio
Juliann Sergi McBrayer, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor and Co-Director of the National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center at Georgia Southern University. She also serves as the Program Director for the Educational Leadership master’s and educational specialist programs. She holds a Doctorate and Educational Specialist from Georgia Southern University, a Master’s degree from Ohio University, and a Bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Buffalo. She has served 20 years as an educational leadership associate/assistant professor, educational program coordinator, instructional school leader, professional development and federal programs coordinator, classroom teacher and teacher leader. As a scholarly practitioner, her research interests include the development, implementation, and assessment of educational leadership and teacher preparation programs with a focus on purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable professional learning programming to ensure effectiveness and accountability.
Beth McGee
Faculty Affiliate
Katie Mercer
Faculty Affiliate
Emmanuela Nwaonumah
Student Affiliate
Nikheal Patel
Community Collaborator
Bio
Nikheal Patel, M.Ed., is a recent graduate of the Higher Education Administration Program at Georgia Southern University and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Currently, he serves as a Study Abroad Liaison at the Marino Institute of Education in Dublin, Ireland, where he supports the integration of American university students into Ireland’s study abroad programs. His research interests focus on student development theory, cultural competence, and international student populations in American higher education. With extensive international experience, Nikheal skillfully bridges theory and practice, fostering positive engagement and networking with diverse groups.
Chad Posick
Faculty Affiliate
Bio
Chad Posick is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia Southern University. He is also a co-director of the National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center. His research interests include victimization, biopsychosocial perspectives on behavior, and statistical methodology. He teaches in the areas of victimology, family violence, and statistics. He serves on the board of directors of Child Advocacy Services of Southeastern Georgia.
Vijayalakshmi Ramasamy
Faculty Affiliate
Erick Riner
Staff Affiliate
Hossein Taheri
Faculty Affiliate
Bio
Dr. Hossein Taheri is an associate professor in the Department of Manufacturing Engineering at Georgia Southern University and an affiliated faculty member of the Institute for Health Logistics and Analytics (IHLA). He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineeringat Iowa State University’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE), where he specialized in Nondestructive Testing (NDT) and Advanced Manufacturing. His research focuses on nondestructive evaluation, advanced manufacturing, and material characterization, as well as smart sensing and technologies for a variety of applications including infrastructure and farming applications. Dr. Taheri’s recent projects include in-situ monitoring for additive manufacturing and intelligent structural health monitoring. His research interests also extend to developing innovative manufacturing and material processing techniques for polymers and composites, supporting robust and efficient systems in both manufacturing and health logistics applications.
Chris Trautman
Community Collaborator
Bio
Christopher Trautman is thrilled to be serving as an affiliate on the IHLA Education & workforce development interdisciplinary team. He currently serves as the Director of Student Conduct at Montclair State University, where he earned his MA in Higher Education Leadership in 2017. His previous roles include nearly ten years of Residence Life experience across public and private institutions. He previously co-authored a chapter on non-academic college spending in “Colleges at the Crossroads: Taking Sides on Contested Issues,” published by Peter Lang, and has contributed reflections on the state of Residence Life for Roompact.
Wei Tu
Faculty Affiliate
Bio
Dr. Wei Tu is a Geography and Geographic Information Science professor at the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability. His current research explores the influence of place and space on health outcomes, focusing on social determinants of maternal and child health. Dr. Tu has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and was the mapping supervisor for the Metro Atlanta Equity Atlas project. He was named a Governor’s Teaching Fellow of the University System of Georgia in 2019 and a Social Determinants on Health & Place Fellow by the Healthy Regions & Policies Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2024.
Paul Tubig
Faculty Affiliate
Bio
Dr. Paul Tubig is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgia Southern University. He specializes in social and political philosophy, bioethics, neuroethics, ethics of technology, and philosophy of disability. His current research focuses on the ethics of emerging technologies and topics in health justice. His works have appeared in Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Monash Bioethics Review, and International Journal of Feminist Approaches in Bioethics.
Casey Weaver
Staff Affiliate
Bio
Hello, I’m Casey Weaver, the Special Assistant to the Provost. In addition, I am a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Leadership Program, focusing on Higher Education Administration, at Georgia Southern University. Having been part of Georgia Southern for over a decade, I genuinely enjoy being a Georgia Southern Eagle. I am thrilled to join the Institute for Health Logistics and Analytics (IHLA) as an affiliate, as I have a strong passion for research and education. I look forward to expanding my knowledge and sharing it with others.
Jamie Workman
Community Collaborator
Bio
Jamie L. Workman, PhD is an Associate Professor of Higher Education Leadership at Valdosta State University. She specializes in student affairs content areas, including student development theory, social justice and inclusion in higher education, and current issues in student affairs. Her research focuses on undergraduate student success primarily from a major and career development perspective, among other topics related to higher education and student affairs. She is an active member of ACPA: College Student Educators International and currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs.
Last updated: 3/11/2025
Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics • P.O. Box 8110 Statesboro, GA 30460 • 912-478-0302 • ihla@georgiasouthern.edu
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