SNAP-Ed University - FY 2024

Marci K. Scott, PhD, RDN

Vice President of Programs

Michigan Fitness Foundation

Since 2007, Marci K. Scott has grown the programs department to include statewide programs supported by local, state, and national level funding sources including Capital Region Community Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, and USDA. She and her team offer consulting services for training, evaluation, and a variety of content expertise areas. Scott's guidance has supported the development of public health programs like Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum™ (EPEC™), Physical Education and Nutrition Working Together™ (PE-Nut™), Rec-Connect™, Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities™, Michigan Harvest of the Month™, Farmers Market Food Navigator, AmeriCorps Safe Routes to Health, Michigan Farm to Family: CSA, and more.

Her service to the field has included leadership positions for the Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior and Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators. In her community, Scott has served three terms on the Williamston Community Schools Board of Education, including 12 years as Board President. She is a Master Gardener and cherishes her role as grandmother to Holly, Eve, Robert, and Mazie.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition from Michigan State University, a Master of Medical Science from Emory University, a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics with High Honors from Michigan State University, and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

• 10:00 - 11:30 AM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  Welcome, Opening Remarks, SNAP-Ed Perspectives: Your Work Really Matters

• 10:00 - 11:30 AM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  Welcome, Opening Remarks, SNAP-Ed Perspectives: Your Work Really Matters

Mary McGuire

Director of Communications

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Mary McGuire has had an extensive career across the humanities and developed an interdisciplinary skill set born from each position she has held over the years. She has applied her humanities background to her communications work with Michigan Fitness Foundation, and in previous positions with Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance, Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, Harvard University Art Museums, Golden Door Gallery of Far East Asian, Oceanic, and African Art, as an EcoTourism Consultant for Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and as a touring singer songwriter and classical musician.

While performing as a musician and through working in art museums and galleries, she traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. From this, Mary developed a deep concern for the arts and how they express community. She has performed benefits for Wheels for Meals to support Detroit’s unhoused community and My Sister’s Place to support victims of adult domestic violence. As a guitar instructor, she volunteered for the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Program and taught guitar to scores of teenage girls from economically disadvantaged families at the local Boys & Girls Club on Martha’s Vineyard nearly a decade. As a humanist, she is interested in the past, present, and future expressed by the people that inform the art, architecture, landscape, literature, and music that gives each community its history of place.

She is a big fan of communications and technology and how they can be used together to create and communicate. McGuire recently received her Certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and Certificate in Social Marketing from the International Social Marketing Association.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in History of Art and Architecture and a minor in Environmental Management from Harvard University with honors, studied Native American Studies and Native American Spirituality at Bay Mills Community College, and Music Theory and Composition at Michigan State University.

She is a proud alumnus of the MSU Spartan Marching Band (trombone), has received multiple Detroit Music Awards, most recently for Outstanding Americana Songwriter, and is a big supporter and advocate for adopting adorable pets from animal shelters and rescue organizations.

• 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  SNAP-Ed Social Marketing: Taking it to the Grassroots

Brandess Wallace MPH

Communications Program Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Brandess Wallace has over a decade of experience in health promotion and disease prevention, specializing in cardiovascular health, nutrition, and physical activity programming. Her previous work has focused on K-12 healthcare career pathway programming, community engagement, capacity building, and health literacy. In her communications role with Michigan Fitness Foundation, she manages content for the new Mitten Eats Recipe Hub project and provides support for Michigan Farm to Family: CSA program, Michigan Moves Month, Online Learning in a SNAP, and the Healthy Choices Catch On social marketing campaign.

She is also a running enthusiast with several marathons and ultra-marathons under her belt. Wallace is passionate about body positivity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Michigan running community. She is co-founder of the Lansing chapter of Black Girls Run, served as a distance running coach for local running groups, and worked as a fitness instructor for YMCA of Lansing. 

A Wolverine and a Spartan, Wallace received her Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from University of Michigan, and her Bachelor of Science in Health Studies from Michigan State University.

• 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  SNAP-Ed Social Marketing: Taking it to the Grassroots

Kendra Keyes

Communications Program Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Kendra Keyes brings over 15 years of dedicated service to Michigan Fitness Foundation, starting her journey in the shipping room and holding many positions within the organization before finding her place in the communications team. Keyes is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles and raising awareness about the importance of nutritious eating habits here in Michigan.

Outside of work Keyes enjoys exploring the outdoors on her bike or attempting to grow tomatoes in her shady garden.

Kendra received her Bachelor of Science in History with a minor in Theater Arts from Eastern Michigan University. She is also a ServSafe Trainer and Proctor.

• 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  SNAP-Ed Social Marketing: Taking it to the Grassroots

Anne Lee

Project Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Kedzie Room

  What's New in Grant Operations for FY24

Shona MacKenzie, MPH, CHES®

Grants Program Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Shona MacKenzie has a keen eye for developing and revising processes. She joined Michigan Fitness Foundation to manage the AmeriCorps Safe Routes to Health program. For two years, she recruited and managed AmeriCorps members across southeast, southwest, and northwest Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula. Her team of AmeriCorps members ranged from veterans, retirees, college students, college students taking a gap year, to everyday people interested in a part time job. The common thread was clear, they were all looking for some meaningful work where they could give back to their community.

Currently, she works with local organizations delivering SNAP-Ed programming who also give to their communities. She says she loves learning about the work being done to advance healthy living around the state. MacKenzie also uses her training and organizational skills to support the public health fellows on staff with their work.

At home, MacKenzie loves walking her dog Jojo, losing time on TikTok to learn random things, and scrolling Facebook Marketplace for the next great find. She fully embraces her love for any type of docuseries and can’t wait to travel to the next wine region on her bucket list.

MacKenzie received her Master in Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotions from Grand Valley State University, where she also received her Bachelors in Science. She received her Certified Health Education Specialist certification from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Kedzie Room

  What's New in Grant Operations for FY24

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  Your SNAP-Ed Program: Putting it All Together

George Reilly, M.B.A.

Director of Grant Operations

Michigan Fitness Foundation

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Kedzie Room

  What's New in Grant Operations for FY24

Jocelyn Hayward, MPH

Grants Program Manager | Michigan Farm to Family: CSA

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Jocelyn Hayward has a passion for food access and public health. She manages the innovative Michigan Farm to Family: CSA program connecting families on tight budgets to fresh food from local CSA farmers. She also supports local organizations as they deliver SNAP-Ed programming across Michigan and collaborates with statewide stakeholders on improving food systems through coordinated food policy action.

In her personal time, Hayward enjoys lacing up her running shoes or strapping on skis and exploring the many trailways that Michigan has to offer. Her favorite place to explore is the Potawatomi Trail in the Pinckney Recreation Area.

Hayward received her Master of Public Health from the University of Kentucky and her Bachelor of Science in Applied Languages from Georgetown University.

• 2:15 - 3:15 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  PSE Workshop: Tools & Strategies for Program Design

• 3:30 - 4:00 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Lemon Tree Room

  Leveraging New Types of Partnerships to Maximize PSE Efforts

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  Your SNAP-Ed Program: Putting it All Together

Kimbirly Rindfleisch, ACSM-PAPHS

Grants Program Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

Kimbirly Rindfleisch provides personalized support to Michigan Fitness Foundation SNAP-Ed partners. Having worked in SNAP-Ed for over 15 years, she leverages her experience and connections in service to practical yet effective program design. Her early career learning about diversity and multiculturalism set the foundation for her dedication to equity issues, which is woven into her approaches to building relationships and organizational capacity.

She loves being outdoors and spends time in her flower, herb, and vegetable gardens to grow less grass and more native plants. Rindfleisch likes to be active through walks and hikes with her two dogs and pulls from her collection of bicycles to explore her neighborhood, city, and the great state of Michigan.

Rindfleisch holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences from Michigan State University and received her Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist (ACSM-PAPHS) certification from the American College of Sports Medicine.

• 2:15 - 3:15 PM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  PSE Workshop: Tools & Strategies for Program Design

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  Your SNAP-Ed Program: Putting it All Together

Sarah L. Panken, MS

Senior Director of Community Impact

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Sarah Panken supports Michigan Fitness Foundation staff working with on-the-ground partners implementing SNAP-Ed programming. Her goal is to support staff and SNAP-Ed partners so they can best serve and inspire families to eat healthy, move more, and implement policy, systems, and environmental change (PSE) initiatives.
Panken has extensive experience with coalition-building, community engagement, and advancing PSE strategies to create active communities. She has nearly 20 years of experience working with communities across Michigan whether in active community environments or by developing and implementing Michigan Fitness Foundation SNAP-Ed programming goals and objectives.

Perpetually curious and a lifelong learner, she completed Built Environment Assessment Training at University of Pennsylvania, studied health and the built environment at the Physical Activity & Public Health Institute at Centers for Disease Control, as well as Graduate-Level coursework in Urban and Regional Planning at Michigan State University.

She holds a Master of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from University of Missouri-Columbia.

• 10:00 - 11:30 AM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  Welcome, Opening Remarks, SNAP-Ed Perspectives: Your Work Really Matters

• 2:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  Closing Remarks

As the State SNAP Administrator, Dawn M. Sweeney has oversight responsibilities for Michigan Department of Health and Human Services food assistance programs.

• 10:00 - 11:30 AM, Aug 17, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  Welcome, Opening Remarks, SNAP-Ed Perspectives: Your Work Really Matters

Bree Bode, PhD, MPH, CHES®

Evaluation Specialist

Michigan Fitness Foundation

Bree Bode advances health equity by conducting activities that elevate community-based solutions to public health problems related to the food insecurity-obesity paradox. She has a special interest in policy and system variables that influence food choices in retail and school-based environments.

Relying on her lived experiences, she seeks to mindfully engage in evaluation work alongside colleagues, partners, and community members for effective, sustainable change overtime…and to celebrate along the way when the steps required for a community-based participatory efforts are enacted.

Previously, Bode helped lead a regional evaluation effort at Wayne State University of Michigan-based retail environments that examined the intersections of policies, systems, and health behavior. She has also taught and mentored college and university students on the concepts, tenants, and constructs of research and practice through experiential learning to aid in their preparation to advance health equity in and out of the classroom.

Bode received her Doctor of Philosophy with an emphasis in Community Health at Wayne State University, and her Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Health Education and Promotion at Grand Valley State University. She is a member of the American Public Health Association and the Society for Public Health Education.

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  What’s New (and What Isn’t) in Evaluation for FY 2024

• 9:45 - 10:45 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  SNAP-Ed Program Evaluation Results: Sharing the Good News

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  Your SNAP-Ed Program: Putting it All Together

Teresa Zwemer, RDN

Director of Resources & Training

Michigan Fitness Foundation

• 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Lemon Tree Room

  Direct Education Workshop: Program Adaptations and Considerations

Annie Murphy, PhD, RDN

Senior Evaluation Specialist

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Annie Murphy has dedicated her career to developing and evaluating nutrition programs for all age groups. Her evaluation approach is to minimize respondent burden by using relevant, respectful, and understandable questions. Involving people from the intended population in item and response construction has resulted in her state and national reputation for authentic and practical evaluation. She particularly loves process evaluation; it is a path to program improvement and to learning what potential participants want and need to know, how they prefer to learn, their barriers and supports for behavior change, and whether the intervention was enjoyable and valuable.
The evaluation team, administrative support, and never-ending opportunities to creatively assess program value and health behavior change has allowed her to become an expert in participant-focused evaluation and strategies to turn data into recommendations to improve program delivery and results.
Murphy was raised in Saginaw by parents who were also teachers that instilled a passion for lifelong learning and commitment to effective education. Her life is a wonderful combination of valuable work, grandparenting, rescuing old or impaired cats and dogs, and focusing on personal health goals.
She received her Doctor of Philosophy in Community Nutrition from the Michigan State University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, her Master of Science in food Science and Human Nutrition from Wayne State University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Education from University of Michigan. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

• 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Lemon Tree Room

  Direct Education Workshop: Program Adaptations and Considerations

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  What’s New (and What Isn’t) in Evaluation for FY 2024

• 9:45 - 10:45 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  SNAP-Ed Program Evaluation Results: Sharing the Good News

• 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Aug 18, 2023 Kedzie Room

  Your SNAP-Ed Program: Putting it All Together

Jay Cutler

Evaluation Program Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

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Jay Cutler has been engaged in food access and nutrition work in the farmers market, local health department, and non-profit settings. At Michigan Fitness Foundation, Cutler is an evaluation program manager where he supports the evaluation design and implementation for SNAP-Ed, focusing on policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives, as well as the Michigan Farm to Family: CSA program. He has experience in public health planning, practice, and evaluation, with a focus on both quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Cutler received his Bachelor of Arts in Public Health from University of Michigan.
Selected as a 2023 Bloomberg Fellow, he has been awarded a full Master of Public Health scholarship at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health through the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. He is one of sixty fellows from 25 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and will receive world-class training to tackle critical public health issues across the country. The Initiative addresses imminent challenges to health in this country through education, research, and practice.
In his free time, you can often find him cooking, drinking coffee, shopping around Eastern Market, and spending time with friends, family, and his parents’ two dogs.

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  What’s New (and What Isn’t) in Evaluation for FY 2024

Michelle LaFleche, MA

Senior Data and Reporting Analyst

Michigan Fitness Foundation

Michelle LaFleche has a passion for using technology to help improve processes. Learning has always been present in her work throughout her career. She worked in the field of educational technology for 15 years where her appreciation for how technology and data could be used to improve learning was solidified. After having received undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, she continued her educational pursuits by earning an associate degree as a programmer/analyst. LaFleche is always seeking when it comes to using technology to streamline data collection, aggregation, and reporting, and will secretly refer to herself as the “application whisperer” when figuring out ways to get technology to do what she needs it to do to support her work.
In her work as a Data Specialist, LaFleche determines and applies the best tools to collect and track data, designing and developing relational databases, and using state-of-the-art data visualization tools to produce meaningful, understandable reports. Her mantra and personal mission—make data accessible, informative, and easy.
When she isn’t problem solving a technical issue, you might find her tending to her vegetable garden or biking in the wee hours along quiet country roads.

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  What’s New (and What Isn’t) in Evaluation for FY 2024

Lauryn Lin, MPH

Evaluation Project Manager

Michigan Fitness Foundation

Lauryn Lin manages a portfolio of statewide SNAP-Ed evaluation projects that supports local practitioners and communities expanding access to food and opportunities to eat healthy and move more.

A lifelong Michigander, Lin has a keen interest in exploring and driving change at the intersection of health equity, healthy eating, food access, and sustainability influenced by growing up in her family’s restaurant business in Detroit.

Lauryn received her Master of Public Health with an emphasis in health behavior and health education and her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from University of Michigan.

Lauryn enjoys being physically active by running, biking, and gardening, or as she affectionally calls it “plant parenting.” She also values exploring new places and sharing good food with her family and friends.

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM, Aug 18, 2023 Shadows Ballroom

  What’s New (and What Isn’t) in Evaluation for FY 2024