Jennifer Kertanis Executive Director
CADH has grown significantly during Jennifer Kertanis’ tenure as Executive Director. Jennifer oversees the operation and administration of all CADH programs and services. She is very active in the National Association of County and City Health Officials and serves on its Membership Committee, in its Project Public Health Ready-Emergency Preparedness recognition program and its Health Care Reform working group. Prior to accepting her position at CADH, Jennifer worked in Environmental Epidemiology at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, where she conducted numerous health assessments of hazardous waste sites and worked with community residents to understand and address their health concerns. While at DPH, she was successful in securing funds and establishing the first pediatric asthma surveillance efforts for Connecticut. Jennifer has also previously worked for the American Lung Association. Jennifer received her Master of Public Health from the University of Connecticut and her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University.
Charles Brown Program Director/Emergency Prepardness
As Program Director, Charles Brown currently coordinates emergency preparedness initiatives to support health departments at regional and local levels. Charles provides technical support in emergency preparedness plan development, facilitates regional public health and medical meetings, and designs, conducts, and evaluates drills and exercises. Prior to joining the staff at CADH, Charles served in the United States Air Force for eight years as an Aircraft Mechanic during the Persian Gulf War. He also worked in Orange County, Florida as an Environmental Inspector and in Hillsborough County, Florida as a Code Enforcement Officer. Charles earned his Master of Public Health from the University of Connecticut and his Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with a minor in Marketing, from Central Connecticut State University.
Sylvia DakeHealth Program Assistant/Emergency Preparedness This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sylvia Dake provides technical assistance to local health departments regarding emergency preparedness activities. She assists with monthly regional public health meetings, helps plan, conduct, and evaluate drills and exercises, and provides guidance on the Project Public Health Ready initiative for multiple regions in the state. Sylvia is also the Emergency Management Coordinator for the town of Andover, Connecticut and the leader of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) there. She is certified to teach the Basic CERT curriculum in Connecticut and is a lead instructor for that program. Sylvia started her professional career in the Air Force as a meteorologist. After completing a master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Science and Policy
Development from North Carolina State University, she began her career in Emergency Management in 2006. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences.
Eileen Kehl Administrative Assistant
Eileen Kehl serves CADH as its administrative assistant. She provides administrative support to all CADH programs; provides accounting and personnel functions; and is responsible for maintaining CADH’s financial and corporate records. Before joining the staff at CADH, Eileen managed a health and life insurance office in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, managed on-site real estate sales for new condominium construction in Mystic, Connecticut, and held management positions at the administrative offices of Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Associates and HealthSouth in Farmington, Connecticut. She pursued a master’s degree in reading with a minor in special education and also has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, both from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
a
Melissa Marquis
Health Program Associate/Emergency Preparedness
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Melissa Marquis provides technical assistance to local health departments regarding emergency preparedness activities. She assists with monthly regional public health meetings, helps plan, conduct, and evaluate drills and exercises, and provides guidance on the Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) initiative for multiple regions in the state. Melissa has particpated as a national reviewer for the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) on PPHR. Melissa also sits on the Strategic National Stockpile Work Group for NACCHO. Prior to working at CADH, Melissa worked in pulmonary medicine as a Registered Nurse at Hartford Hospital and in pediatric clinical research and endocrine testing at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Melissa is currently an active volunteer for the Capitol Region Medical Reserve Corps, members of whom are trained to respond to large-scale emergency health crises. Melissa earned her Master of Science degree in Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness from St. Louis University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Phoenix.
a
Moira Lawson 
Health Program Associate/Health Equity
Moira Lawson is the project coordinator for CADH's Vaccination Billing Project, with the goal of developing efficient ways for local public health departments to be reimbursed by insurance plans for the vaccination servies they provide to their communities. She also supports CADH's health equity initiatives to reframe community assessment and improvements in health outcomes through an emphasis on public health policy and practice. Before joining CADH, Moira worked on the Health Equity Alliance program at the Ledge Light Health District in New London, Connecticut. Prior to her career in public health, she was Director of Program Management at Protein Sciences Corporation. She has also been an Associate Professor at The University of Copenhagen in Denmark and a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Moira earned a Master of Science degree and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Pace University. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health degree at Southern Connecticut State University.
Sharon Mierzwa
Program Director/Health Equity
As Program Director for Health Equity, Sharon Mierzwa oversees CADH's health equity initiatives. Prior to focusing on health equity, Sharon coordinated emergency preparedness training sessions, regional planning, and obesity prevention efforts. Sharon previously served as coordinator of the Connecticut State Department of Public Health’s Obesity Prevention Program and the Connecticut Diabetes Control Program. She has also worked as a consultant with home health agencies, maternal and child health programs, and as an adjunct faculty member at St. Joseph College. She is the past president of the Connecticut Dietetic Association and the Connecticut Nutrition Council. Sharon received her Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Alyssa Norwood Health Program Associate/Advocacy and Membership Services
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Alyssa Norwood supports CADH’s advocacy efforts and policy initiatives and provides assistance to individual local health departments with respect to strategic planning, performance assessment, and quality improvement planning. Alyssa also develops and executes a communications strategy for CADH. She was previously an attorney in Robinson and Cole’s tax and tax-exempt practice. Alyssa has also worked for the Connecticut Health Foundation, the Connecticut Urban Legal Initiative, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General, the Connecticut General Assembly, and the Connecticut Department of Public Health. She is a former board member of the Connecticut Public Health Association and previously sat on the Ethics Committee at the University of Connecticut Health Center, where she is also adjunct faculty for the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine. Alyssa earned her Law and Master of Public Health Degrees from the University of Connecticut and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Neurobiology from Harvard University.
CADH Staff having a ball!
