2023 School Wellness Summer Symposium Speakers

Peter Bianco is the Executive Director of P.E, Health Services, Athletics & Recreation for the Poughkeepsie City School District.

Kristie Cabrera (they/them) is an accessibility and inclusivity consultant who is queer, latine, and neurodivergent. They use their background in occupational therapy to guide organizations with improving their accessibility and inclusivity practices. Kristie is particularly interested in supporting organizations within food and nature spaces. Kristie believes that having access to food and natural spaces is healing and therefore food and natural spaces need to be accessible and inclusive. When working with organizations, Kristie focuses on teaching others how to unpack ableism, understand how disability history plays a vital role in our world today, expanding views of the body/mind, and focusing on improving the organization's physical and social spaces, as well as curriculums and programs. 

Wanda Collins is the Senior SNAP-Ed Nutritionist in the North Country Region. 

My husband and I have been married for 42 years and have seven children, 2 grandchildren, and a grandchild making their appearance in November. We have an Australian Cattle Dog, a.k.a. Blue Heeler, named Pickle, who keeps us on our toes! I enjoy cooking, vegetable gardening (I’m not great with flowers), kayaking, studying my Bible, and taking long walks.

My interest in what foods to eat to stay healthy stems from my experience with colon cancer while pregnant with our seventh child. I was told I would always have to fight to prevent cancer. I found out a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps prevent cancer. I am, at this point, 27 years cancer free and now it is my mission to help others to discover the benefits of eating healthy…and yes, it is not expensive, it just requires planning!

Erica Dahl is a SNAP-Ed Community Nutrition Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orange County. She has a BS in Nutrition Science from Russell Sage College and an MPH from Southern New Hampshire University. She has worked with schools across the Hudson Valley for six years, leading workshops on movement in the classroom. As an avid runner, she is passionate about teaching families how to transform their physical and mental health by finding joy in living active lives.

Debra Donleavy has been the Director of School Nutrition for the Enlarged City School District of Middletown for 8 years. The FNS team at Middletown School District promotes Breakfast after the Bell and Farm to Schools initiatives that create a large variety of meal options for their scholars. She began her food service career in Marshall Hill Elementary School (NJ) in 1980. Debby is fourth generation school lunch. She worked in contract food management companies before joining the team at Monticello Central School District (NY). She has an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts. Currently she is the Southeast Area Director at New York School Nutrition Association, an advocacy group that promotes healthy school nutrition. She has volunteered for PTA's, The Marlin's competitive Swim Team, Special Olympics, and recently the Orange County Arboretum (NY). She enjoys her home life where she tends to a flock of chickens, thousands of bees, and her 7 grandchildren. Currently she is reading Atomic Habits and working on a 1,000-piece puzzle.

Chef Dave Dunn has a B.S. in Food industry Management from Cornell University, 1985. He was Food service Director for Aramark Corp from 1985-2005, Food Service Director for P.C.S.D from 2005-2021, and is currently the Food Service Director for K.C.S.D.

Joshua C. Felver, PhD ABPP (he/him/his), is an extension and research faculty at Cornell University. He is a licensed psychologist with specialist board certification from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He took his Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Oregon and completed a pre-doctoral internship in pediatric psychology at Harvard Medical School and a postdoctoral fellowship in child clinical psychology at Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His programmatic research involves developing, implementing, and exploring biomechanisms of mindfulness-based programs in school and community settings to address health disparities in diverse and at-risk populations.

Bintou Hinds holds a M.S. in Human Nutrition from University of Bridgeport. She has worked in the field of public health nutrition in Dutchess county for the past 11 years. She was the Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutritionist and breastfeeding coordinator with Sun River Healthcare for 6 of those years. She now serves as a regional team leader and occasional Spanish language nutrition educator for SNAP Ed HV-Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and son.

Mallory Jackson is an Assistant Professor of Human Services with expertise in professional burnout, mental health, and organizational well-being. With a passion for supporting educators and school administrators, Mallory has dedicated her career to addressing the critical issue of burnout in the education sector.

With an extensive academic background, Mallory is currently a doctoral candidate with a specialization in leadership and organizational management. She holds master’s degrees in public administration and counseling. Mallory’s work focuses on developing effective strategies to prevent and address burnout, enhance mental health, and promote overall well-being.

As an Assistant Professor in the Human Services, Addiction Studies and Health Care Management programs at SUNY Jefferson Community College, Mallory has had the privilege of teaching and mentoring future counselors, social workers, and administrators. Mallory emphasizes the importance of self-care, stress management, and fostering supportive environments to prevent burnout in high-stress settings.

With a commitment to enhancing the well-being of educators and school administrators, Mallory Jackson's presentations offer valuable insights, evidence-based strategies, and a compassionate perspective on navigating the challenges of professional burnout in the education sector. Mallory’s professional work has led her to a deeper understanding of the realities of burnout as a social construct that can be identified early and addressed holistically.

She was born and raised in Lewis County, and now lives in Jefferson county with her husband, Pete, and sons, Logan and Daniel. 

Dan Justis is a Wellness Consultant at Smola Consulting. In his work, Dan has implemented worksite health initiatives, programs, and policies across a broad range of client groups. He prides himself on finding creative well-being solutions that support individual, worksite, and community health.

Prior to Smola Consulting, Dan worked as a Health & Wellness Specialist at the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) where he developed and created wellness programs, events, and resources for veterans nationwide. Prior to WWP, Dan worked as an Exercise Specialist at Patriot Sports Medicine in Alexandria, VA, where he coached patients of all ages, abilities, and phases of life. Dan was on active duty in the Air Force and worked primarily in the Aeromedical Evacuation pipeline as a medic, where he was responsible for the transportation and care of wounded servicemembers returning home from Iraq & Afghanistan. Throughout his work experience, Dan has continued to provide therapeutic yoga classes to veterans.

Dan is resolute in his commitment to worksite and community health. He believes in a holistic, integrated, and strategic approach to wellness: That by, integrating the many variables of wellness in thoughtful small doses, the little things we do each day can have a profound impact on our quality of life. Along with his passion and dedication to the field of workplace health enhancement, Dan has the ability to connect with people while thinking strategically, often resulting in life-changing health benefits.

Lauren Morley began her career as a Physical Education teacher in Wappingers Central School District and Ogdensburg Free Academy for over a decade combined. As an Administrator, Lauren has served three years as Principal at the Lisbon Central School District for grades 5-12 and two years as Principal for grades 7-12. She has spent the past 2 years and is currently the Principal at Hammond Central School District for UPK-12. Lauren’s other passions include being a restaurant owner of Morley’s American Grill in Massena, NY and being a proud wife and mom of three: Jack, 10th grade; Brynn, 7th grade; Cate, 4th grade.

Bee Moser holds a M.S. in nutrition from the University of Vienna in Austria. She is also a personal trainer and has been teaching fitness since finishing high school. Bee has educated and lectured throughout Europe in the field of nutrition and fitness and her articles on fitness and healthy eating have been published in major magazines. Previous experiences also include the improvement of end-user-tools with scientific backgrounds, creating programs for popular high-end vitamin supplements, and the development of innovative vitamin concepts. Bee also held a position for over ten years with an independent record company in NYC as a fitness and nutritional supervisor to prepare global Top 40 artists for the challenges of a hectic life on the road.

After having spent over a decade in Manhattan, Bee relocated to the Catskills for a more tranquil life to raise her son and spend as much time outdoors as possible. This is when she began her work with the SNAP-Ed NY program and continues to share her passion for nutrition education in schools with teachers and students. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and two senior cats. In her spare time, Bee loves to run, garden, and has an extra special spot in her heart for all animals.

Brian Muse is the Supervisor of Youth Services at the Family Partnership in Poughkeepsie, NY. He is a positive role model focused on supporting development and teaching new skills to the inner city youth.

Anthony Rollins is a school lunch manager for Sullivan County BOCES.

Shayna Russo is currently SNAP-Ed’s Project Manager for the Hudson Valley Region and Coordinator for Technical Assistance (TA). She is driven to create ‘change’ that supports healthy lifestyles, while simultaneously utilizing knowledge, skills and abilities relative to health, education, nutrition, fitness, collaboration and teamwork. With degrees in Health Promotion Management and Exercise Science, she has worked as a Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Swim Instructor, Public Health Educator and Regional Coordinator. For over 20 years Shayna has used her facilitation and communication skills to promote an all-inclusive, high-performing culture where groups embrace and leverage each other’s talents to achieve full potential. Over the past 12 years, through grant funded roles with Cornell Cooperative Extension, much of her efforts has been focused on the health and wellness of low-income communities in the Hudson Valley. Shayna and her husband live in Dutchess County with their two kids and two dogs (Brownie and Cupcake). You will often find her around town on some early morning runs, drinking some hot tea and bringing her kids to soccer and gymnastics practice. 

Jonathan Saturay is proud to serve as the Director of Growth at The Beecher's Foundation. He spearheads relationship-building efforts with classroom partners in New York and nationwide, equipping teachers with free nutrition education resources through the Food Detective Workshop. In addition to his role at the Foundation, he has spent the last 15 years in youth leadership and music education programs as an educator, saxophonist, and a community organizer with the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines.

Mary L. Wills is the Executive Director of the St. Lawrence County People Project.

Children have played a large part in my life. As a teen, I helped raise my younger siblings after the untimely death of our mother. At age 20, my husband and I welcomed our first child, a son. He was followed by three daughters. It took me a while to complete my family, there are 19 years between the eldest and youngest. I, now, am enjoying one of life’s greatest gifts…Grandchildren. I have 3 of them, 2 girls and a boy, and I cherish every moment with them.

In my professional life, I started teaching elementary school and retired in 2018 after 31 years in the classroom. Deciding to retire was not easy. I loved teaching. I loved the kids but after much internal struggle, I decided it was time to end that career. I had been extremely active in my union both at the local and regional levels. I was lucky enough to get a position as the coordinator of a grassroots organization called the SLC People Project. The position was financially sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, a national union.

This new position offered me the opportunity to transform the organization into a nonprofit, while also working to improve the lives of the residents in our county. This past year, I was able to bring my teaching skills back into the classroom with the Gizmo project. It has been wonderful to work with students again and to spread the word about mental health and its importance.