I am Chelsea Barber, Nutrition Program Assistant SNAP-Ed, working for the NC Cooperative Extension in Stanly County. My job is to target eligible or low-income individuals who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and educate them on the importance of consuming healthier food items and staying physically active throughout the day. The programs that I offer can be used to educate preschoolers, school-aged students, and senior citizens 60 years and older through curriculums that focus on providing each individual with the resources needed to make changes toward living a healthier lifestyle. This is done by providing an in-person food demonstration that correlates with each lesson while sending each participant home with a recipe that would be quick and easy to make. I have been in this position for almost a year now and I am grateful to have a job that is focused on helping others while giving back to the community where I grew up. I look forward to working with all of the youth, families, and older adults to provide them with the best programs needed to reach their goals of eating healthy and staying active!

Hayley Cowell is the Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agent in Stanly County. She started her Extension career in 2011 has also served as the FCS agent in Montgomery and Union Counties. During her time with N.C. Cooperative Extension she has offered a variety of programming to her audiences in order to help them meet their needs. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science and a Master's degree in Youth, Family, & Community Sciences all from NC State University.

Alexis Powell is a public health educator at the Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services. Alexis pursued her early interest in health science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she studied biology. Thereafter, Alexis earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Nutrition from Liberty University. Alexis has centered her public health career on chronic disease prevention, nutrition education and community-driven programming for communities disproportionately affected by preventable health outcomes. In her role as a health educator, Alexis coordinates the county’s CDC-recognized Diabetes Prevention Program in which she facilitates the lifestyle change program, conducts community-based diabetes screenings and organizes prediabetes education sessions. Alexis also assist other public health staff on initiatives that address health inequities related to COVID-19, healthy food access in the community and health equity.

Deborah Dolan works as a Community Advocate for WellCare with 14 counties across the state. WellCare of North Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs. It does this through Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans across the state.

WellCare of North Carolina is one of the state’s Medicaid Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs).

Nitasha Kearney has been a member of the Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program through North Carolina A&T Cooperative Extension family in Vance and Warren counties since July 2019. Nitasha Kearney enjoys EFNEP because of the vast amount of people we connect with to provide nutrition education & health and wellness. Breakfast of Champions, International Culinary Cuisine camp and Power Lunches are only a few dynamic programs provided over the years. For the 2pm Catch the Wellness Wave virtual health fair, I will introduce Sweet Yoga. With peaches being in season for the month of September, we will create Peachy Pops. As we place them in the freezer, we will explore yoga poses that remind us of sweet treats such as the half moon, lotus pose, mountain pose, and the star pose. Come join me for Sweet Yoga @2pm, September 10th!

If you want to cook along with me, I have provided the recipe. https://www.myplate.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/peachy-pops

Katie Belusa, MPH, CHES, CHWC (She/Her) is the Director of Healthy Living for the Durham-area YMCAs. In her role with the Y, Katie oversees all health & well-being initiatives including community health, fitness, and wellness. Prior to joining the Y, Katie spent 4 years at NC State University as the Coordinator of Wellness Programs. Katie has a BA from UConn and a Masters of Public Health from Boston University and is also a Certified Health Education Specialist, Personal Trainer, and Wellness Coach.

Megan LeFaivre works for Ready for School, Ready for Life as their Literacy Coordinator. She is helping to implement Guilford County’s early literacy strategic plan, which includes implementation of the Basics Guilford, expansion of Active Reading strategies, and book distribution across Guilford County.

Shanna Scott is a North Carolina native. She has a passion for helping others meet their goals. She has been an EFNEP PA for 3 years and aspires to help as many Guilford County Citizens as she can reach. She encourages others to make "healthier" choices because health is more than just eating, . Her favorite color is yellow and it makes her think happy thoughts, energy, and fun. Her favorite EFNEP recipe is the Super Stir-Fry paired with brown rice and physical activity is bike-riding with her kids. Her favorite place to be at is the beach because the ocean waves are beautiful and remind her that life is full of infinite possibilities. Each wave is an opportunity to make a difference and each wave has a purpose. She uses the philosophy in each of the classes that she teaches because every change, no matter how small leads to a healthier you.

I am Bryant Ly, I am a Community Health Worker for Kepro. Though I work from home in Henderson County, all of my work is centered around making connections in Polk County. My duties include socializing with the community to understand their needs and to connect them to resources that they otherwise may not be aware of. Although we do not provide the resources ourselves, we have a separate team dedicated to looking up every possible resource that you could be eligible for, for free.

Will Florence is a registered dietitian and graduate from both North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University, with degrees in nutrition science and family and consumer sciences. He is currently attending North Carolina State to finish his Master’s degree in Nutrition. Formerly, he worked at Wake Med Hospital as a patient services manager where he managed the patient tray line and supervised the kitchen. He also has extensive experience working in kitchens and continues to refine his culinary skills while working with Certified Executive Chefs. Will is very excited to be a part of the Poe Center team and looks forward to working with children to share his nutrition and culinary experience. In his free time he enjoys exercising, swimming, exploring, cooking, traveling, and hanging out with is cat, Kemba.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Asia Johnson is a Certified Health Education Specialist, with a Bachelor’s in Public Health, a Masters in Public Administration, in Public Health Policy, a Masters in Population Health Sciences. Working fulltime in Public Health Research, Asia joined the Poe Center as an Occasional Health Educator, eager to reduce health disparities, and increase health equity for North Carolinians, and beyond. As an Air Force veteran, Asia has adopted a “service before self” mindset and an “excellence in all we do” attitude. Therefore, she is excited to pour into the participants, staff, and stakeholders of the Poe Center. In her free time, Asia enjoys shopping, cooking, and spending quality time with friends and family.

This class will discuss the benefits and importance of exercise and participants will be lead through a brief physical activity session that gives participants the basics of creating and completing a workout routine.

Der Holcomb is the Family & Consumer Science (FCS) Agent in Alexander County where she focuses on nutrition, food and food safety, and financial management. Der received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of NC Greensboro and is currently attending Appalachian State University to attain her Master in Nutrition. As a child of immigrant parents, Der has experience with a variety of food from many different cultures and that love of food has led her to a career where she can share her passion with her communities.

Patrice Dollar serves the Cooperative Extension Program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University as the Family Resource Management – Extension Associate. She provides leadership in programming for limited- resource audiences. Prior to joining N.C. A & T she served a regional coordinator for Lincoln University in St. Louis, MO, state specialist for the University of Georgia and regional specialist for the University of Missouri. Her work includes financial education programs for limited-resource, high risk, diverse families, and individuals in rural and urban areas as they work to improve their self- sufficiency. With more than 20 years of extension experience, Dollar has training in financial planning and education, essential coaching skills, leadership development, and program development. Her passion is to provide financial education for all.