UTAH TOBACCO-FREE ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Ashley Linschoten works for the TriCounty Health Department in Vernal, UT as their Health Promotions Supervisor. She received her undergrad in Community Nutrition and graduated with her MPH (Master of Public Health) degree in May 2022, both from Utah State University. She is passionate about helping people prevent chronic disease through lifestyle modifications like diet, exercise, and abstaining from tobacco use. In her spare time she likes to do active things like exploring the outdoors with her husband, two little boys, and her dog Zoey or doing nothing like watching Jazz games. She is excited to work with the Utah Tobacco Free Alliance and help move this great work forward!
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of Business Workgroup
Cassandra Fairclough works for the Utah Department of Health in the Environmental Sanitation Program. She holds a BS in Sociology and a Masters degree in Social Work. She has almost 20 years' experience in the tobacco prevention and control area. She provides technical assistance and educational trainings/presentations to local health departments, the public, managers/owners/landlords and property management companies on the Secondhand Smoke Amendments and promoting voluntary smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing. Her responsibility in the Environmental Sanitation Program include environmental health contracts and contract reporting, is involved with various CLEHA committees, including the Utah Indoor Clean Air committee and helps with writing of the UICAA rule. She currently creates the UEHA newsletter. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Utah and practices at family counseling center. She enjoys hiking, camping, reading, crafting, traveling to visit her three grandchildren and spending time with friends and family.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Clinical and Health Systems Workgroup
Dr. Dixie Harris is a pulmonary (lung), critical care and sleep physician at Intermountain Healthcare and a Fellow of American Academy of Chest Physicians. She has a special interest in treating patients with asthma, COPD and tobacco related lung disease. She has been the clinical lead in the investigation of EVALI (electronic cigarette and vaping related lung injury) team at Intermountain Healthcare. The team is currently studying the long-term effects of EVALI. She is interested in prevention efforts ongoing lung disease especially in regard to smoking cigarettes and vaping.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Community Advocacy and Education Workgroup
- Director for the Utah Substance Use
Liz Klc serves as the Director for the Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Advisory Council (USAAV+), an advisory council to the Governor's Office. The mission of the USAAV+ Council is to create and coordinate a comprehensive strategy to eliminate substance use and mental health disorders throughout Utah. She works with many different groups to represent the interests and concerns of behavioral health professionals and populations and advises the Governor and Legislature on proposed policy and works with the USAAV+ Council to generate unity for the State's ongoing efforts to best address behavioral health issues. Liz earned her Master of Public Administration degree from Brigham Young University and worked with the Utah Behavioral Healthcare Committee at the Utah Association of Counties. She loves to travel and enjoy the local cuisine, but as a native Utahn, she loves small town rodeos, snow skiing, and fry sauce.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Community Outreach at Huntsman Cancer Institute
Garrett Harding is the Associate Director of Community Outreach at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). In this role, he assesses need for, implements, and evaluates cancer prevention education and community outreach efforts across the state of Utah and the Mountain West region. Mr. Harding works in collaboration with internal clinical and research programs and external community partners to build capacity for community engagement and identify collaborative projects that address health equity in targeted populations. In his nine years at HCI, Mr. Harding has worked tirelessly to increase awareness of melanoma and radon gas; expand access to cancer screening and education in rural/frontier areas of Utah; and implement a tobacco-free campus policy at the University of Utah, among other projects.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of Business Workgroup
Jesse Joseph is the Asthma Program Coordinator for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) where he mobilizes and supports partner organizations, like the Asthma Task Force, and leads strategic planning efforts to reduce the burden of asthma in Utah. Prior to his current role, Jesse worked for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at DHHS and as a Health Educator at Bear River Health Department. He previously served as the Secretary and President of the Utah Society of Public Health Educators. Jesse has a bachelor's in health education and promotion from Utah State University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. When he is not working, he spends time with his family playing soccer, hiking, and eating ice cream.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Clinical and Health Systems Workgroup
- Senior Community Health Specialist for Primary Children 's Hospital
Karlee Kump is a Senior Community Health Specialist for Primary Children's Hospital. In this role, she has the opportunity to work in the community developing and supporting activities for healthier and happier children and youth. She also develops strategy and programming for health initiatives that align with the Community Health Needs Assessment. Karlee is an advocate for health education and improving the quality of life for our communities. She received her BS degree in Public Health from Brigham Young University and an MS in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Utah. She does not have any allegiances to either school but appreciates the education she received at both. She is the current co-chair with Dr. Harris for the Health Systems Workgroup within UTFA.
Lynette Hansen has been employed in Quality Management in the health care field for over 30 years. Her assignments have included Quality Consultant in a behavioral health care setting, Quality Manager, Director of Clinical Outcomes, Manager of Population Health, Wellness, and Prevention, and at Molina Healthcare since 2013 as Director of QI for Utah, Regional Director of QI for NY, NM, TX, OH, WA, CA, and WI, and currently as Associate VP of Quality Improvement and Risk Adjustment for Utah and Idaho.
She served on faculty at the University of Phoenix for 10 years where she taught courses in Business Management, Diversity, Sociology, Marketing, Nursing and Health Administration, and Humanities. She gave up teaching in 2011 when she became a grandmother - one of her greatest accomplishments. She received her Master's degree in Organizational Behavior and Business Education from Brigham Young University and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Lynette and her husband served as Guest Service Missionaries on Temple Square for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prior to the COVID pandemic.
Mariela Thompson is a Health Educator in the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at the Bear River Health Department. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Public Health from Utah State University. Mariela has the pleasure of running the BRHD's Governing Youth Council where they get to inform their elected officials about issues in their communities; one of them being vaping. A lot of Mariela's work involves working with schools to maintain/implement comprehensive tobacco policies to include evidence-based intervention and cessation resources as an alternative to punitive measures. She also gets to work with partners to increase access to cessation and prevention resources in the community. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her husband and dog either outside hiking, going on a walk, or watching a good movie!
Mercedes Rodriguez currently works for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services under the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program as a Program Coordinator. Her main role is the coordination of the Youth Electronic Cigarettes, Marijuana, and Other Drugs Prevention Program (YEMOP). Mercedes has worked in prevention for the last 6 years. She started her work in prevention when she joined the Evidence2Success Kearns Community Coalition as their Coordinator and worked with Salt Lake County Health Department.
Mercedes has a master's degree in public health from Westminster College and she currently is working on becoming a Certified Public Manager through the UVU Woodbury School of Business, Department of Communication, and UVU College of Health and Public Service. Last year, she became certified to teach the Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) for the State of Utah and she is part of various internal work groups from the Office of Health Promotion and Prevention which include the SHARP Advisory Committee and the Schools Workgroup. Mercedes enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys learning new things, exploring new cultures, and eating yummy food. Mercedes is fluent in Spanish and was born and raised in El Salvador.
Job Titles:
- American Heart Association 's Utah Government Relations Director
- Co - Chair of the Community Advocacy and Education Workgroup
Noah is the American Heart Association's Utah Government Relations Director. Raised in Colorado, Noah has called Salt Lake City home since 2014. He has a B.A. in Sociology from Western Colorado University and his Master's in Public Administration from the University of Utah. Prior to joining the American Heart Association, he worked in environmental policy and advocacy to help ensure healthy communities and a thriving natural environment. Noah is thrilled to contribute to the incredible work of helping forge longer, healthier lives for all Utahns. When not going to bat for our communities, you can find Noah on his snowboard, mountain bike, or enjoying the wonderful cultural experiences Salt Lake City has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Leadership Commissioner for Utah PTA
Todd Hougaard is the Student Leadership Commissioner for Utah PTA. He is involved in prevention and advocacy efforts in the State of Utah to help bring awareness to ways parents and community members can participate in the prevention of substance abuse, underage drinking, suicide, and violence. Todd works as a Freelance Videographer and he and his wife have four children. He has worked with youth in various capacities with PTA and his church for years. He resides in South Jordan, Utah.