Education and Communication Services works to improve and increase effectiveness through both learning and communication services. Our award-winning event management team specializes in creating branded events, conferences and educational components for the public health workforce. Our talented design and communication team specializes in creating infographics and data visualization, multi-media design, and publication design and our experienced facilitators provide the right blend of processes to support productive brainstorming, strategic planning, and process improvement. Our eLearning Solutions Team creates custom online training courses and multimedia presentations with a focus on outcomes-based education and real-world application. We work diligently with our client partners to communicate across multiple platforms, in ways that resonate with their audiences.
Michelle Napier-Dunnings, Chief Communications Officer
Michelle Napier-Dunnings
Chief Communications Officer
Michelle Napier-Dunnings, MFA, received her Masters from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed her undergraduate degree in psychology and biology from Earlham College. Michelle provides the Institute with leadership in communication, strategy and facilitation. She has extensive experience working with governmental agencies, educational institutions, businesses, and non-profits and was formerly the Director of Education at Michigan State University’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Michelle comes to MPHI as the Executive Director of Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS), working collaboratively to connect and empower diverse partners to improve regional and equitable food systems. Michelle is also the co-author of the book: Trust-Building: An Experiential Approach.
Kelly Coyle, JD
Director of Corporate Communications
Kelly Coyle came to MPHI in 2003, after graduating law school, where her concentration was Constitutional Law and Civil Rights. Prior to working at MPHI, Kelly interned for the Innocence Project and worked at the Michigan Elder Law Clinic. Kelly began her career at MPHI working with MDHHS on HIPAA privacy and security projects and later with the Department of Legal Affairs, assisting with the creation and communication of HIPAA privacy and security training. She also worked on several other projects, most notably the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration, an ONC project, where she served as co-chair for the Harmonizing State Privacy Law Collaboration, in her role as co-chair, Kelly presented nationally, and provided insight for the Health Policy Committee of the National Governor’s Association.
Hope Rollins, BS
Director of Education and Training
In her role as Director of Education and Training, she provides programmatic and administrative oversight for both the event management and continuing education teams that develop, produce and support over 300+ trainings and electronic educational offerings annually. Her work entails programmatic business development, quality assurance measures, and strategic outreach and promotion. Prior to coming to MPHI in 1999, she worked in ever increasing roles at Henry Ford Health System, including supervising the Medicare Risk Assessment Call Center and assisting in developing and implementing QI measures to meet NCQA and HEDIS® goals for JACHO accreditation/compliance. She serves on the board for Michigan Public Health Association and in various leadership roles within the American Public Health Association.
Michael Williams, MA
Director, Communication Services
Michael is the Communication Services Director, working at MPHI for over a decade; he supervises outstanding creative design and eLearning teams. Michael’s primary skills are facilitation, graphic design, presentation design, video development, training, and strategic communication. Michael earned a master’s degree in strategic communication, focusing on organizational leadership from Michigan State University. He believes that empathy, clarity, and curiosity are the essential tools for engaging in productive communication.
Akhil Kantipuly, MPH
Video Editor/Graphic Designer
Akhil earned a Bachelor of Arts in the Humanities from the University of Michigan. Beyond using digital media to examine community-facing issues and develop content for diverse audiences, he pursued a Master’s in Public Health (Drexel University) to further explore promoting positive outcomes. As a photographer and storyteller with a curiosity for data analysis, his work explores their creative visual dissemination. His projects include documenting the World Solar Challenge, where teams design, build and race the world’s fastest solar vehicles— and as a Design Researcher with Impact Veteran Center, he also shared the story of an artist and father who experienced housing displacement. In his spare time, Akhil likes to dabble in video/board games, cruise on a longboard, and make crafts.
Andrew Fournier, BFA
Senior Graphic Designer
Drew spent five years working in the horticultural world designing plant tags and marketing for MasterTag. Before that he was the graphic designer for Greenpeace. He is very excited to be working in the nonprofit world and is bringing with him over ten years of graphic design experience. When he is not working he loves playing with his son, backpacking, and loves to cook.
Christina Posler
Event Planner
Christina is a dedicated event industry veteran with over 20 years of designing, planning, producing, and executing memorable, meaningful, and impactful client events. Her work at The Ritz-Carlton and The Henry Ford has been nominated for several industry awards and in 2009 she was awarded the National Association of Catering Executive’s Caterer of the Year.
Her thoughtful approach in connecting with clients ensures objectives are clear and deliverables are met, while never losing focus on creating a remarkable participant experience.
She studied Communication and Public Relations at Michigan State University and is looking forward to serving MPHI clients and the communities they serve.
Corey Starmer
Event Planner
Corey Starmer has worked in the event-planning and -management field since graduating from Michigan State University in 2000. Traveling the country, she coordinated event marketing programs for an international automobile company. Here in Michigan, Corey has held multiple roles at a conference and banquet facility in sales, catering, and event management, and lead the logistical planning of over 50 trainings annually for hospital residency programs throughout the State.
Corey has worked with the MPHI Education and Training team as an event planner three separate times throughout her career. She brings her strong organizational skills to the planning and management of large-scale conferences and educational trainings, and is proud to be involved with the wider effort to improve the overall health status in Michigan and beyond.
Dee Chauvin, BA
Event Planner
Dee Chauvin (pronouns she/her/they/them) is a communications professional, who has spent the last ten years working with nonprofits serving survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Most recently, Dee worked at Michigan’s statewide sexual and domestic violence coalition, where she planned and facilitated dozens of in-person and virtual trainings for advocates and allied professionals. Dee received their bachelor’s degree studying journalism and mass communication at Olivet College. Dee lives with their partner and pets in Cereal City – Battle Creek, MI – the city that smells like Fruity Pebbles. In their spare time, Dee enjoys the outdoors, and finding homes for the Cats of Avenue B.
Frank Huber, BA
Financial Analyst
Frank Huber joined MPHI as a financial analyst in 2021. He has over 30 years of accounting experience in both the automotive and construction industries, with over half of those as a corporate controller. Frank was the lead accountant on large Historic Restoration projects in both Detroit and Toledo, and handled large complex audits with both the state and federal government regarding Historic Tax credits on these projects. As a financial analyst, Frank uses his experience to assist with developing budgets on new projects, updating budgets on existing projects, accounts payable and a host of other financial tasks.
Frank holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Finance and Accounting from Central Michigan University.
Holly Jakubowski, BFA
Graphic Designer
Holly Jakubowski is a Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and lifelong skateboarder. They has over five years of experience creating print media, and digital solutions for a broad range of clients at both local and national levels. The main source of inspiration in their work stems from incorporating photography, printmaking, collage, animation, and any other skill they collect along the way. They’re known for wearing a lot of hats, both literally and figuratively; and strives to use her skills in order to create, visually enhance, and spread awareness for projects, organizations, communities, and movements they feel the most passionate about.
Jamie Jozwiak, BS
Senior Design Analyst
As a Senior Design Analyst on MPHI’s Communications team, Jamie applies a unique background in mathematics, culinary arts, and graphic design in finding compelling ways to streamline comprehensive public health concepts through the creation of reports, infographics, and presentations. This work allows him to explore his creativity in new ways with the added satisfaction of knowing his work is making it easier for others to understand and appreciate the vast and sometimes complex world of public health. Jamie loves his job and enjoys coming to work every day, but when he is not in the office, his attention quickly shifts to his daughter, Caroline. During the pandemic, she became an honorary member of the Communications team, joining Teams calls and giving her opinions whenever possible. They love to cook together, play games, read books, ride bikes, and cheer on Michigan State and the Detroit Tigers.
Kate Vuckovich, JD
Event Planner
Kate is from Upstate New York where she graduated from St. Lawrence University. She moved to Michigan’s Capitol Area in 2010 where she earned her law degree from Western Michigan University Law School. She has been a professor since 2017, teaching Business Law & Ethics. Kate’s primary focus is planning in-person events, virtual events, marketing, recruitment, and reviewing contracts.
At MPHI, Kate utilizes her knowledge to assist clients achieve their goals and desired event outcome.
She is currently an active member of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP)
Kirstan Jolin, CMP
Associate Director for the ECS-Education and Training Team
With over 25 years at MPHI, Ms. Jolin has served in ever increasing roles. As a Certified Meeting Professional in her position as the associate director for the Education and Training Team she works collaboratively between our partners, finance team, and staff on all financial and programmatic matters. This includes financial forecasting, monitoring, and risk mitigation to achieve optimal client satisfaction and high quality deliverables. As a mentor/coach, she additionally supervises half of the event management team and serves in various leadership roles.
Kris Dickens, BS
Event Planner
With over 20 years of social work experience in child welfare and adoption, Kris joined MPHI in 2021 with a passion and commitment to the well-being of others, social justice and health equity. As an Event Planner, her experience in building relationships, project and program management, outreach and training and education will be an asset in providing an innovative and quality partnerships.
Linda Holton
Event Planner and CES Administrator
As administrator of MPHI’s Continuing Education Solutions team, Linda oversees continuing education opportunities for all of our clients. She collaborates with each client to ensure they receive the maximum amount of educational opportunities for their participants. The Continuing Education Solutions team promotes MPHI’s ability to be a joint provider for educational opportunities with contact hours for all professions. We are currently an approved provider for nursing, social work, CPH, and IBCLC. In addition, we work with national and state accreditors to provide educational hours for other professionals (i.e. physicians, pharmacists, teachers, health educators, dieticians, etc.). Linda brings years of administrative management to our team and has also completed ToP Facilitation training in 2017.
Marcus Cooper, MA
Event Planner
Marcus graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He will graduate with a Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Purdue University in May 2021. He started his career in Event Planning with Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts working with Disney Housing and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Marcus also worked with Saginaw Valley State University as an Event and Conference Coordinator. As an Event Planner at MPHI, Marcus utilizes his education and background in hospitality to craft a seamless event experience for all clients and guests. This includes the coordination and facilitation of meetings, as well as identifying and executing various technological solutions for virtual events.
Sami Chau, MA
Event Planner
Sami graduated from Durham University in Durham, United Kingdom with a Master of Arts in International Relations. She previously served in AmeriCorps for two years, where she found her passion for working in the nonprofit industry and giving back to the community. Her pursuit for knowledge and experience landed her Capital Area Women’s Lifestyle’s Up & Coming Award in 2018. As an Event Planner at MPHI, she combines creative thinking with hands-on skills to deliver great events. Sami enjoys participating in the community and bringing positivity to those around her.
Skyler Thurston, BDMT
Video Editor / Graphic Designer II
As a Video Editor / Graphic Designer II, Skyler creates professional-quality videos for a variety of clients to help inform, educate, and communicate the vital work they do. He also creates all other forms of digital and print media a company might need. He is a swiss army knife of designers; if a design needs designing he can design it. Skyler Thurston came to MPHI in 2017 after working for an independent movie company as a Visual FX artist. He earned a Bachelor of Digital Media Technology from Baker College with an Associate’s degree in Computer Animation, giving him his strong background in video creation and all forms of graphic design.
He has always been passionate about making videos, and often he has been quoted saying, “I know how they did that” when watching the special FX in blockbuster movies. In addition to watching movies, he enjoys playing games, learning new skills, and getting out into nature in his free time.
Stephanie Rathbun, BS, CGMP, GMS, CTA
Event Planner
Stephanie Rathbun is the Interactive Learning and Conference Center Manager and Program Associate with the Education and Training Department of MPHI. Her current projects include WIC Breastfeeding Trainings and ToP Facilitation Methods Training. She has over 20+ years in business operational, administrative and financial services and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in resource allocation management, daily office operations, business workflow and logistics, customer service, and executive reporting. Stephanie Rathbun previously worked at Ingham County Health Department as admin support for Maternal Infant Health, Healthy Start, Nurse Family Partnership and other home visiting programs. Stephanie Rathbun holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University and has completed the ToP Facilitaion training course.
Stephanie Reed, BA, CMP, DES, CTA, GMS
Education and Training Manager
Stephanie Reed joined MPHI in 2017 and has 7+ years of experience in project and event coordination. As the Education and Training Manager, she is responsible for coaching staff through the entire planning process for both in person and virtual events including coordinating logistics, presenters, venue/virtual platform selection, obtaining Continuing Education credits, creating a smooth registration process for attendees, developing event branding, and onsite staffing. She has worked with diverse stakeholders to reach consensus and turn their concepts and overall vision into successful training events. Stephanie Reed’s focus is on increasing quality and effectiveness through continuous process improvement and a thorough understanding of finance and budgets. She has spearheaded several projects in order to standardize and streamline MPHI’s processes.
Stephanie R. is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in Communication, and a minor in Sociology. She is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Digital Event Strategist (DES), and a Government Meeting Specialist (GMS). She is currently an active member of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP).
Tom Phillips, BA
Graphic Designer
Tom Phillips graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design. He brings over 25 years of experience in brand identity, print and digital design to MPHI, having worked with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to one-person shops, and having collaborated on many projects in the healthcare industry. His past work with Meijer, Whirlpool, Children’s Ballet Theater and Michigan State Police has been recognized with local and regional ADDY advertising awards.
Tom’s expertise includes Adobe Creative Suite, HTML and CSS coding, WordPress and other content management systems, and includes an old-school prepress background (from back when print jobs were output to film). He has begun to test the waters in stock illustration with contributions to Adobe Stock, and is a current member of the Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance.
Wendi VeCasey
Event Associate
In her role as Events Assistant, Wendi serves as a liaison with customers and the Event Management team in the daily management of services, which includes responding to email inquiries, continuing education tracking, reporting and distribution of continuing education certificates and certificates of attendance. She also assists with training and conference event preparatory tasking.
Wendi V. joined the MPHI team in 2019 and brings with her 25+ years’ experience of daily office operations including Human Resources and Payroll in which she has developed exceptional organizational and analytical skills as well as top-notch customer service.
Nicole Wood
Social Media and Communications Specialist
Nicole Wood serves as the Social Media and Communications Specialist for MPHI. She is a science communication expert specializing in outreach via social media. Her previous education at Central Michigan University and her research experiences were focused on ecological work in the Great Lakes Basin. She has presented her Great Lakes research at numerous conferences and has hosted multiple science communication workshops across North America to educate fellow scientists on the best ways to communicate effectively with their audiences. Nicole is excited to bring her experiences to public health and to answer the call of service caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caitlin Still
eLearning Course Coordinator
Caitlin Still is an eLearning Course Coordinator with MPHI. She moved to Michigan in 2017 to enjoy the beautiful lakes and wonderful people, but has since returned to her home in Colorado. Caitlin has experience in Training and Public Speaking, but enjoys her position because she is able to help others learn and grow with new forms of technology and learning. In her free time, Caitlin’s passion is animals; she volunteers at the Denver Zoo, and is a foster and volunteer for the local humane society. She has fostered over 40 animals, focusing on special needs or hospice animals. Whether at work or elsewhere, Caitlin feels most happy helping others become the best that they can be; creating courses that help those in public health serve has made being an eLearning Course Coordinator her perfect fit.
Cory Lammers, BS
eLearning Manager
Cory Lammers has been developing eLearning solutions with the Michigan Public Health Institute since joining the company over a decade ago.
He received his B.S in Written Communication from Eastern Michigan University in 2006 and obtained a Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology from Michigan State University in 2012. Cory is energized working with clients and Subject Matter Experts to transform complex concepts and materials into engaging and effective eLearning. In addition to the development of eLearning materials, Cory and his team administer multiple Learning Management Systems (LMS), providing clients with utilization and feedback reports to provide continuous improvement to the social workers, nurses, doctors, and other public health professionals who benefit from MPHI’s vast partnerships.
In his spare time, Cory and his wife enjoy listening to vinyl records and exploring Michigan’s fine craft breweries with their pug mix, Bijou.
Judy Spanogle, BSBA
ILC Conference Center Customer Service Assistant
Judy serves as a Customer Service Assistant for MPHI’s Interactive Learning and Conference Center (ILC). She provides scheduling, catering, room setup, and administrative support to the internal and external clients who utilize the ILC. Judy has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Wayne State University, and is preparing for the PMP certification exam. She brings a background in meeting and event planning, along with project management, office management, and editing to the ECS team. Judy is a huge believer in the power of community to provide the foundation for building an equitable society. She is known for her organizational skills and for her willingness to step in and help out. In her free time, Judy enjoys exploring the Lansing area’s many parks and natural landscapes with her dog and camera in tow.
Dean Bolton
Manager, Interactive Learning and Conference Center
Dean has been part of the Interactive Learning and Conference Center (ILC) team since 2017. He manages and supports the operations of the conference center located on MPHI’s Okemos campus. Dean brings many years of experience as a theatre stage manager and retail store owner to his work, providing ILC guests an experience tailored to their specific needs with a wide variety of technology and other services available.
Jennifer Clark
Communications and ILC Administrative Assistant
Jennifer serves as an Administration Assistant for the Communications team and is also a member of the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) team. In her roles, Jennifer supports the daily activities of both staff and clients and assists the management team with a variety of administrative tasks. Her priority is helping the teams succeed and staying positive to create a more enjoyable work environment for herself and her co-workers. Jennifer has a passion for health equity and social justice and is proud to be a part of the great work at MPHI.
Samantha Fox, PhD
eLearning Developer
Sam graduated from Binghamton University (SUNY) in 2017 with a PhD in sociology. Her work on structural inequalities in the world-economy continues to influence her work outside of academia. She joined MPHI as an eLearning developer in 2022. At MPHI, she combines her interests in lifelong learning, anti-oppression work, and creativity in the design of eLearning opportunities. Outside of wage work, she is accomplished hounds person with a pack of AKC field and conformation basset hounds.
Shania Henderson, BA
Video Editor/Graphic Designer
Shania Henderson is a Video Editor/ Graphic Designer on the ECS team. Shania graduated from Oakland University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Cinema Studies with a Specialization in Filmmaking. Since graduating, she has worked in the Independent Film scene, recording and mixing audio for short films and documentaries. As well as being the Video Production Intern at TechSmith. I have too many hobbies to count; I’ve done it at one point. A few recent examples are crocheting, reading, kayaking, and gardening.
Vedavathi Narasimha Murthy, MS
Instructional Designer
Veda Murthy is an Instructional Designer with MPHI. Prior to joining MPHI, she was an Instructional Designer and an Operations Specialist at a mortgage company. Veda holds a master’s degree in science from Bangalore University, India, and an associate degree in graphic design from Penn Foster College. Veda has been living in Michigan for the past 13 years with her husband and 2 daughters. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, and painting. She likes to paint in different mediums like watercolors and gouache.
Jenna Natwick
Communication Content and Copywriting Specialist
Jenna serves as Communication Content and Copywriting Specialist for MPHI. She is a passionate writer, spending both her working hours and most of her free time honing her skills. Jenna is a proud Spartan, graduating from Michigan State University in the Spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a minor in Public Relations. There she developed a love for corporate communications through her course work and internship opportunities. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up on a couch somewhere binging movies or TV with family and friends.
Location & Info
Education & Communication Services
2438 Woodlake Circle
Okemos, MI 48864
Ph: 517-324-7341
Fax: 517-324-6080
ecs@mphi.org
events.mphi.org