Meet Our Board
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
Teresa Wagner, DrPH, MS, CPH, RD/LD, CPPS, CHWI, DipACLM, CHWC
Dr. Wagner is a registered and licensed dietitian with a doctorate in public health. An Assistant Professor at UNT Health Science Center and Interim Director / Clinical Executive for Health Literacy at SaferCare Texas, she’s certified in Patient Safety, Lifestyle Medicine, Health Coaching and a certified Community Health Worker Instructor.
Dr. Wagner has delivered multiple programs, speaking engagements and trainings on health literacy issues. Her research focuses on alleviating health disparities in underserved communities through health literacy to improve population health. She works closely with Community Health Workers building workforce capacity to meet community needs to abate barriers causing health disparities in under-resourced and rural communities. As a result of her work, she has received the 2018 Texas Health Literacy Hero Award as well as the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas Christian University.
VICE PRESIDENT
Melanie Stone, MPH, MEd
Melanie Stone directs the Community Service Learning (CSL) program through the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. This innovative program promotes student and faculty engagement with community organizations in conducting service projects which benefit medically underserved populations in Texas. She is adjunct faculty at The University of Texas School of Public Health, San Antonio regional campus. Ms. Stone is passionate about public health and enjoys integrating a public health focus into an academic health science center. Her expertise is health literacy, and she helps bring health literacy awareness, knowledge, and skills to the future health care professional workforce. She is currently Co-Investigator on a multi-year US Department of Health and Human Services grant “Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19.” She is actively involved in the community, serving as Vice President of Health Literacy Texas and on the governing council of the Texas Public Health Association. She is an alumni of Leadership San Antonio and Leadership Texas. Formerly, Ms. Stone supervised a community clinic outreach program, coordinated research for a large public health study, served as a public school teacher, and managed the outreach and education section of University Health System's CareLink program. She earned a bachelors degree in biology and anthropology from Trinity University and masters degrees in public health from UT School of Public Health and education from Texas State University. She is currently a candidate for the doctor of public health degree at UT School of Public Health.
DIRECTOR OF MEMBER ENGAGEMENT & FUND DEVELOPMENT, PRESIDENT ELECT
Caitlin C. Walker, PT, DPT, MBA
Dr. Caitlin C. Walker is an organizational leader and development coach and consultant. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, she has served the rural and under-resourced communities of central Texas for over a decade and has provided development support for individuals and organizations throughout the country and around the world. Her experience includes leading learning and development and clinical education for a rural healthcare system as the Director of Education and empowering life change as the VP of Program Delivery and Student Experience for a tech-career accelerator.
In addition to her clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Texas State University, Dr. Walker holds a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi and certifications in life and executive coaching, organizational development, learning and development, talent acquisition, and diversity and inclusion. She has also completed management and leadership training with Johns Hopkins University and is currently completing a graduate certificate in Learning Design and Technology from Harvard Extension School. In addition to her work with Health Literacy Texas, she also volunteers as the Education Officer for Texas Emerging Leaders.
SECRETARY
Anabel Rodriguez, PhD, MPH
Dr. Anabel Rodriguez is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and seasonal migrant farmworkers from the South Texas border town of Rio Grande City and an Assistant Professor at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Outreach Program Director for the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) and serves as Senior Personnel for two Core Functions: (1) Preparedness at Small Rural Healthcare Systems and (2) Business and Food Chain Preparedness in the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI) headquartered at UTHealth Houston. For the past eight years, Dr. Rodriguez’s research and outreach efforts have focused on improving occupational health and safety among Spanish and Mayan-speaking agricultural working populations. Most recently, her work has focused on identification and prevention of tuberculosis, healthcare access and barriers, vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, and facilitating on-farm COVID-19 vaccines for agricultural workers (and their families) in the Texas Panhandle, Rio Grande Valley, and El Paso.
On her free time, Dr. Rodriguez enjoys hiking with her two goldendoodles—Shiner and Tejas—and husband, Grady, kayaking, mountain biking, visiting state parks, and gardening.
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MEMBER
Debra Flores, Ph.D., M.A., CCHWI
Dr. Flores has over 35 years of experience in the medical field specifically in nursing, healthcare management and public health. Her expertise includes grant writing, program implementation, program evaluation, healthcare transformation, rural health, patient navigation, chronic disease management, community outreach, health literacy and community health worker training and development.
She is a certified CHW instructor, adjunct faculty for the MPH program at TTUHSC, a recurring faculty for TTUHSC SON, and a faculty affiliate for the Human Development and Family Studies Department at TTU. In her current position, Debra is an Assistant Professor and Program Director for the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration in the School of Health Professions at TTUHSC.
MEMBER
Laurie Long, MEd, MS, PhD
Dr. Laurie Long holds an M.Ed. in Communication Disorders, an M.S. in Healthcare Administration and a
Ph.D. in Public Administration and Management. She has over 35 years of professional experience that
spans the healthcare continuum.
Currently, Dr. Long is Texas Health Resources’ Community Health Improvement Program Director for
Strategic Initiatives. Her job responsibilities include developing, implementing, and evaluating Texas
Health’s CHI programs and strategic initiatives; building relationships with public and private
organizations; and facilitating the integration of internal and external resources for the shared goal of
improving community health and well-being. Dr. Long also works for the University of North Texas as an
adjunct professor.
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Christina Tuell, EdD, CHES
Dr. Tuell, trained in health sciences and education, is passionate about creating opportunities and building equitable pathways. Currently working as a postdoc research fellow on a HIV prevention and education grant and adjunct instructor, she remains actively engaged in the community and research. Her research interests include health literacy, technology-based health promotions, effects of tobacco use among rural populations, health disparities in racial, sexual and gender minorities, and intersectionality.
TREASURER
Mary Kathryn “Kate” Martin, MPH, MEd
Kate is a Research Coordinator with the UTHealth School of Public Health-Houston. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Marshall University located in West Virginia, her home state, a Masters of Education from the University of Virginia, and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston School of Public Health. Her career includes positions with the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, the TX Department of State Health Services, and a Federally Qualified Health Center-Community Health Center prior to coming to the School of Public Health. Kate was awarded the San Antonio Health Literacy Initiative’s Health Literacy Award in 2016.