Board of Directors
About our Board
CPHA’s Board of Directors brings together public health professionals from across Connecticut who represent a wide range of expertise, organizations, and perspectives. More than an advisory body, ours is a working board whose members actively lead and carry out much of CPHA’s programming, advocacy, partnerships, and member engagement. Together, they set the Association’s priorities and put them into action to strengthen public health across Connecticut.
Meet the public health leaders who make CPHA’s work possible.
Executive Committee
President
Co-chair of the Program Planning Committee
Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin
Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin is the President of the Connecticut Public Health Association and the inaugural Executive Director of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health for the Connecticut General Assembly. She is a public health and public policy professional, focused on the systems that shape our health options and outcomes. Prior to her current role, she served as the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative’s executive director, where she advocated for oral health access and equity throughadvancements in coverage and financing, workforce development, and medical-dental integration. Pareesa has also worked in state-level policy analysis and advocacy at Community Catalyst, in municipal policy and practices to support recovery from substance use disorders for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and in health policy research focused on financing strategies for children and youth with special health care needs on public and private insurance. She serves on the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund Board, the Connecticut Children’s Behavioral Health Plan Implementation Advisory Board, and the Capital Child Development Center Board of Directors. She holds a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health.
Executive Director
Immediate-Past President
Elizabeth Schwartz
Elizabeth Schwartz is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Public Health Association, and the Immediate-Past President of both CPHA and The Connecticut Society for Public Health Education (CT SOPHE). Following a lengthy career in the private sector, she has spent the last decade following her passion in public health, engaging in non-profit management, community practice, and academic instruction. She has been on the CPHA board since 2016, and looks forward to helping the organization continue to meet the evolving needs of the public health community throughout the state.
Elizabeth dreams of living in a world scripted by Aaron Sorkin, scored by upbeat, one-hit wonders, and where absolutely everyone has access to outstanding healthcare & exceptional public education. In her free time, she is an avid baker, photographer, and escape room enthusiast. She has an incurable case of wanderlust.
President-Elect
Co-chair of the Program Planning Committee
Chloe Johnson
Chloe Johnson is an organized, highly driven public health and higher education practitioner with academic interests in research and teaching focused on chronic diseases, including HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. She is deeply committed to student success and wellbeing, health equity, health promotion and education, and social justice.
Chloe holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Southern Connecticut State University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a concentration in Public Health from Eastern Connecticut State University. She currently works at Yale University in the Internal Medicine Section of Infectious Diseases, where she provides program coordination for Ryan White Part A and Part B grants and supervises MCMs. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University. Her previous experience includes conducting HIV and aging research at Yale University.
Chloe is actively involved with the Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA), where she serves as President-Elect, Website and Database Manager, and Co-Chair of the Program Planning Committee, and previously served as Director of the Board. She is also a 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher through Yoga In Our City (YIOC), offering free community-based yoga classes in parks across Connecticut.
In her free time, Chloe enjoys traveling, reading, yoga, and dancing.
Secretary
Affiliate Representative to APHA's Governing Council
Randy Domina
Randy Domina, MPH, is a local health officer, public health educator, EMT and volunteer firefighter. He currently serves as the Connecticut Public Health Association's Secretary and is its Affiliate Representative to the Governing Council. He is part of the American Public Health Association's Council of Affiliates where he proudly serves on the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee, and is the APHA ARGC Region 1 coordinator for all of New England.
Randy spent his early career working with at-risk youth, directing an environmental health education center, and running an independent business. After receiving his MPH, Randy spent many years working as the Connecticut Department of Public Health's Workforce Development Coordinator. He is currently the President-Elect of a community housing improvement program. A former rock climber and scuba diver, Randy owns a tiny house that he built himself, and in his free time, he loves to take people sailing.
CPHA's Councils
Academic Advisory Council
Anuli Njoku, Council Chair
Dr. Anuli Njoku is a Professor in the Department of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University. In 2023, she was selected as a Fulbright Specialist of Global/Public Health and completed a project in Brazil. Her research interests include social determinants of health, health disparities, environmental health, women’s health, rural health, and culturally responsive pedagogy. She has over 17 years of teaching experience, including developing and teaching over 20 undergraduate and graduate public health courses. She has over 50 publications and has presented over 50 peer-reviewed conference proceedings at the regional, national and international levels.
Public Health Advisory Council
Rob Rubbo, Council Chair
Committees
Awards Committee Chair
Karl Minges
Karl E. Minges, Ph.D., MPH is the Chair of the CPHA Awards Committee. Actively engaged with CPHA since 2019, Dr. Minges has also served as Director-at-Large and co-Chair of the Health Education Committee.
Dr. Minges serves as Dean of the College of Health Professions at Sacred Heart University, which is home to 13 clinical and non-clinical programs, encompassing 100 full-time faculty and staff, and 1,800 students. Formerly, Dr. Minges was associate professor and associate dean for research in the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven. He served as chair of the Department of Population Health & Leadership and founding director of the Master of Public Health program, and from 2021 to 2022 he was interim dean of the School of Health Sciences.
Dr. Minges is an expert in improving health systems through clinical decision-making, quality measurement, and evaluation of healthcare interventions. Cited 3800 times with an h-index of 30, Minges has authored over 65 publications in leading journals including JAMA, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation, and Health Psychology. He recently completed an NIH award focused on reducing rehospitalization in skilled nursing facilities. His research has also been supported by the Department of Justice, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, and the State of Connecticut, with over $6M secured in grants. In January 2023, his leadership and contributions to public health were highlighted in Connecticut Magazine’s “40 Under 40” recognition. Dr. Minges earned his Ph.D. at Yale University in 2016, his MPH degree at Columbia University in 2010 and was a Fulbright Scholar to Australia.
Communication Committee Co-Chairs
Anna Price
Dr. Anna Price is a Professor of Public Health at Sacred Heart University. Her research focuses on environmental and policy supports for health equity. She also serves as a consultant, providing market research to inform strategic communication. Dr. Price is MCHES- and CPH-certified and a Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior.
Kate Durocher
Kate Durocher is an award-winning marketing and strategic communications leader focused on public health and community engagement. She has led high-impact campaigns for federal health agencies including CDC, SAMHSA, AHRQ, and HRSA, translating complex health information into clear, audience-centered messaging that drives awareness, behavior change, and action to advance health equity and improve public health outcomes.
Health Education Committee Co-Chairs
Kristin Guertin
Dr. Kristin Guertin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Guertin is a chronic disease epidemiologist with expertise in the design, conduct, and analysis of epidemiologic studies. Her recent and ongoing studies focus on outcomes including ovarian cancer survival, Type 1 Diabetes, and COVID-19.
Dr. Guertin’s formal training is in nutrition (PhD, Cornell 2013) and epidemiology (MPH in Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale 2008). She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics where she developed expertise in self-reported diet, smoking, and metabolomics.
Fernanda Page
bio
Membership Committee Chair
Jennifer Schindler- Ruwisch
Jennifer Schindler-Ruwisch, DrPH is currently an Associate Professor of Public Health at Fairfield University. She completed her DrPH in Health Behavior at The George Washington University and her MPH at Columbia University. Dr. Schindler-Ruwisch is interested in technology that impacts health, like AI, and is especially passionate about maternal-child health. Her current research focuses on reducing maternal health disparities, factors that influence breastfeeding initiation and duration, and mobile health (mhealth) and AI as a means of health promotion, particularly in pregnant and postpartum populations. Additionally, she actively participates in community-based participatory research grounded in social justice. She enjoys serving on the Board of the Connecticut Public Health Association to enhance membership outreach and on the Board of the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition to advocate for policies and supports for breastfeeding families.
Mentorship Committee Chair
Maggie Litwin
Maggie Litwin (she/her) is the Deputy Director of Southwestern Area Health Education Center (AHEC) where she has worked since October 2016. Maggie assists the Executive Director in oversight and implementation of all the agency programs. She oversees and implements the Immunization Action Plan (IAP) Program for the cities of Bridgeport and Stamford, and the town of Greenwich. The IAP program is designed to increase immunization rates here in Connecticut. Maggie is an active member of the Connecticut Public Health Association’s board, specifically with her role Chairing and representing the Mentors on Request Committee. Maggie earned both her Master’s and Bachelor’s in Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University. Maggie is deeply passionate about all things public health and ensuring we have a strong public health workforce for a better and more equitable future.
Directors-At-Large
Michele Scott
Michele Scott is a Tribal Councilor for the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation. She is the Chairwoman for the Tribe’s Health & Human Services Committee and Economic Development Committee. Prior to being elected to the Tribal Council, she served as the Executive Director of the Health Education Center of Connecticut. Michele is deeply committed to health equity, tribal self-governance, strategic planning, and ethical research that respects tribal sovereignty.
Her dedication to community development extends into the broader community to represent the Tribe. Councilor Scott currently serves on Connecticut boards including United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, Hartford HealthCare Eastern Region, and Connecticut Public Health Association. She is an appointed member of the Connecticut AHEAD Advisory Committee and the General Assembly’s Transforming Children’s Behavioral (TCB) Health Policy and Planning Committee. She is the Vice President of the Connecticut chapter of International Women’s Forum. Nationally, Councilor Scott extends her time to represent Mashantucket as Delegate for the National Institute of Health’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), Tribal Self-Governance TAC, and the Indian Gaming Association Board.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University, Master of Science degree from Quinnipiac University, and Certification in Genealogical Research from Boston University. Councilor Scott is an enrolled citizen of Mashantucket and is equally proud of her Eastern Pequot, Narragansett, Shinnecock, and Black ancestry. She resides on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation with her family.
T. J. Clarke, II
Clarke is married to Ayesha R. Clarke and is the father of two young sons, Thomas III and Ayden Alexander. TJ is the co-founder and Chairman of the Emerging Leaders Network, an organization that was instrumental in resurrecting Connecticut’s African American Parade in the summer of 2015.
Previously, TJ had the pleasure of serving as an Assistant to the Mayor and Chief of Staff and Director of TJ has a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Salem International University and a Bachelor's in Technical Management with a concentration in Project Management from DeVry University. TJ is also a member of The Citadel of Love and serves as an elder in the church. Council President Clarke is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., the Greater Hartford Chapter of the National Black MBA and the Greater Hartford NAACP Branch. He also currently serves on the board of Upper Albany Main Street and Blue Hills Civic Association. Constituent Services for the Office of Mayor Pedro E. Segarra. In addition to overseeing the Constituent Services Office, TJ worked as a Community Liaison to various neighborhoods within the city. TJ also worked as the Director of Workforce Development and Training for Urban League of Greater Hartford. Currently, Thomas works as the Special Initiatives Coordinator for United States Senator Chris Murphy. His chief responsibility is to oversee the Senator’s Urban Affairs agenda, with a particular focus on President Obama’s Promise Zone and My Brother’s Keeper Initiatives.
Section
Community Health Workers' Association
Millie Seguinot
Millie is a Certified Community Health Worker, Independent Contractor, Adjunct Professor at Gateway Community College, and Executive Director of the Community Health Workers Association of Connecticut. She was selected as an Ambassador for the National Association of Community Health Workers in 2019, representing Connecticut and New England. She teaches the Community Health Worker Core Competency Course and the CHW Training Program at Gateway Community College. Previously, she served as a Navigator Key Staff for Access Health CT, coordinating support for insurance enrollment. As Executive Director of CHWACT, she focuses on enhancing health outcomes, reducing costs, and addressing disparities for people of color. Millie has extensive experience with diverse populations in areas like housing, education, and chronic diseases. She holds numerous certificates, and a degree from the University of Puerto Rico, and is a proud mother and grandmother.
