Transtria

STAFF

President & Chief Executive Officer

Laura K. Brennan, PhD, MPH is President and Chief Executive Officer of Transtria and an assistant professor of Behavioral Science and Health Education in the Department of Community Health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health. For the past ten years, she has participated in designing and evaluating community-based initiatives, conducting community-based participatory approaches to intervention and research, developing and communicating health messages, creating evidence-based intervention strategies, and performing needs assessment through surveys, interviews and focus groups. She has participated in multiple projects nationally and in the state of Missouri to facilitate discussions among practitioners (health, transportation, urban planning, parks and recreation, community planning), researchers, providers, community members and advocacy groups to assist them in planning efforts to address social, economic and environmental influences on health. Dr. Brennan has published 16 peer reviewed articles studying behaviors and health and she is a co-author on Tailoring health messages: Customizing communication with computer technology. She participates on the Board of the Alliance for the Status of Missouri Women, Citizens for Modern Transit and the Missouri Family Health Council. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, jogging and playing volleyball.

Project Director

Allison Kemner, MPH (née Sweet) is a Project Director at Transtria. She works on the literature synthesis project called the Review of Environment and Policy Interventions for Childhood Obesity Prevention and serves as an Evaluation Officer to eleven communities for the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative. Allison also manages a project that uses system dynamics modeling with a local community to understand how social determinants influence childhood obesity. She completed her Master of Public Health degree at Saint Louis University School of Public Health with concentrations in Behavioral Science/Health Education and Epidemiology. She graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a BS in Community Health Education. While at Saint Louis University , Allison was a Research Assistant at the Health Communications Research Laboratory working on increasing cancer coverage in Black newspapers. After graduate school, she worked as an Income Development Representative for the American Cancer Society where she managed over 200 volunteers. In her spare time, Allison enjoys playing organized sports and cooking.

Project Managers

Tammy Behlmann, MPH (née Grimm) is a Project Manager at Transtria. Tammy received her MPH from Saint Louis University with concentrations in epidemiology and behavioral science. She completed her undergraduate degree at Truman State University with a Bachelor’s in Health Science. Tammy did her undergraduate internship at St. John’s Mercy in the NICU and volunteered at St. Anthony’s in the ER. Tammy’s public health interests are physical activity, infectious diseases, and cancer prevention. In her spare time she enjoys shopping and spending time with her husband and nephew.

Andrea Pipito, MS (née Lemke) is a Project Manager at Transtria. Andrea works on the Review of Environment and Policy Interventions for Childhood Obesity Prevention, granted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Andrea collaborates with a variety of national advisors to inform the field of public health, identifying research and practice limitations. She is compiling a large database of published literature in order to synthesize information fordissemination to multiple audiences. She was conferred a Master of Science degree in Anthropology, in 2010, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her academic research focused on behavioral endocrinology and disease transmission between human and non-human primates. Andrea has worked internationally as well as locally and brings a rich cultural perspective to her work. In addition to her academic research, Andrea spent one year working with a non-profit organization providing programs and opportunities to critically ill children in the Baltimore area. When Andrea is not at Transtria, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and camping.

Carl Filler, MSW is a Project Coordinator at Transtria.He serves as Evaluation Officer for the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative. He completed his Master of Social Work degree at Washington University in St. Louis’ George Warren Brown School of Social Work with a concentration in Health and specialization in Research. He graduated from the University of Rochester with a BA in History and holds a certificate in Japanese Language from Cornell University. Prior to coming to Transtria, Carl worked for the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis as a Project Manager as well as a Research Assistant for both the Health Communication Research Laboratory and the Center for Tobacco Policy Research. He has also worked for several years as a public school teacher and education specialist in rural Japan and New York City. In his spare time, Carl enjoys biking and mentoring local youth.

Jessica Stachecki, MSW, MBA (née Miller) is a Project Manager at Transtria. Jessica received her Master of Social Work and Master of Business Administration degrees from Washington University in St. Louis with concentrations in health and healthcare management, respectively. She completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. At Transtria, Jessica serves as an Evaluation Officer for nine communities for the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative. Prior to joining Transtria, Jessica was a Research Coordinator at the Early Emotional Development Program at Washington University School of Medicine. Her past public health projects include a project to increase participation in prostate cancer screening among low-income African American men, and work to enhance provision of breast health services to women in the Deaf community in St. Louis. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys spending time with family, cooking, running, and traveling.

Project Coordinator

Melissa Swank, MPH is a Project Coordinator at Transtria.

She received a BS in Biology from Davidson College with a focus on Marine Invertebrate Zoology, and with a concentration in pre-medical studies. While working in cancer research in Boston, MA, Melissa completed her Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, with a sub-focus on Bioethics, Human Rights and Health Law. Before joining Transtria, Melissa was the Manager of the Clinicial Trials Office at Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys chasing after her son, Charlie, and spending time with her wonderful husband, Chris. She also loves yoga (teaching and practicing), being active and enjoying the outdoors, cooking, and being with family and friends.

Financial Coordinator

Daedra Lohr, MS is the Financial Coordinator at Transtria. Daedra has her Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. Her previous employment includes Motorola and 8 years of financial experience at St. Louis Workout. In her spare time, Daedra enjoys working out and spending time with her husband, Jerry, and three children Alex, Andersen, and Lindsey.

Project Assistants

Shaina Sowles is a Project Assistant at Transtria. She graduated from the

University of Michigan where she received a BS degree in Brain Behavior and Cognitive Science and a Spanish minor. Shaina now attends Saint Louis University School of Public Health and is working towards her masters concentrating in Health Behavior and Health Education. In her spare time Shaina enjoys shopping, going to the movies, and traveling to visit her friends and family.

Brandye Mazdra, MPH (née Wilshire) is a Project Assistant at Transtria. She received her Bachelors degree in Psychology and her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Behavioral Science/Health Education at Saint Louis University.

She has worked on numerous projects focusing on community-based intervention development and evaluation in obesity prevention, health communication, maternal child health and mental health. She was project manager for two large-scale community-based intervention studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and American Cancer Society aimed at cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention in underserved children. Brandye enjoys reading, jogging and spending time with friends and family.

Katherine Brown, MPH is a Project Assistant at Transtria.

She graduated from Saint Louis University with a BS in Biology and a BA in Spanish, with a concentration in pre-medical studies. After working in various fields and being introduced to public health by a colleague with an Epidemiology degree, she was inspired to return to Saint Louis University and received a Masters of Public Health, with concentrations in Behavioral Science/Health Education and Epidemiology. Her interests include cooking, reading, traveling and practicing her Spanish.

Jocelyn Wagman is a Project Assistant at Transtria.

She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Public Health Studies in 2010. During her time at Hopkins and after graduation, Jocelyn has worked on a variety of public health projects in the Unites States and Latin America, ranging from documenting changes in urban food environments to increasing access to therapy for disabled children in Nicaragua. For fun, Jocelyn enjoys playing soccer, running, writing, reading and cooking.

Michele Bildner, MPH is a Project Assistant at Transtria.

She completed her Master of Public Health in Community Health Education from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Michele earned her BS in Dietetics from Fontbonne University in St. Louis. She has served with AmeriCorps as a nutrition educator and her other professional interests include health literacy, social marketing, and eliminating health disparities. Michele enjoys walking her dog, relaxing with family, and exploring the local food and music scenes.

Interns

Jason Roche is an intern at Transtria.

He graduated from Saint Louis University with a BA in Communications/Advertising and a Certificate in Marketing. He is pursuing his Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Behavioral Science/Community Health Education. He is currently a research assistant at the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis. His interests include health communication, urban planning, and bicycling.

Lauren Spaeth is an Intern at Transtria.

She graduated from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville where she received a B.A. degree in Speech Communication with a concentration in Interpersonal Communication and a minor in Business Administration/Marketing. Lauren is currently working towards her Masters in Speech Communication at SIUE with a concentration in Health Communication. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering, spinning, playing tennis, reading and traveling.

Mackenzie Ray is an intern at Transtria.

She graduated from Southern Illinois University with a B.S. in Marketing and a B.A. in Photography. After graduating, Mackenzie served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, where her work focused in healthy lifestyles, HIV/AIDS awareness, and academic and cultural exploration. Mackenzie is currently a second-year MPH student at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, concentrating in Behavioral Science and Health Education. Mackenzie enjoys traveling, cooking, thrifting, and spending quality time with family and friends.