On the eve of the 90th meeting of the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education and the American School Health Association conference, and as the Director of Cairn Guidance, I’m thrilled to announce that we have two new team members! It’s been 10 years since the start of my school health consulting business. During that time, we’ve worked with over 135 clients, including public health, education, community based organizations and businesses that range from the local to national levels. Reaching 36 states and hundreds of thousands of students by developing programs and policies and offering training events to adults that touch the lives of children. The health and well-being of youth and adults has been impacted by our work. And we are proud of these accomplishments!
A month after celebrating our 10 years creating healthier school communities so kids can win at education, I’m proud to share two new team members at Cairn.
Liz Thorne, MPH
Liz is passionate about creating environments that enable all young people to reach their full potential. As VP of Policy and Programs, Liz leads projects that drive systems change through policy, research, high-quality programming, and partnership. Liz has worked in public health and research for nearly a decade. As the Adolescent Health Policy and Assessment Specialist for the Oregon Public Health Division, she conducted statewide surveillance of adolescent health issues and provided strategic policy direction. She advised on topics including minor consent and confidentiality, school-based health center expansion, evidence-based messaging for youth post-marijuana legalization, and advancing youth participatory action research.
Liz is a member of the Oregon Youth Development Council and guides policy and funding decisions for community and school-based youth development programs. In this role she brings expertise in positive youth development science and best practices.
Liz lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two young children, and two dogs. She teaches yoga as often as possible and is most at home camping or hiking in nature.
Samantha Lowe, MS
Samantha Lowe is a recent graduate of Morehead State University’s Experimental Psychology master’s program. Growing up in Appalachian culture sparked Samantha’s interest in adolescent health, especially in sex education. Samantha’s graduate research gave her the opportunity to really understand how young adults in the Appalachian region perceive sensitive facets of human sexuality. With a strong passion to educate and initiate conversations on sexual health, Samantha is excited to begin her journey with Jess and Cairn Guidance.
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