Career Connections
College of Health
A skill building and networking forum for nutrition and public health
Friday March 1, 2024
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Memorial Union and Online
(Zoom links will be provided prior to the event)
RSVP closed end of day, Sunday Feb 25
Questions? Contact: [email protected] and [email protected]
Agenda
- 9:30 a.m. Registration and networking (MU 104)
- 10 a.m. Cultivating a Culture of Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace (MU 104)
- 11 a.m. Skill Building Workshop: Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace (MU 104)
- Noon Lunch with Student Posters (MU 13)
- 1:10 p.m. Alumni Panel: Finding a job: Where do I even start? (MU 104)
- 2 p.m. Concurrent Skill Building Workshops
9:30 a.m.
MU, Room 104
Registration and networking
10 a.m.
MU, Room 104
Welcome
10:05 – 10:55 a.m.
MU, Room 104
Opening Plenary Session
Cultivating a Culture of Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Speaker

Maria Chávez-Haroldson, PhD
(she/her/hers/ella)
Founder of EDI Consulting, LLC
Member of OSU’s Board of Trustees
Maria Chávez-Haroldson, (she/her/hers/ella), PhD, founder of EDI Consulting, LLC, has served for over two decades as an international/national trainer on topics of equity, diversity, and inclusive (EDI) organizational development and practice. Dr. Chávez-Haroldson’s focus on EDI practices are built upon the foundations of social justice. Her doctoral research addresses the lived experiences of diversity officers in higher education and how cultural strengths are capacitated as key elements of fortitude and resilience. In her research, Dr. Chávez-Haroldson applied an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis methodology which highlighted the importance of identifying cultural values and their powerful impact and influence on leadership.
11 – 11:50 a.m.
MU, Room 104
Skill Building Workshop: Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace
Materials

Deborah H John, PhD, MS
(she/her)
Professor and Extension Specialist
College of Health
Deborah's research integrates psychosocial and behavioral kinesiology with environmental public health sciences, particularly studying healthy lifestyle behaviors and health equity in diverse populations in relationship to place-based contexts where they live and age. Her academic and scholarly efforts focus on physical activity and healthy lifestyle disparities in demographically diverse populations, such as older adults, rural, and Indigenous peoples of America, as socio-environmentally determined by inequality in access to resources and exposure to risks.

Gabbi Merales Zott MS, ATP
(she/her)
Instructor
REAL Program Coordinator
CATALYST Program Coordinator
College of Health
Gabbi is a graduate from OSU herself who is passionate about fitness, teaching, and working with individuals with disabilities. She has experience in working in a variety of adaptive exercise & sporting clinics both here at OSU as well as from Michigan State University. Gabbi acknowledges the need to take learning outside of the classroom, and strives to facilitate learning opportunities to do just that.
Noon – 1 p.m.
MU, Room 13
Lunch with Student Posters
View the list of student posters and industry partners joining the session.
1:10 – 1:55 p.m.
MU, Room 104
Alumni Panel: Finding a job: Where do I even start?
Moderator: Brian Primack, MD, PhD, MS, EdM, Dean
Panelists

Tina Dodge, MPH ‘04
(she, her, ella)
Associate Professor (Practice) Family & Community Health
College of Health
Oregon State University Extension Service
For over 19 years, Tina Dodge has been a county-based faculty with the College of Health through Oregon State University Extension’s Family and Community Health program. Her work in Linn-Benton focuses on using a health equity lens to help individuals, families and communities achieve healthy outcomes. She strives to improve current systems that are not set up to equally serve all community members. She has a personal and professional commitment to ensure families are well served and their needs are being met in the community.

Sara Hartstein, MPH ‘16
(she/her)
Interim Deputy Director of Public Health
Benton County Health Department
Sara Hartstein (she/her) is serving as the Interim Deputy Director of Public Health for Benton County Health Department. In this role, Sara oversees public health programs and services including communicable disease, harm reduction, immunizations, reproductive health, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and perinatal, maternal, child, and family health. In her permanent position, Sara manages the Healthy Communities Division which focuses on prevention through policy, systems, and environmental change. Sara earned her Master of Public Health from Oregon State University.

Alder Kool, BS ‘20
(she/her)
Recruiting Coordinator
Marquis Companies
Alder Kool is the recruiting coordinator at Marquis Companies. She grew up in rural Illinois and moved to Corvallis in 2016 for college, where she majored in Public Health: Health Management and Policy and HDFS. An active member of the Oregon State University Marching band throughout college, she has spent a lot of time in Reser Stadium! After graduating college in the spring of 2020, she started her internship at Marquis Companies. Since then, she has held a variety of positions at Marquis, including admissions, activities director, and now recruiting coordinator. She is passionate about long-term care and giving seniors the best rest of their lives. Go beavs!

Stephanie Parrish, RDN, LD
(BS ‘16, Dietetic Internship ‘17)
(any pronouns)
Clinical Dietitian Nutritionist
Thomas Cuisine at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center
As a clinical dietitian, Stephanie values evidenced-based nutrition care with a personalized approach. She has a special interest in working with patients who have feeding tubes and collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to ensure that these patients feel confident in feeding themselves at home. Stephanie also enjoys teaching the next generation of dietitians who spend time at the hospital for their clinical internship rotations. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys gardening, grilling foods on the balcony and going on outdoor adventures in Oregon and abroad.

Gia Saporito, RD
(BS ‘18, Dietetic Internship ‘19)
(she/her)
Director of Nutrition Services
Sherwood School District
Gia Saporito earned her first Bachelor’s degree from Linfield College in Exercise Science and her second in Nutrition and Dietetics from Oregon State University. She is a Registered Dietitian, active member of the Oregon Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Certified Level 4 Member of the National School Nutrition Association and member of the Oregon School Nutrition Association Industry Committee. Throughout her career in school nutrition, Gia has been an active voice in influencing public policies and legislation that positively impact Oregon’s child nutrition programs including lobbying legislators at the State Capitol and testifying before the State of Oregon's Joint Ways and Means Committee. Currently, Gia is serving as the Director of Nutrition Services for Sherwood School District in Washington County.
2 – 2:50 p.m.
Concurrent Skill Building Workshops
Building and sustaining professional relationships
Room: MU 13

Linda Alexander
(she/her)
Volunteer Engagement Specialist
National Marrow Donor Program & Be the Match (NMDP)
Linda serves as the Volunteer Engagement Specialist for NMDP. The non-profit work she does supports volunteers, patients and families who are involved in the Stem Cell donors program. She also hosts local/regional events to educate on the need for Stem Cell donors, build communities, and network with other local organizations. Outside of her world of work, Linda has been actively involved in mentoring Public Health students from Oregon State University for many years now, and values providing professional, unbiased views on the job market/hiring processes.

Gabbi Merales Zott MS, ATP
(she/her)
Instructor
REAL Program Coordinator
CATALYST Program Coordinator
College of Health
Gabbi is a graduate from OSU herself who is passionate about fitness, teaching, and working with individuals with disabilities. She has experience in working in a variety of adaptive exercise & sporting clinics both here at OSU as well as from Michigan State University. Gabbi acknowledges the need to take learning outside of the classroom, and strives to facilitate learning opportunities to do just that.

Hilary Roman MS, NCC, CCC
(she/her)
Assistant Director of Career Development
College of Health
Hilary Roman leverages a successful track record in higher education to guide students in their professional development journeys, empowering them to translate their education into fulfilling careers. Her passion for student success is evident in her work, which draws upon her Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health and honed skills to provide personalized support.
How to communicate my skills and knowledge with employers
Room: MU 104

Larry Gilley, MBA
(He/Him)
Senior Instructor
College of Health
Larry completed his BS degree from Northeastern State University and his MBA from Utah State University. Prior to joining Oregon State, he was an adjunct and online Instructor in Health Care Administration and Management for more than a decade. Larry also worked in the health care industry for more than 15 years as an executive director and health care administrator. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Health Management and Policy, including Healthcare Organization and Theory, Health Care Management, and Financial Management of Health Care Organizations.