Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Leadership and Teams

Department Resources

Steering Committee

The Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax is led by a Steering Committee of 15 people including representatives from the community, academia, nonprofit, health industry, and government sectors. Members include:

Yolanda Earl-Thompson, Co-Chair
Founder and Executive Director
LAZERA Ministries

Ryan Springer, MPH, Co-Chair
Founder and Managing Partner
BBJ & Associates, LLC

Lesley Abashian, LCSW, CPM
Director of Human Services
City of Fairfax

Gloria Addo-Ayensu, MD, MPH
Director of Health
Fairfax County Health Department

Hannah Cacner, MURP
Active Transportation Planner II
Active Transportation, Capital Projects, and Traffic Engineering Division
Fairfax County Department of Transportation
Co-Chair, Healthy Environment and Active Living

Jeanine Finch
External Affairs Manager, Northern Virginia
CareFirst, BlueCross BlueShield

Kristi Guillory
President & CEO
Kristi Guillory Reid Enterprises LLC

Dawn MJ Hyman, MPA
Asset Management Analyst III
Fairfax County Park Authority
Co-Chair, Fairfax Food Council

Vinu Ilakkuvan, DrPH, MSPH
Founder & Principal Consultant
PoP Health
Co-Chair, Healthy Environment and Active Living

Kierystan Johnson, PhD
Behavioral Health Specialist II
Problem Gambling & Gaming Prevention Coordinator
Wellness, Health Promotion & Prevention
Co-Chair, Promoting Behavioral Health

Rachel Ermann Lynch, MPH
Program Officer
Northern Virginia Health Foundation
Co-Chair, Promoting Behavioral Health

Manisha H. Maskay, PhD
Community Member

Ondrea McIntyre-Hall, Past Co-Chair
Senior Director, Community Health
Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Region

Matt Mulder
Director of Operations
Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Co-Chair, Fairfax Food Council

Xiaoquan Zhao, PhD
Professor
Department of Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
George Mason University

Roster updated January, 2025

Partnership Teams

The Partnership Teams often serve as the frontline workers to achieve the goals, objectives and actions of the Partnership. Teams are identified and priorities are set by the Community Healthy Improvement Plan (CHIP.)

In CHIP 3.0, there are three teams:

Promoting Behavioral Health,
Healthy Eating
Healthcare Access & Use, and
Healthy Environment and Active Living.

We welcome additional community participation on each team!

More About Our Partnership Teams

Behavioral Health is a broad term referring to a person’s state of emotional well-being and the factors that affect it, including mental health conditions substance abuse and other behaviors. Changing the community and environmental conditions in which people live, work and play can have a positive impact on behavioral health outcomes. The Partnership’s Team aims to foster greater community well-being by building awareness of behavioral health issues and resources, promoting safe environments for individuals at risk of suicide and strengthen policies and practices that decrease access and exposure to potentially harmful substances.

The goals of the Behavioral Health Team in the current CHIP include:

Reduce key social-emotional risk factors associated with behavioral health issues.
Reduce environmental risk factors associated with behavioral health issues.

For information about the Behavioral Heath Team, contact Susan Sanow.

The Fairfax Food Council was established as the Healthy Eating Team by the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax in 2015. The Team has a vision of a vibrant food system where healthy, accessible and affordable food is valued as a basic human right. Its mission is to facilitate community partnerships and efforts to promote healthy eating. The goals for the Fairfax Food Council (Healthy Eating Team) in the current CHIP include:

Increase resources to identify and address food insecurity
Increase access to fresh and healthy foods for all
Increase the consumption of healthy food and beverages

For information, visit the Fairfax Food Council website or contact Diane Charles, Fairfax Food Council Manager.

Each person’s opportunity for health depends on more than his or her access to healthcare services. Health and well-being is influenced by a multitude of factors, including the spaces in which community members live, work and play within both the built and natural environments. When people have access to places, resources and programs for active living, they are more empowered to engage in physical activities as an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Low-income and underserved communities often have fewer of these opportunities. Many of the most effective strategies to advance health equity and improve health outcomes involve strengthening the policies, partnerships and programs that support healthy environments and active living for everyone.

The goals of the HEAL Team in the current CHIP include:

Support the adoptions and implementation of policies that increase access to healthy environments and active living
Build and sustain partnerships and resources to support healthy environments and active living
Increase participation in programs that foster active lifestyles and community connections

For information about the HEAL Team, contact a HEAL Team Co-Chair: Vinu Illukuvan, or Anna Ricklin.

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Department Resources

Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Leadership and Teams

Steering Committee

Partnership Teams

More About Our Partnership Teams

Recent Interactions

Ask Fairfax

Live Healthy Fairfax

Live Healthy Fairfax Alert:

Department Resources

Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Leadership and Teams

Steering Committee

Partnership Teams

More About Our Partnership Teams

Promoting Behavioral Health

Healthy Eating (Fairfax Food Council)

Healthy Environment and Active Living (HEAL)

Recent Interactions

Ask Fairfax