OPHA STAFF

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Jan Howard

Jan Howard serves as Oklahoma Public Health Association Administrative Assistant. She has worked with the OPHA since September 2010. She is medically retired from Tinker AFB and since then has worked as an independent bookkeeper for a number of individuals and for two other non-profits over the years. You can reach her by emailing opha@opha.net or by calling 405-605-2099 from 8 - 11 a.m.

OFFICER - PRESIDENT

DJ McMaughan, PhD

Dr. DJ McMaughan (they/them) is a disabled scholar in Health Education and Promotion at Oklahoma State University. Their work centers on improving systems using a disability studies and critical health services approach. They’ve taught health education and public health students using Universal Design in Learning and Critical Disability Theory frameworks. Dr. McMaughan is the recipient of the APHA New Scholar Award in Disability (2015) and the Aggie Allies Rainbow Award (2020) for their work in disability and advocacy. They have published and presented disability focused research in peer-reviewed journals and national conferences, and are a professional member of SOPHE, APHA, and the Society for Disability Studies. The guiding principle behind their work is 'nothing about us without us'.

OFFICER - PRESIDENT-ELECT
Tracy Freudenthaler, PhD, MPH

Tracy Freudenthaler has earned both her PhD and her MPH (OSU and OUHSC respectively). Her professional background includes conducting clinical research trials and over 10 years teaching in higher education. She coordinated a large-scale (5,000 subject) human papillomavirus (HPV) clinical trial in Northeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas and has partnered with various pharmaceutical companies leading to FDA approvals of both her vaccines and STA testing products. She loves to serve her community, connecting women with health services regardless of health insurance or ability to pay. When she is not in the classroom discussing community health, you’ll find her writing about historical patent medicines and late 1800’s medical treatments related to abnormal psychology. 

OFFICER - IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT
Emilia Hart

Emilia Hart serves as the past-president and Communications Chair for OPHA. She runs Smart Bites Oklahoma, a wellness and nutrition coaching business in Norman. She is also a bookkeeping and administrative professional for Urban Agrarian, a local food hub dedicated to connecting consumers with locally grown and produced food. She spent eight years in communications before obtaining her nutrition certificate and launching her wellness coaching business. Throughout her time coaching nutrition and wellness clients, she became increasingly aware of the health disparities that plague Oklahomans, particularly regarding access to high quality food and healthcare. This sparked her interest in community nutrition and public health, and inspired her to begin a master's program for nutrition and dietetics. Emilia received her BS in Agricultural Communications from Oklahoma State University in 2007 and her nutrition coaching certificate in 2014 from the Nutritional Therapy Association. She is currently pursuing her MS in applied nutrition from the University of New England.

OFFICER - SECRETARY

LaKaija Johnson, PhD, MPH, MPS

Dr. LaKaija Johnson is a population health scientist, educator, and strategist with over a decade of

experience leading and evaluating the implementation of strategies to build capacity and strengthen

infrastructure to advance systems change in academic, government, and non-profit settings. Dr. Johnson currently serves as a Principal Scientist in Team Science at Sage Bionetworks, where

she provides leadership on how to implement and evaluate best practices for collaboration building

and team science on the Science Coordination & Community Engagement team. Dr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she earned a

master’s degree in Public Health, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, where

she earned a master’s degree in public service, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center,

where she earned her PhD in health promotion and disease prevention research. Dr. Johnson’s career is built on a passion for health equity and social justice that she leverages to

identify opportunities to take collective action by implementing innovative evidence-based strategies,

programs, and policies to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive research and practice

environments.

Kamisha D. Busby has been working as the Maternal and Child Health Equity and Special Projects Manager for the Oklahoma State Department of Health since December 2019. In this role, she works closely with her colleagues in focusing on the reduction of infant mortality and premature births while empowering families and encouraging healthcare providers to provide quality and equitable care to their clients which she holds dear to her heart. She also serves as the Quality Improvement Coordinator in Maternal and Child Health services addressing maternal health and is active on other community-based committees that focus on Maternal/Child Health including serving as a past Health Care Chair of the Infant Mortality Alliance Health Care Workgroup of Oklahoma County, and current agency lead for the Health Disparities Workgroup of the Oklahoma Maternal Health Taskforce. Having the experience of working for non-profits and local government, Kamisha brings over 16 years of public health and nursing experience and knowledge to the field. In the community, Kamisha continues to serve her community in several capacities. She is a board member of March of Dimes Oklahoma Chapter, Family Builders, Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church, and the Stork’s Nest of Oklahoma City. She holds a Masters in Business Administration with a focus in Health Care Administration from Southern Nazarene University, and a Bachelors degree in Public Health and a Bachelors degree Nursing from the University of Central Oklahoma.

APHA AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE GOVERNING COUNCIL &

PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIR

McKenzie Cowlbeck, MPH, CPH
Born and raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma, McKenzie Cowlbeck (she/her) is a lifelong Oklahoman. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Sciences and a minor in International Studies from the University of Oklahoma Norman in 2020. McKenzie recently completed a Master of Public Health in Health Policy at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) Hudson College of Public Health (HCOPH) in Oklahoma City and became Certified in Public Health. Post-grad, she recently finished her CDC & ChangeLab Solutions Public Health Law Fellow and is spearheading OPHA's public health authority, policy, and advocacy efforts by serving as OPHA's Public Policy Committee Chair. She is also APHA's Affiliate Representative to the Governing Council (ARGC) as of summer 2023. 

MEMBER-AT-LARGE & BOARD GOVERNANCE CHAIR

Katie Qualls Fay, MS, MCHES

Katie Qualls Fay is a proud seventh-generation Oklahoman. She knew she was destined for a career in health education when she was elected to deliver the “Why I Live Tobacco Free” speech at her D.A.R.E Assembly in 6th grade. She works at Goddard Health Center – the on-campus clinic for the University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. She is a health promotion practitioner and adjunct instructor at the University. In her roles, she collaborates with campus agencies, academic departments, student organizations, and administration to provide health education and prevention programming to the campus community. She enjoys teaching undergraduate students pursuing pre-health professions as well as teaching group fitness classes. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in health. Her graduate research used the Integrative Model to study sleep behavior in college students. Outside of work, Katie volunteers with her sorority as a critical conversation facilitator where she travels to college campuses in the US to lead conversations on sexual assault, alcohol skills, and mental health. She serves on the Board of Directors for UShine – a local nonprofit that provides curriculum to improve mental and emotional well-being for youth and young adults. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband Evan and dog Duke and attends every home OU football game.

Mareyba Fawad (She/Her) is a Senior Consultant on Health Policy and Management contracts at Booz Allen Hamilton, a federal consulting firm based in Washington, DC. She currently works on projects pertaining to nationwide health strategy and implementation efforts for the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Her professional experience has led her to work for the CDC on emergency health ordinances, United Nations on behavioral health policy development, and with Dr. Chelsea Clinton on comparative health systems research. At OPHA, with her background in large-scale event planning, she directs the organization of OPHA's annual public health conference working collaboratively with six sub-committees comprised of professionals, staff, and students.

Mareyba holds dual degrees from the University of Oklahoma, a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History of Science. She went on to pursue her Master in Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy and Management at Columbia University in New York City.