We’re excited to introduce our plenary speakers for the 2025 Conference!
Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright
Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright is the Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity for the Food and Nutrition Service at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In this role, Dr. Cotwright leads a whole-of-Department approach to advancing food and nutrition security. She also serves as one of two Departmental representatives on accelerating action on the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health goals to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities and implementing the corresponding National Strategy.
Dr. Jairo Garcia
Dr. Jairo Garcia is an expert in urban sustainability and climate change.
As the former Director of Climate Policy with the City of Atlanta, Dr. Garcia led the development of the first citywide Sustainability Report and the first city’s Climate Action Plan. Dr. Garcia is the CEO of Urban Climate Nexus, the North America Curator for United Nations Habitat, Visiting Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and The Georgia Institute of Technology, and was selected by the IPCC to work as a Subject Matter Expert in the pre-scoping Special Report on Climate Change and Cities.
Michelle L. Allen
Michelle L. Allen is the Research and Development Institute Director for Positive Impact Health Centers. In this role, Mrs. Allen actively researches, creatively designs, and strategically implements effective methods to educate staff, enhance programmatic performance, and increase organizational presence on both a local and national scale.
Mrs. Allen’s dedication to public health is widely recognized and she has served as a past Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Coalition of STD Directors. She has previously sat on the Advisory Board for the STD/HIV Prevention Training Center at John Hopkins University.