Who We Are

Kay Hoffman, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Hoffman is a professor and former dean of the College of Social Work, University of Kentucky. She has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator of fourteen state grants resulting in five million dollars in training and evaluation awarded through the College of Social Work Training Resource Center. In addition Dr. Hoffman has served as a curriculum consultant with more than 25 colleges and universities throughout the country all of which require an assessment component. Dr. Hoffman has written two books and is the author or co/author of numerous peer reviewed articles. She has presented nationally and internationally on social work education, building research infrastructures and curriculum development. Earlier in her career she was an evaluator for community based programs, a mental health social worker and a child welfare worker.

Rashmi Adi-Brown, M.S., Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Adi-Brown has worked in the field of child welfare/ family issues for over 21 years. She has worked in a variety of settings including direct service, state level administrator and in the non- profit private arena. She has been a contributor, co-author/producer and participant in many initiatives at the federal, state and community levels. She has presented at state, national and international conferences on the topics of child abuse and neglect and family violence.
 
 
Karen Cinnamond, Ph.D., Evaluator

Melissa Kondor, M.S., Project Evaluator

Melissa is a Project Evaluator in Public Health at CHES Solutions Group.  She also works at the University of Kentucky managing university-wide efforts to support student wellbeing and mental health.  Melissa has accumulated over 15 years of experience in the field of health promotion, including 3 years in international development with the United States Peace Corps in Moldova to develop a nation-wide adolescent health education program.  She has served as a lead trainer in evaluation methods and effective program planning strategies. Her projects with CHES include evaluating the Kentucky State “Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan.”
 
 

Lisa Shannon, PHD, Project Evaluator

Dr. Shannon received her PhD in Social Work from the University of Kentucky. She also earned a Masters in Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Kentucky. At present, Dr. Shannon is assisting CHES on an evaluation for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project funded to enhance and expand asthma care in Kentucky utilizing the EXHALE strategies. Dr. Shannon has over 20 years of research and evaluation experience. She has worked as a faculty member at the University of Kentucky Department for Behavioral Science/Center on Drug and Alcohol Research as well as Morehead State University. She has been involved in federal and state-funded projects examining: outcomes associated with Kentucky Specialty Court participation, outcomes associated with involvement in various community-based treatment/rehabilitative opportunities, and violence against women. Most recently she has been the Principal Investigator for multiple evaluation projects examining outcomes associated with participation in community-based substance abuse treatment services funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and Bureau of Justice Administration. Her interests are in the areas of evaluation/outcomes, substance use/abuse, victimization, criminal justice system involvement, and treatment-seeking behaviors.

Chelsey Reid, MPH, Program Evaluator

Chelsey holds a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Health Behavior from the University of Kentucky. An experienced public health field professional, she is skilled in program development, implementation, and assessment with topical expertise in interpersonal violence prevention and harm reduction. Her dedication to public health lies in correcting gaps created in communities and healthcare settings due to systemic health disparities. She joined CHES during the summer of 2019 and enjoys the opportunity to support dynamic, talented groups of public health professionals carrying out invaluable work across Kentucky. Outside of professional pursuits, Chelsey enjoys running, hiking with her dogs, and traveling as far and as often as she can.
 

Maggie Groeber, Projects Manager

Maggie joined CHES in 2019 as the Projects Manager. She conducts data gathering, collaborative research, assists in project planning, implementation and facilitation. She is a current graduate student at the University of Alabama Birmingham, School of Public Health, seeking a MPH in Health Behavior. She also earned a Bachelors of Arts in Strategic Communication Methods at Morehead State University. Maggie has experience promoting public health through law and policy, along with professional and legal writing and public health research. During her undergraduate research she concentrated on environmental health effects within prison systems around the world, this led Maggie to her focused undergrad research in prison health policy in contrast to public health policy, with the goal of advocating for prison and public health alignment.

Kellie Kozee Warren, BSW, Project Coordinator

Board Members:

Kay Hoffman, Ph.D.
CHES Solutions Group, CEO
Professor University of Kentucky

Chris Groeber, MSW
Gro and Co, CEO

Angela Baldridge, Executive Director
The Plantory

Greg Coulson, Attorney at Law