In his current role, he has provided training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building assistance services to organizations that serve adolescents at highest risk for HIV infection, other STIs, unintended pregnancy, and interpersonal violence such as bullying. Organizations he has assisted include state education departments, local school districts, community-based organizations, county/state health departments, and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Elton John AIDS Foundation has funded his work to assist community-based organizations in the rural South to engage young men of color who have sex with men (YMSM of color); the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health has funded his work to assist state, local, and territorial education agencies to address HIV-related health disparities affecting YMSM of color and other adolescents at elevated risk.
Prior to joining SIECUS he served as a community educator and trainer with Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Health Education, the Temple University Department of Public Health, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. He has also worked on program evaluations for the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, the Police Athletic League of New York City, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Tuberculosis Control.
He has represented SIECUS on the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Disparities Advisory Work Group for AMCHP (the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs) and the National Coordinating Committee on School Health and Safety for HRSA (federal Health Resources and Services Administration). He holds Master’s degrees in Public Health and History, both from Temple University.
Joy Robinson-Lynch is the HIV/AIDS Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She has been a sexuality educator and adolescent counselor for over 30 years working for schools, community based agencies, Planned Parenthood affiliates and Title X programs.
She has trained and supervised counselors throughout New England, teaching them to effectively counsel young people to support healthy sexual development.
Phyllida Burlingame is the sex education policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Her publications include Sex Education in California Public Schools: Are Students Learning What They Need to Know? (ACLU of Northern California, 2003), a survey of sex education programs in over 150 school districts across the state, and Sex, Lies and Politics: Abstinence-Only Curricula in California Public Schools (Applied Research Center, 1997).
She played an instrumental role in drafting and ensuring passage of the California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Act (SB 71, 2003) and the California Sexual Health Education Accountability Act (AB 629, 2007). The former requires sex education in California public schools to be medically accurate, comprehensive, and free of bias, while the latter extends these requirements to state-funded community-based sex education.
Burlingame has collaborated with California state agencies to guide the implementation of these laws and also works with parents and community members, and with allied organizations throughout California, to ensure that local schools and agencies and comply with them. Burlingame also serves as a resource for sex education advocates in other states and nationally who look to the ACLU of Northern California’s work and California’s legislation as models. She is the steering committee chair of Bay Area Communities for Health Education.
Jennie Anderson is a Consultant at John Snow, Inc. (JSI). Her work focuses on health communication, social marketing, and public health program evaluation.
At JSI, one of Ms. Anderson’s main projects is serving as the Communications Director for AIDS.gov, a national initiative providing federal HIV/AIDS information through a variety of media channels, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy. She has served in this role for over four years and oversees all of the project’s marketing and communications efforts and engages in strategic planning activities across the initiative. More specifically she manages the development, promotion, and evaluation of AIDS.gov’s social media efforts (including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, a blog, webinars, podcasts, mobile initiatives, etc.), traditional media products (including public service announcements, press releases, human interest stories, etc.), and other materials (such as reports, comprehensive plans, fact sheets, and journal articles). In addition, Ms. Anderson has provided new media training and technical assistance to federal and community agencies and organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Region 1 Title X Family Planning providers, among many others.
Prior to joining JSI, Ms. Anderson worked extensively on managing projects, conducting research, and writing publications (including textbook chapters, journal articles, patient education materials, clinical guidelines for healthcare providers, and a health literacy environment assessment tool for healthcare facilities) for the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). Prior to HSPH, Ms. Anderson worked as a research and writing associate at the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute and as a bilingual HIV testing counselor and educator at a Planned Parenthood clinic in northern California. Ms. Anderson's academic training is in public health, cultural Anthropology, and Spanish.
Melissa Fahrenbruch, MEd
Professional Development Team Lead, CDC/DASH/PDSB
Day 1
Melissa Fahrenbruch is the Professional Development Team Lead in the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Melissa earned a BS in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and began her professional career in Lincoln, NE. She has over 12 years of experience in the education field. A daughter of educators, Melissa’s first teaching position was with the Charles Culler Middle School. Her claim to fame is that Joba Chamberlain (pitcher for the New York Yankees) was one of her middle school students during her tenure at Culler Middle School. They still stay in touch today.
After four years of teaching at Culler and serving as an assistant coach (golf, soccer and basketball) at Lincoln Southeast, Melissa moved to Omaha, NE, where she was a physical education teacher and coach at Omaha North High School. Upon completion of her MEd in Education Leadership from Doane College, Melissa was appointed Assistant Athletic Director/Dean of Students. She was also balancing her time as the head Women’s Golf coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, which earned her 2003 North Central Conference Coach of the Year. Melissa was then presented with an opportunity to extend her knowledge beyond the school walls and return to her home state of Kansas to the State Department of Education as the Coordinated School Health Director. She was also the lead author of the Kansas Physical Education and Health Education Standards, and she worked collaboratively with the Governor’s council on the “Healthy Kansas, Healthy Schools Initiative” with coordinated school health schools. Her leadership and expertise in coordinated school health landed her in her current position, Professional Development Team Lead in CDC/DASH. Melissa currently oversees all the internal and external professional development events for CDC/DASH staff and funded partners.
A sign on Melissa’s office door says, “If I can’t be seen, then I am on the green.” That statement holds true, as you can usually find her on the golf course on weekends with her husband, Fred. Melissa is a former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student-athlete, where she lettered four years as a member of the women’s golf team. Her “Big Red” blood still runs through her veins; she is currently on the Board of Directors of Georgians for Nebraska, the largest Nebraska Alumni group in the country. If all her extra curricular activities don’t keep her busy, she is usually on the weekends riding her Harley Davidson softail.
Petra Jerman is a research psychologist specializing in adolescent sexual health policy at the Public Health Institute’s Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development.
She received her Ph.D. in forensic psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in 2003, and her M.P.H. in interdisciplinary public health at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health in 2006. Petra currently serves as research scientist with the Adolescent Sexual Health Policy Project.
In addition to the study on the sexual health needs of foster youth, her recent projects have included a study on parent–adolescent communication about sexuality, an analysis of the rates and costs of teen births in California and its counties, and an evaluation of a new multicomponent comprehensive sexuality education program.
Robin P. McHaelen is the founder and current Executive Director of True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to create a world where youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities are valued and affirmed.
Robin is the author of several articles on LGBT youth concerns and is the recipient of numerous awards including most recently, the 2009 Hartford Courant/Fox 61 Tapestry Award, the 2008 National Education Association’s Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights and the 2008 Social Worker of the Year (National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter).
In 2009, she was chosen by the National Association of Social Workers and Lambda Legal Education and Defense Fund to create and present a master train the trainer program to 40 master trainers around the country.
Itege Bailey is the Senior Manager of State and Local Outreach at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting values, behavior and policies that reduce both teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among young adults.
Ms. Bailey is responsible for supporting efforts and providing assistance to states to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy including speaking at state and national conferences, providing one-on-one technical assistance, organizing roundtables and national conference calls, and oversees the Campaign’s initiative to prevent pregnancy among youth in foster care. She works closely with the National Campaign’s State and Local Action Advisory Group, as well as with many national, state and community partners. Prior to joining the National Campaign in August 2008, Ms. Bailey worked at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for seven years in varying positions, including serving as the Director of the Office of Adolescent Health and Youth Development, and the State Adolescent Health Coordinator for Massachusetts.
Ilsa Bertolini works in the program Support Services for LGBTQ Youth in San Francisco Unified School District. She develops and reviews curriculum in alignment with the state framework related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning youth. Ilsa conducts professional development trainings to school site staff and administrators on meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth and families and responds to school safety concerns regarding LGBTQ youth and families. This includes working with administration to develop comprehensive plans to address homophobia and transphobia in schools.
A recent project completed is a resource website for educators to both assist in teaching about LGBTQ families and reduce anti-gay name-calling.
In addition, Ilsa oversees the School Community Violence Prevention program, which provides training and resources to middle schools with the goal of increasing safety for students on site.
Ilsa currently sits on the Board of Directors for Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY), a Bay Area non-profit which improves the health and well-being of underserved young people. Ilsa has a Master's Degree in Human Sexuality Studies.
Kevin Gogin, has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1989. He was hired in 2000 to develop the first comprehensive program addressing LGBT issues within a school setting: Support Services for LGBT Youth. Since its inception, he has worked on safe school planning, classroom intervention, and curriculum development and implementation. Most recently, he has collaborated with a team to create the first-ever school district sponsored website that addresses lgbt issues.
In addition, Kevin is the Department Liaison with city agencies coordinating the High School Wellness Programs, brining behavioral health and nursing services, and referrals at 15 high schools. He is also the point person for Crisis Response for the District.
Kevin has spoken at a number of conferences regarding LGBT youth issues including the American Association of Suicidology, American School Health Association, and California Association of School Social Workers.
Event Description
This NPD event, Strengthening Our Practice: Reaching Our Target will be an opportunity for DASH funded partners in Priority 2, HIV Prevention, to participate in content and skill-building sessions for the purpose of increasing their knowledge and capacity to implement successful HIV Prevention programs.
Event Goal & Objectives
To facilitate the delivery of content material and skill-building exercises that will assist DASH HIV-funded Local Education Agencies and Washington DC in improving the quality of HIV prevention programs at the local level.
By the end of this event, participants will be able to:
Focus programmatic activities on youth at greatest risk for HIV infection
Implement evidence based interventions for youth at greatest risk for HIV infection
Integrate HIV prevention education with efforts to prevent other STDs and unintended pregnancy
Target Audience/Participants
16 LEAs and Washington DC funded by DASH to address Priority 2 (HIV Prevention)
Follow-Up Support
Following each training event, NPD staff will contact each team to check on progress toward action plan benchmarks and provide technical assistance, as needed. The NPD website is a resource for participants to access the wealth of training materials from Strengthening Our Practice: Reaching Our Target event.
Strengthening Our Practice: 
Event Materials
In his current role, he has provided training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building assistance services to organizations that serve adolescents at highest risk for HIV infection, other STIs, unintended pregnancy, and interpersonal violence such as bullying. Organizations he has assisted include state education departments, local school districts, community-based organizations, county/state health departments, and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Elton John AIDS Foundation has funded his work to assist community-based organizations in the rural South to engage young men of color who have sex with men (YMSM of color); the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health has funded his work to assist state, local, and territorial education agencies to address HIV-related health disparities affecting YMSM of color and other adolescents at elevated risk.
Joy Robinson-Lynch is the HIV/AIDS Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She has been a sexuality educator and adolescent counselor for over 30 years working for schools, community based agencies, Planned Parenthood affiliates and Title X programs. 
Phyllida Burlingame is the sex education policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Her publications include Sex Education in California Public Schools: Are Students Learning What They Need to Know? (ACLU of Northern California, 2003), a survey of sex education programs in over 150 school districts across the state, and Sex, Lies and Politics: Abstinence-Only Curricula in California Public Schools (Applied Research Center, 1997). 
Jennie Anderson is a Consultant at John Snow, Inc. (JSI). Her work focuses on health communication, social marketing, and public health program evaluation.
Melissa Fahrenbruch is the Professional Development Team Lead in the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Petra Jerman is a research psychologist specializing in adolescent sexual health policy at the Public Health Institute’s Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development. 
Robin P. McHaelen is the founder and current Executive Director of True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to create a world where youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities are valued and affirmed. 
Itege Bailey is the Senior Manager of State and Local Outreach at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting values, behavior and policies that reduce both teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among young adults. 
Ilsa Bertolini works in the program Support Services for LGBTQ Youth in San Francisco Unified School District. She develops and reviews curriculum in alignment with the state framework related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning youth. Ilsa conducts professional development trainings to school site staff and administrators on meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth and families and responds to school safety concerns regarding LGBTQ youth and families. This includes working with administration to develop comprehensive plans to address homophobia and transphobia in schools.
Kevin Gogin, has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1989. He was hired in 2000 to develop the first comprehensive program addressing LGBT issues within a school setting: Support Services for LGBT Youth. Since its inception, he has worked on safe school planning, classroom intervention, and curriculum development and implementation. Most recently, he has collaborated with a team to create the first-ever school district sponsored website that addresses lgbt issues. 
