University of Wisconsin Madison - MPH Program

Midwest Academy: Organizing for Social Change

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Founder at Ninjas for Health

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We've helped campaigns win major health policy changes, humanized complex issues with story-based communications campaigns, built web applications to celebrate health data, and held unhealthy industries accountable through research and journalism.  Let's collaborate.

Ninjas for Health

Founder & CEO

Led a Communications Team focused on the civic engagement of Black and Brown youth in Milwaukee.  Managed staff, pitched press, oversaw video production, handled crisis comms, assisted social media strategy, build internal systems.

Leaders Igniting Transformation

Interim Communication Director

Co-founder of a civic engagement start-up to make absentee voting in Wisconsin as easy as online shopping.

Vote (Mostly) Online

Co-founder

- Provided nationwide training and technical assistance to Community Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) sites on strategic storytelling for policy change.• Captured videography for 23 online testimonials at PreventionSpeaks.org.• Wrote and secured a $23.5 million Centers for Disease Control "Community Transformation Grant" for statewide obesity and tobacco prevention campaigns.• Established the Wisconsin Chronic Disease Policy Advisory Group to conduct systematic policy analysis and strategic planning for Wisconsin's prevention priorities.• Provided policy strategy, training and technical assistance to the Wisconsin Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Program and its local obesity prevention coalitions• Established Wisconsin's first grassroots farm-to-school campaign called MakeFarm2SchoolHappen.org• Provided marketing and public relations strategy for paid and earned media campaigns.  • Project managed the creation of innovative web and social media strategies.• Supervised a statewide team of public health organizers.

Health Policy & Communications Coordinator

- Founded and managed all aspects of a city-wide music festival.• Coordinated 8 venues, 72 bands, 1600 attendees. • Activities include: fundraising, sponsorship, earned media, PR, graphic/poster design, website management, volunteer coordination, business planning, and managing artist contracts.

Forward Music Festival

Festival Co-Founder

- Organized a county-wide strategy to research the unique needs of the Maternal & Child Health (MCH) population in the event of a public health emergency.• Coordinated focus groups with emergency stakeholders including medical providers, emergency responders, government personnel, and community organizations as well as MCH subpopulations stratified by race, ethnicity, geography, disability, education, and socioeconomic status.• Compiled a comprehensive project report to submit to the statewide preparedness advisory committee.

Dane County Department of Human Services - Public Health Devision

Public Health Intern: Maternal & Child Health

- Wrote about local music for this prominent Madison publication.

The Isthmus

Freelance Writer

- Led the WI Tobacco Prevention & Control Program (TPCP)’s statewide policy approach to reducing the burden of tobacco. Served as statewide lead for training and technical on state and local policies, community organizing, earned media advocacy, and social media. Other activities include: strategic planning, committee facilitation, resource creation, contract management, and government communications.• Mentored the WI Nutrition Physical Activity and Obesity program’s emerging policy strategy and provided consultation to other state public health programs as needed.• Established the Wisconsin Chronic Disease Prevention Policy Advisory group to conduct collaborative policy analysis with key stakeholders• Designed and provided all training and technical assistance to local health agencies for the implementation of the WI Wins youth access to tobacco campaign.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Tobacco Policy Coordinator

- Coordinated special events and creative consultation for statewide Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco (FACT) movement trainings to prevent tobacco use through youth advocacy.• Established the FACT "Creative Expression Challenge" to engage youth in creating a marketing campaign.

American Lung Association

Special Projects Consultant

- Developed and executed an independent research project to investigate brain white matter abnormalities within populations of Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, and control patients using functional magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging.

Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center – VA Hospital

Student Researcher

- Taught a weekly undergraduate class and coordinated students’ research opportunities.• Created curriculum and weekly lesson plans on the topic of research philosophy, ethics, and technique for a diverse group of first and second year undergraduates from populations traditionally underrepresented in academic research.

UW Undergradute Research Scholars

Research Fellow / TA

Spoke at events and assemblies around the US. Supported young people who were standing up against Big Tobacco.

American Legacy Foundation

Public Speaker

- Executed several grant programs in the fields of youth development and community health.

Community Health Development (CHD) Associates

Youth Coordinator, Consultant

- Developed and implemented a set of evidence-based after-school programs for middle and elementary school youth. Conducted coordination and training of new volunteers.

Kyle Pfister

Kyle Pfister