Smoke-free Public Housing: Helping Residents Quit Tobacco, hosted by SCLC, ACS, and NAQC

Celine Mutuyemariya is the Community Health Coordinator at Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center and has been a Community Health Worker (CHW) since February 2018. Celine received an M.Ed. in community counseling from Loyola University Chicago in May 2016 and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2014. Celine believes that the cause and exacerbation of all health problems are rooted in issues related to the social determinants of health (SDOH). Celine believes in using a person-centered approach to build rapport and trust with clients. She provides support through health education programming and by helping patients access and navigate community resources. Celine works primarily in the community to meet patients where they are and to better understand, advocate and manage barriers to health and wellness with the goal of building resilience and improving health outcomes.

Izzy was born and raised in Lancaster, PA. Until the age of 16, he was a resident of public housing, moving out when his parents purchased a home.

He has been associated with the Lancaster City Housing Authority his entire life. As a 15-year-old, he was offered a summer job to assist the maintenance department and was asked to return the following summer. He continued working part-time while attending high school and began a full-time career at the Housing Authority the day after he graduated from high school. He’s now been working for the Lancaster City Housing Authority for more than 30 years. He has held several positions at the Housing Authority and has experience working with Housing Choice Vouchers and federally funded public housing. He currently serves as the Resident Service Coordinator and provides a variety of services to 564 families.

Dr. Katy Wynne has a 33-year career in South Carolina state government, of which the past 20 years have been in public health with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Katy is the cessation coordinator in the Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control and she manages the SC Tobacco Quitline. She also teaches graduate courses at both the University of South Carolina-College of Social Work and at Columbia College located in Columbia, South Carolina. Katy earned her Master of Social Work degree and a Doctorate in Health Education Administration.

With a strong background in strategic partnerships, health and cancer control communications, and nonprofit administration, Becky currently directs a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded initiative for the American Cancer Society to help residents of public housing learn about and access tobacco cessation services. Her previous work includes prevention and early detection communications strategy, including tobacco cessation programs, cancer screening initiatives, health equity messaging, and access to care programs. Becky holds a master’s degree in nonprofit organizations and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in Spanish, both from the University of Georgia.