2007 — 2008 Executive Committee Members
Greg Griggs, Chair
Greg Griggs serves as director of professional services for the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians, the largest medical specialty society in North Carolina, serving more than 2,600 practicing physicians, residents and medical students. In that capacity, Greg works with practice management issues, government affairs and public policy issues, and serves as the director of two grant-funded projects: one addressing adolescent obesity in North Carolina and the other addressing health disparities in the state. Greg has a master’s in public administration from N.C. State University and an undergraduate degree with a double major in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has served in association and non-profit management for nearly 20 years, joining the Academy in 2005.
Carolyn Dunn, Vice Chair
Dr. Carolyn Dunn is a nutrition specialist with the NC Cooperative Extension Service, NC State University. She provides program expertise and statewide leadership for children’s nutrition and wellness. She conducts in-service education programs in child nutrition, physical activity and women’s wellness. She develops nutrition education materials to be used by extension agents across North Carolina and links with other state level agencies dealing with nutrition and health concerns. Carolyn is the author/developer for numerous programs and tools that address healthy eating and physical activity. She is the co-author of Color Me Healthy, the award winning nutrition and physical activity program for children ages 4 and 5. She has developed several multimedia programs for children and adults and frequently uses technology and multimedia for nutrition and physical activity education. She has been involved with the Eat Smart, Move More…NC movement since its inception.
Cathy Thomas, Coordinator
Cathy Thomas serves as the head of the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Branch, N.C. Division of Public Health. Within the PAN Branch, she oversees the CDC funding addressing obesity issues in North Carolina and has been instrumental in establishing Eat Smart, Move More…NC as a statewide movement. Cathy has served as the president of the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and continues to be involved in both public health and health education professional organizations. She is the co-author/developer of a host of programs and tools to enhance physical activity and nutrition opportunities for preschool, school, community, faith, home and healthcare settings. A native of North Carolina, Cathy received her Bachelor of Science in school and community health education and her master’s in education with a supervisor’s certification from East Carolina University.
David Gardner, Advocacy Committee Chair
Dr. David Gardner is the director of corporate and community health at WakeMed in Raleigh, NC. A native North Carolinian, Dave earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health education and physical education at Appalachian State University and a doctoral degree in physical education and health education at Middle Tennessee State University. He has taught at the secondary and college levels and has been recognized for his leadership in health education by being named the 1994 National Health Educator of the Year by the American Association for the Advancement of Health Education. Dave has twice served as president of the North Carolina Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. He served as the chair of the NC Infrastructure Council for Healthy Schools from 2001-2003. Dave was also the recipient of a Creating Healthier Communities Fellowship from the Health Forum of the American Hospital Association. For the past twenty years he has served as a member of the management staff at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh.
Patrick Gibbons, Communications Committee Chair
Patrick Gibbons is communications director at RTI International, one of the world’s leading research and development organizations. At RTI, he leads the internal, external and marketing communications programs and counsels the CEO and executive leadership team members on issues ranging from public relations and management communications to reputation management and crisis communications. Prior to joining RTI, Patrick served as communications director for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. There he served as member of the executive leadership team, leading the internal and external communications programs. Prior to joining ADEQ, he served a 25-year career as a public relations officer for the U.S. Marine Corps. His military career highlights include a tour as head of Marine Corps media relations at the Pentagon and serving principal media relations adviser for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Gibbons earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida and a master’s in communication from the University of Oklahoma.
Maggie Sauer, Implementation Committee Chair
Maggie Sauer is the director of the Community Practitioner Program for the NC Medical Society Foundation. She joined the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation from Duke University Medical Center, Community and Family Medicine’s Division of Community Health. As director of Health Promotion/Disease Prevention she managed 36 community-based projects located across North Carolina targeting uninsured and/or underserved individuals to prevent chronic disease and obesity. Maggie was part of the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Medicine in the Division of Allied Health Sciences for 10 years. She participated in and coordinated medical teams at Boston Children’s Hospital and the University of North Carolina. Maggie received her Masters of Science in speech/language pathology from Colorado State University and her master’s in health administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She continues on the faculty of Duke University as a consulting associate for the Department of Community and Family Medicine.