Community Voices Guiding Environmental Health Research

The CAB brings together trusted partners from across the Gulf Coast to review progress, raise concerns, and shape the CEC’s agenda. Since 2020, members have offered vital insight on law, public health, veterans’ issues, disaster resilience, and cultural norms. Most now play active roles in Center research and outreach. Through our “Offer and Ask” initiative, we match their expertise with community needs—building partnerships and aligning priorities with the Center’s mission.

Our CAB Members:

1. Jennifer Thickitt, Air Program Manager and Lead Risk Assessor, Galveston County Health District- Environmental Public Health
2. Ms. Jackie Young-Medcalf, Texas Health and Environmental Alliance – Environmental Health (TEHA)- Community Environmental Health Issue
3. Dr. John Hall, Former Director at TCEQ, Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) – Disaster Response and Public Health
4. Dr. Mark Winter, Pharmacologist and Toxicologist, SouthEast Texas Poison Center – Disaster Response and Public Health
5. Rev. David Begany, Pastor, Holy Family Catholic Church, Baytown – Faith-based Community Outreach
6. Cornelius Blackshear, VA (formerly Mission United)- Veterans Issues and Programs
7. Mr. Robert Dembo III, Mayor’s Office of Veterans and Military Affairs- Veterans Issues and Programs
8. Ms. Sasha Francis, Gulf of Mexico ecosystem volunteer – Water Quality
9. Mr. Mike Mastrangelo, The University of Texas Medical Branch – Disaster Response, Regional Preparedness, Healthcare Systems
10. Ms. Jennifer M. Hadayia, Executive Director, Air Alliance Houston – Air Quality
11. Mr. John Smith, Combined Arms – Veterans Issues and Programs

CAB “Offer and Ask” Initiative

Connecting expertise to action through community-driven priorities

The “Offer and Ask” initiative is a cornerstone of the GC-CPEH Community Engagement Core’s approach to collaboration. Through this effort, we gather and share what each CAB member has to offer—such as expertise, skills, resources, and partnership opportunities—and what they seek support with. This ongoing exchange has deepened relationships, strengthened communication, and enabled meaningful academic–community partnerships.

By regularly collecting this input, we also surface research and outreach priorities identified by the community. These priorities align closely with the Center’s Thematic Focus Areas and guide the work of CEC staff, Center investigators, CAB members, and other partners as we carry out our Specific Aims together.