STAFF
Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Tracks (TRACKS) Management Entity staff works closely with partnering agencies to develop, implement, manage, and evaluate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). Together they offer diverse skills and experiences in the areas of nutrition, public health, fiscal management, program evaluation, data management, and program management.
Administrative and Programming
Christine Brennan, MPA, Principal Investigator for Administration, Program Monitoring, and Pa Partner Relations
Rachel Mateti, RD, Acting Assistant Program Manager
Sharon Smith, RD, Nutritionist
Sandy Smithmyer, BS, Nutritionist
Andrea Hoffman, Administrative Support Assistant
Erica Wissinger, Administrative Support Assistant
Evaluation
Judy Gromis, MS, RD, Director of Program Evaluation
Denise Wall, MPH, RD, Evaluation Coordinator
Mary Montminy, Health Informatics Analyst
Kim Bodes, MS, Data Manager
Fiscal
Joan Stover, Grant & Contract Accountant
Don Neidig, BS, Grant & Contract Accountant
Christine Brennan, MPA, Principal Investigator for Administration, Program Monitoring, and PA Partner Relations
Chris Brennan joined the TRACKS office in July 2009 to serve as the Assistant Program Manager. In September 2009, she assumed the duties of TRACKS Program Manager. Chris graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Applied Nutrition, and obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Marywood University in 2005. Prior to joining TRACKS, Chris worked as the Program Coordinator for Nutrition Education for the University of Florida’s SNAP-Ed Program and spent nine years as a nutritionist and staff trainer for the Pennsylvania WIC Program. As Principal Investigator, she guides the development of the annual state plan and oversees program implementation.
Rachel Mateti, RD, Acting Assistant Program Manager
Rachel graduated from Penn State University with a BS in Nutrition Sciences in December 2007. She completed her Dietetics Internship at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio in July 2009. Among her experiences with the internship was completing a community needs assessment for the Miami Valley region of Ohio and working with the Ohio Department of Health. Rachel passed the Registered Dietitians exam in December 2009.
As Acting Assistant Program Manager, Rachel will be overseeing office operations and coordinates human resources activities.
Sharon Smith, RD, Nutritionist
Sharon joined the TRACKS staff in May 2008, after moving to Pennsylvania from Portland, Oregon where she worked as a Federal Healthy Start project director, a Health Research Interventionist and a WIC Lead Nutritionist. She also has 12 years of experience working as a Health Facility Coordinator and Surveyor in Long Term Care with the state of Maryland. Sharon earned her undergraduate degree in Medical Dietetics from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
As a TRACKS nutritionist, Sharon evaluates quarterly reports to monitor program integrity, collects data on program reach, conducts program reviews, provides technical assistance on nutrition education to the local projects, and assists in planning and conducting trainings for local projects.
Sandy Smithmyer, BS, Nutritionist
Sandy graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Dietetics and completed her 3 year residency at Altoona Hospital. She has also worked at Lock Haven and Lewistown Hospitals along with the W.I.C. Program in Centre County. Sandy joined TRACKS after working 12 years in Noll Lab, Penn State as a Research Coordinator in the Vascular Aging and Exercise Lab.
As a TRACKS nutritionist, Sandy evaluates quarterly reports to monitor program integrity, collects data on program reach, conducts program reviews, provides technical assistance on nutrition education to the local projects, and assists in planning and conducting trainings for local projects.
Andrea Hoffman, Administrative Support Assistant
Andrea Hoffman joined the Tracks office in April 2010 as an Administrative Support Assistant. After transferring from the University of Houston, she graduated with a B.A. in Art from Penn State University. Andrea most recently worked as the Media Distribution Coordinator for Penn State Public Broadcasting, marketing educational materials and designing graphics for the Media Sales Department. Andrea assists with all communication, organizational and planning procedures for the TRACKS office.
Erica Wissinger, Administrative Support Assistant
Erica joined the TRACKS office as an Administrative Support Assistant. She graduated with a B.A. in General Arts from Penn State University. Erica began her career in the Cataloging and Acquisition departments at Penn State’s Pattee Library and recently served as an Administrative Assistant for a chemistry research laboratory. Erica assists with communication, organizational and planning procedures for the TRACKS office.
Judy Gromis, MS, RD, Director of Program Evaluation
Judy obtained Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in nutrition from Penn State University. She joined TRACKS in April 2002 with over 20 years experience in public health nutrition in Pennsylvania. She has held operational positions on state and local levels with WIC and Head Start, gaining a wide range of experience in community nutrition program administration and interpretation of federal guidelines. As Director of Program Evaluation, Judy plans and implements evaluation of the statewide SNAP-Ed program, and oversees development and maintenance of web based reporting systems to collect TRACKS programming data.
Denise Wall, MPH, RD, Evaluation Coordinator
A native of northeastern Pennsylvania, Denise attended Penn State University and completed a Nutrition Science undergraduate degree in 2001. After working as a research technologist at Penn State for two years, she was accepted into the graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Denise's Masters program requirements included internship experiences at High Point Regional Hospital (High Point, NC), the Durham County Health Department (Durham, NC) and the Economic Research Service (Washington, DC.) Denise completed all coursework and requirements for the Master of Public Health degree in Nutrition at UNC-CH in 2005; she passed the certification exam to become a registered dietitian in 2006.
Denise has been part of the Tracks staff since January 2006. As the Evaluation Coordinator, she works with the evaluation team to develop and implement evaluation tools, analyze data and report results, and assist and monitor the evaluation activities of our statewide partners.
Mary Montminy, Health Informatics Analyst
Mary joined Tracks in December 2006 as Staff Assistant, and then assumed the role of Assistant Program Manager in May 2007. Mary has now been promoted to her role as Health Informatics Analyst. In this position she has primary responsibility for designing and administering digital systems for storing, accessing and utilizing information for the purposes of nutrition program decision making. She graduated with a B.S. in business from the Boston College School of Management with concentrations in computer science, economics, and accounting. Prior to joining Tracks, Mary was co-founder and chief administrator of a child psychology office, where she oversaw all aspects of the business, including finance/accounting, marketing, contracting and operations.
Kim Bodes, MS, Data Manager
After working for several years as a Project Manager at the Penn State Survey Research Center, Kim joined the TRACKS staff in June 2006. She is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. In addition, she earned a Master of Science degree in Rural Sociology and Demography at Penn State. As TRACKS Project Data Specialist, Kim serves on the evaluation team and assists with survey data collection and STAR system administration.
Joan Stover, Grant & Contract Accountant
Joan Stover serves PA Tracks as the Grant and Contract Assistant. She joined the staff in June 2000 after graduating from South Hills School of Business & Technology with an Associate Degree in Specialized Business in Business Administration-Accounting. Since joining the Tracks staff, Joan has attended courses on Adobe Pagemaker and Microsoft PowerPoint, and she is proficient with Penn State's IBIS Accounting System.
As Grant and Contract Assistant, Joan is primarily responsible for monitoring budgets for Tracks projects, preparing quarterly fiscal reports, maintaining financial transactions in accounting databases, corresponding with Project Directors, and assisting the Fiscal Manager in day-to-day fiscal operations of the program.
Don Neidig, Grant & Contract Accountant
Don Neidig has joined TRACKS as a Grant and Contract Accountant. He graduated from Bloomsburg University with a B.S. in Business Administration/Accounting and brings 26 years of financial management experience from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, where he held various positions, including Assistant Controller of the Northeast Regional Office. As a TRACKS Accountant, he is responsible for budgeting, fiscal reporting, working with local partners and other day-to-day fiscal operations.