Meet our Team.
Meet the dedicated group of folks working behind the scenes at Communities for Youth.
Jaime Hernandez
Lead Graphic Artist
Jaime is a skilled Senior Graphic Designer with over 20 years of experience in communications. As a visual storyteller, she's worked with a wide spectrum of clients to bring their stories to life - from non-profits, marketing, and health organizations to grocery, sports, and technology. She's proud to design impactful communication pieces for Communities for Youth that will spark conversations and spread awareness about the importance of youth mental health in our communities.
Taylor Neher
Research & Evaluation Director
Dr. Taylor Neher is an assistant professor at the School of Public and Population Health at Boise State University. She is trained in community public health practice, education, and leadership. She completed her Bachelors in Health Sciences from Boise State University, Masters of Public Health from Texas A&M University and DrPH in Public Health Leadership and Communication from the University of Arkansas.
Irma Mujak
Lead Data Analyst
Irma Mujak, MPH, leads and manages the data analysis team. Her areas of interest include identifying contextual factors that impact adolescent mental health, particularly among minority and marginalized populations. Her role in this project is serving as the graduate research assistant lead, supporting the data analysis team, and helping to facilitate school community events.
Megan Smith
Director
Dr. Megan L. Smith is an Associate Professor for the School of Public & Population Health at BSU. Megan spent 6 years as a K-12 classroom teacher before pursuing her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies. Dr. Smith’s work builds across education, human development, and public health to promote positive health outcomes for youth. As founding director of Communities for Youth, Dr. Smith focuses on upstream prevention through community engaged efforts to promote youth and community health.
Matt Isbell
Deputy Director
Working with various organizations and across the private, nonprofit, and government sectors, Dr. Isbell consults on a range of topics all around how to make organizational processes work for their members. Whether it's how to make better decisions, collectively lead, implement ideas, or change, Dr. Isbell focuses on the communication processes that stall or stagnate organizational innovation.
Anne Abbott
Communications Director
Dr. Anne Abbott’s research focuses on the intersection of health communication and improving youth/young adult health outcomes. She is particularly interested in mass communication interventions or intervention components that can prevent violence and self-harm; however, she applies her health communication expertise to a wide-range of topic areas.
Kaydin Griffin
Graduate Assistant
Kaydin Griffin is a graduate student at Boise State University in the Master of Public Health program. She received her undergraduate degree in health studies from Boise State University in 2022. She is currently a graduate research assistant working with Dr. Megan Smith. Growing up in Boise, she is honored to work closely with community members to gain more insight surrounding current youth mental health in Idaho.
Lexi Cole
Graduate Assistant
Lexi Cole is a graduate student at Boise State University in the Masters in Public Health program. She received her undergraduate degree in health studies with minors in Psychology and Family Studies from Boise State University in 2022. She is currently working as a graduate assistant with Dr. Smith. She is working on this project to help create prevention programs for adolescents in the Idaho communities.
Rayne Robinson
Graduate Assistant
Rayne Robinson is a graduate student at Boise State University in the Master of Public Health program. She is a graduate of the University of Utah in Health, Society, and Policy as well as Sociology. Rayne’s research interests include the social determinants of health and finding ways to bridge the healthcare gapbetween individual-based treatments to community-based efforts. By gaining her MPH, she is hoping to work with communities and empower communities toadvocate for themselves while also helping to create resources, policy changes, and initiatives to help alleviate health inequities with the community’s input.
Libbie Luevanos
Graduate Assistant
...
Alyssa Romero
Team member
Alyssa Romero is graduate student at Boise State University in the Master of Public Health program. She is currently working with Dr. Megan Smith as a graduate research assistant. Her area of interest include addressing the contextual, structural, and environmental conditions that influence and affect health. Alyssa has a passion for advocacy and community engagement and is excited to better support the mental health of youth in the community.
Danielle Smith
Team member
...
Community Engagement Affiliates
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
We pride ourselves on ensuring that we have representation from across the state because its important to have lots of perspectives. Meet our core group of folks keeping us connected across the state.
.jpg)
Maja Ledgerwood
Northwest Nazarene
..
Jen Wallin-Ruschman
College of Idaho
Dr. Jen Wallin-Ruschman is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the College of Idaho and Hansberger Chair of Community Collaboration and Engagement. Jen is a Community Psychologist interested in participatory and qualitative research methodologies to foster community wellness and social change. Recently her work has centered on understanding and enhancing youth mental health in Caldwell.
Doug Rapley
College of Western Idaho
..