2026 Conference Speakers
Stephanie Blaine, M.Ed., Age-Friendly Program Director, College of Nursing, UTC
Stephanie Blaine serves as the Age-Friendly Program Director at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s School of Nursing, a position she assumed after previously serving as Project Manager for MobileMOC and engAGING Communities. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Chronic
Disease Prevention and Control at UTC. Stephanie also holds a Master of Education in Teacher Leadership from UTC and earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a concentration in Human Development from East Tennessee State University.
Prior to her current role, Stephanie worked as the Coordinator for the Children’s Center at UTC. Before joining the university, she was the Director of Community Kids and Camp Ridgedale, a ministry of Ridgedale Baptist Church. Outside of her professional work, Stephanie volunteers as an advisor for Alpha Delta Pi sorority, teaches a cycling class for UTC Campus Recreation, and enjoys attending sporting events and spending time with her loved ones.
Keynote Speaker: Jane Carmody, DNP, MBA, RN, FAAN, Senior Program Officer, The John A. Hartford Foundation
Jane Carmody, DNP, MBA, RN, FAAN, is a senior program officer at The John A. Hartford Foundation, a national private foundation dedicated to improving the care of older adults. Dr. Carmody works with leadership and staff to support grant-funded initiatives in three priority areas: Age-Friendly Health Systems, Family Caregiving, and Serious Illness and End of Life Care. Her grant portfolio includes initiatives to improve nursing home quality, advance age-friendly public health systems, shape the age-friendly ecosystem, disseminate dementia care programs and resources, and further develop and promote care standards in emergency, surgical, pharmacy, and home-based hospital care of older adults.
Dr. Carmody has held significant leadership positions with health care systems prior to joining the Foundation. She has a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) from Rush University, an MBA from Creighton University, a BSW from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and a diploma in nursing from Mercy College in Des Moines. Dr. Carmody has national certification in executive nursing practice (CENP), board certification in nurse executive-advanced and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). She was selected to the American Nurse Credentialing Center Commission on Pathway to Excellence in 2022 and represents the interests of long-term care settings.
Monica Crane, MD Geriatric Medicine, Genesis Neuroscience Clinic; Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, UT Health Science Center
Dr. Monica Crane is a fellowship-trained geriatric medicine physician and a nationally recognized expert in multidisciplinary dementia care. She earned her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residency training and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Crane serves as Medical Director of the Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation and Clinic and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. She previously served as Associate Director of the Cole Neuroscience Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she was also Director of Clinical Research. Her work has included leadership of numerous studies in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.
Emma Davis, PhD, MPH, CPH, CTTS, Public Health Program Director, Tennessee Department of Health
Dr. Emma Davis is a seasoned public health leader with over 20 years of experience spanning nonprofit healthcare systems and government service. She currently serves as the Chronic Disease Program Director at the Tennessee Department of Health, where she leads statewide initiatives to prevent and manage chronic diseases, reduce health disparities, and promote long-term well-being.
Dr. Davis’s career includes leadership roles as a public health director in both Colorado and Tennessee, as well as extensive work in employee and employer wellness within nonprofit hospital systems. Her strategic vision and collaborative approach have driven the development of award-winning health initiatives and community health interventions that address the root causes of poor health.
She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Public Health, a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Health from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Doctorate in Leadership with a specialization in Health Sciences from the University of the Cumberlands. She is Certified in Public Health (CPH), a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, and an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, and Health Coach.
Dr. Davis is an active member of the Tennessee Public Health Association Board and the Sevier County Health Council, where she advocates for community-driven solutions that prioritize health equity and quality of life. She resides in East Tennessee with her husband and two children.
Christi Denton, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-C, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs; Adult Gerontology Acute Care Program Director, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, UTC
Christi Denton received her BS in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2001 and returned for her BSN in 2007. She has since completed her Master's degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2011, Post-Master's Certificate in Adult Gerontology and Acute Care, and the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her doctoral project focused on the use of stress inoculation training for healthcare workers. In addition to her work at the University, she is the nocturnal intensivist nurse practitioner at Erlanger Health System. She has prior experience in outpatient mental health counseling, trauma resuscitation, neuro-critical care and emergency medical care. Her research interests include airway management, resuscitation and sepsis care.
Rev. Michelle Hunter, Minister of Congregational Care, First-Centenary United Methodist Church
Reverend Michelle Hunter grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL and graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Hospitality Management. Michelle has felt called to ministry since childhood and embarked on the journey to ordination during a brief career in management.
Michelle graduated from Memphis Theological Seminary and is an ordained Deacon in the UMC. She served in several churches in the Tuscaloosa area, and as UA Wesley Foundation Director, and as a hospice chaplain. She has completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education and is a certified Spiritual Director. Michelle is committed to sharing the love of God, through the friendship of Jesus Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, to all people. Pastoral and Congregational care are a joy and passion for Michelle, and she is thankful to get to live out this call in relationship with First-Centenary UMC. Michelle has one adult son, Drew, who lives in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Jaewon Kang, PhD, OTR/L, Assistant Professor, Dept of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University
Dr. Jaewon Kang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University and a licensed occupational therapist in South Korea and the United States. Her research focuses on supporting aging in place through environmental modifications and advanced technology, including home safety interventions with 3D/VR-based tools. For the past eight years, she has also collaborated with the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to improve healthcare access for Veterans living in rural areas. She received her BS and MS in Occupational Therapy from Yonsei University in South Korea and earned her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Florida, where she conducted research on innovative remote home safety assessments. She then completed postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, focusing on technology use to support healthy aging.
Jason Peter, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program Director, College of Nursing, UTC
Dr. Jason Peter serves as the Mary B. Jackson Assistant Professor, and DNP PMHNP Program Director at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) College of Nursing, where he has been a faculty member since January 2018. With over 25 years of comprehensive nursing experience spanning mental health, cardiac care, medical-surgical nursing, and diabetes/weight management, Dr. Peter's academic and clinical trajectory demonstrates a sustained commitment to advanced nursing practice and education. He earned his Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Niagara County Community College in 2000, followed by his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2016) and Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner (2018) from UTC, and completed his Doctor of Nursing Practice with a concentration in Psychiatric-Mental Health from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis in 2023. Additionally holding a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition/Dietetics from UTC and having completed his dietetic internship at Western Carolina University, Dr. Peter brings interdisciplinary expertise to his role teaching mental health courses across undergraduate nursing programs, drawing upon extensive clinical experience in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings. Licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Tennessee and dual board-certified as both a Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Dr. Peter maintains an active clinical practice as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in community mental health while serving as Secretary for the Tennessee Chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
Tammy Stokes, MSN, RN-BC, CHPN, Administrative Director of Nursing, Maury Regional Medical Center
Tammy Stokes, RN, MSN, CHPN, is a nationally recognized leader in palliative care with over 11 years of experience designing and expanding nurse-led palliative care programs. As the director of multiple clinical service lines at Maury Regional Medical Center, Ms. Stokes has built programs from the ground up by fostering buy-in, leading multidisciplinary teams, and equipping caregivers, providers, and patients with effective communication strategies.
She has served on the State of Tennessee Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council since 2018 and currently co-chairs the council. In 2020, she was honored as Nurse of the Year by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Tammy is also a published author and national presenter, known for creating resources like Break the Silence: Health Conversations You Can’t Ignore and for her impactful work improving serious illness conversations in rural and hospital-based settings.
Megan Wolfe, JD, Senior Policy Development Manager, Trust for America’s Health
Megan Wolfe is a Senior Policy Development Manager at Trust for America’s Health, where she leads the national Age-Friendly Public Health Systems movement, working with state and local health departments to expand their roles in healthy aging. Megan has more than 25 years of experience in public policy, including working to support a national whole child approach to education, raising the federal education investment, and numerous other education and health policy issues. She has represented both Fortune 500 firms and non-profits and has Capitol Hill experience. Megan has written extensively about Age-Friendly Public Health and is sought after as a subject matter expert on age-friendly issues. Megan received her undergraduate degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School.
