Our Team

Elyse brings over 20 years of dynamic experience in community engagement and programming. Her public health career journey began with alcohol prevention research at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, followed by managing a statewide healthy eating policy campaign. Since 2017, Elyse has been leading TFA as its executive director. Her tobacco prevention and control expertise includes developing and implementing community-driven PSE strategies, such as POS policy passage and implementation; youth and community engagement and education; conducting formative research to create educational tools and prevention messaging; and program evaluation. Her current focus is on innovative, community-based e-cigarette prevention education and advocacy, aiming to significantly reduce youth access, usage, and related harms.

​

​

​

​

Alyssa is a dedicated public health professional with a passion for promoting healthy communities. Alyssa has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health and Community Health Education from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. She gained her passion for working on commercial tobacco prevention through her internship with the American Lung Association. This internship provided valuable experience in tobacco prevention initiatives including smoke-free air policy tracking, alternative to suspension project planning and implementation, and community outreach. Alyssa is excited to be part of the Tobacco-Free Alliance team and make a difference in community health. In her free time, she enjoys working out, playing pickleball, and traveling.

Soliana has been engaging youth and community members in tobacco prevention education for over two years. She served as a vaping prevention peer educator, co-facilitating workshops for younger peers about tobacco prevention and ways to quit in local middle and high schools in her community. She also has worked on educating local decision makers about the youth vaping epidemic and advocated for point-of-sale prevention policies as a strategy to reduce youth tobacco use in the city of Eagan. Soliana helped create the Tobacco-Free Society student group at Eagan High School, serving as co-president since 2021. Soliana is a former Eagan High School graduate, she now is attending St. Catherine University for sonography and psychology. Soliana also enjoys working and teaching with students of all ages. Soliana during her free time enjoys photography and traveling.