Meet The Team

Elizabeth received her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of South Florida in Global Disaster Management and Humanitarian Relief. In 2013, she was invited to teach at USF as an instructor for the public health undergraduate program in homeland security & emergency management. She is currently pursuing her Doctor in Public Health (DrPH) degree in Public Health Leadership.​

​In 2013, Ms. Dunn started training students, faculty, and staff in the FEMA Basic CERT in an effort to bring CERT to the university. She now serves as a FEMA CERT Instructor, Train-the-Trainer for future CERT Instructors, and organizes HSEEP compliant exercises in Hillsborough County. In addition, Ms. Dunn is a Shelter Manager, a Disaster Action Team (DAT) Lead, Adult & Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor, and Hands-Only CPR Lead Trainer for the American Red Cross. She serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Refugee and Migrant Women's Initiative (RAMWI), and serves as the faculty advisor for the USF Red Cross Club, United Nations Association, Global Health Student Association, and MedLife.

Tashmia Sarkar is currently a senior at the University of South Florida studying Health Sciences with a minor in Community Engaged Homeland Security and Emergency Management. She is also a member of the Global Health Student Association (GHSA) and the Red Cross on campus. Currently, Tashmia is interning at Advent Hospital in Zepherhills in the Hospital Emergency Management. Upon graduation, she plans to further her education by pursuing a master’s degree in public health.

Luisa graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology and a minor in Psychology. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Global Health, expected to be completed in 2025. During her time at Santa Fe College, she served as an International Diplomat and Senator for the Hispanic Organization for Latino Activities, advocating for the Latino community. With firsthand experience in acute rehabilitation following trauma, Luisa is deeply passionate about education, humanitarian crises, and the intersection of movement and psychology.

Kaylee is currently a sophomore studying Health Sciences at the University of South Florida. With this degree, she aims to pursue nursing school to become a registered nurse working in Public Health. She is also an active member of H.E.A.T USF's very own peer health education team and is a well-rounded advocate for her community especially those that are underserved.

Rachel Kehoe completed her Bachelors of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Infection Control in 2021. Using her education and experience from volunteering during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she went on to work in community outreach for the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA before pivoting to disease surveillance at the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County. During her time at the health department, she has had the opportunity to work with special needs shelters and incident command.

Rachel is currently pursuing a Masters in Epidemiology and Global Communicable Disease and intends to work on developing the new Student Outbreak Response Team (SORT) alongside her studies.

Shamaniqua Lessane is serving as the president of the Disaster and Humanitarian Relief (DAHR) Student Collaborative. She is a Senior studying Public Health and Biomedical sciences at the University of South Florida. She is also a member of the National Council of Negro Women and Triumph over Trafficking. She is eager to support and become a well-rounded advocate for her community. After graduating, she plans to continue her education and earn an MD, pursuing a career in maternal-fetal care.

Meet Hooriya Siddiqui, a sophomore at the University of South Florida (USF) pursuing a Biology degree with a focus on medicine. With a passion for pediatric oncology, Hooriya aspires to attend medical school after graduation. Their journey is marked by a dedication to both academic excellence and hands-on experience, evident through certifications such as CERT, Biotechnician Assistant, and Seizure Plus First Aid certified. Hooriya embodies a commitment to educate and give back to the community as well through volunteer work and being a leader.

Hannah Mammen is pursuing her MPH with a concentration in environmental and occupational health. Hannah recently graduated Spring 2024 with her BSPH with a double minor in Environmental Health and Community Engaged Homeland Security & Emergency Management. Hannah is active in her community, being a part of USF CERT a year prior to this position and is excited to take on this new role.

Matt Stephen was a member of the US Army Reserves and volunteer fire fighter and part of the fire police. Currently serves as a US Coast Guard Auxiliary Staff Officer and works with Pinellas County Sunstar Paramedics. In addition to his work as a medical responder, he is a trained radio operator for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue with ARES/RACES where he served with Battalion 3, Station 32 for Hurricane Ian during his last deployment. Matt is an Instructor for the USF CERT program and brings unique opportunities for our members to get involved in the community supporting local first responders and out veterans and provides trainings for our members to gain valuable skills in various areas of emergency response.

Jay Rajyaguru is an alumnus of the USF College of Public Health with his Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) with a minor in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He is currently pursuing his Master's in Public Health (MPH) with a focus in Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief, and Homeland Security. Jay serves as the Regional Director of Public Health Preparedness at the Florida Department of Health for Region IV.

Jay is a certified FEMA CERT Instructor, Incident Command System (ICS) Instructor, and has been with the CERT program since Fall 2016 and remains an active supporter of the USF CERT program serving on the board as an Advisor. He is an American Red Cross Shelter Manager, Hands-Only CPR Instructor, and a certified Stop-The-Bleed Instructor.

​Kelly received his Master of Arts in Emergency Management and Homeland Security from Arizona State University. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) with a minor in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from USF. Kelly works as an Emergency Management Coordinator for Tampa Electric Company. Kelly’s experience includes being a medic in the Army National Guard, as well as a supervisor for a private ambulance company. Kelly volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician and is on the board of directors for the Sun City Center Emergency Squad. Kelly is a certified instructor for the FEMA CERT, Stop-the-Bleed, Emergency Medical Responder, CPR and NAEMT courses. Kelly serves on the Higher Education Committee for the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) and is working towards his Florida Professional Emergency Manager (FPEM) certification. Kelly has been a member of USF CERT since 2014.

Kat received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Community Engaged Homeland Security and Emergency Management from the University of South Florida. During Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Ian, Kat served as a Shelter Manager, serving the county as a member of CERT. She also assisted in deploying special needs shelters during Hurricane Ian. Currently, she works as a Program and Outreach Administrator at Refugee and Migrant Women’s Initiative, which focuses on empowering and supporting the refugee and migrant population in Tampa Bay. She plans on pursuing an MPH in the Global Health Practice in Fall 2024.

Madelyn received her bachelor's degree in Public Health from the University of South Florida and is a member of the Delta Omega Public Health Society. She served with the USF CERT team during Hurricane Ian, during which she helped set up special needs shelters and served in the shelters. Since then, Madelyn has continued to serve the USF and Tampa Bay community. Madelyn now works with the City of Tampa Office of Emergency Management, where she assists with developing Incident Action Plans, HSEEP-compliant exercises, organizing training, and assist with managing the City of Tampa CERT program.

Maria Paula Ibarcena Woll received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a minor in Community Engaged Homeland Security and Emergency Management from the University of South Florida. She is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Health (MPH) in Global Epidemiology with a certificate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from Emory University in Atlanta. Previously Maria Paula went to medical school in Peru before moving to the United States to further her education. She serves as a CERT Basic Training Instructor and assists with health and medical response training for the lay responder for the CERT program.

Allison received her Bachelor’s Degree in the spring of 2021 at the College of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from the University of South Florida. Although Allison has been previously serving her community with her optical services as a Licensed Dispensing Optician, she will be transitioning to her future career in Emergency Management in the Tampa Bay Area. Allison will also be furthering her education by pursuing her Certification in Public Health. Allison aspires to further support the public by engaging and training community response efforts to increase awareness and strengthen bonds in the community.