Annual Advancing Healthy Lifestyles Conference 2026
Taking Action for Healthier Communities
Thursday, June 4, 2026
to
Bally’s Dover Casino Resort
🌟 NEW LOCATION! 🌟
The Division of Public Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention (PANO) program presents the Advancing Healthy Lifestyles (AHL) Conference 2026: Taking Action for Healthier Communities, on June 4, 2026, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Bally’s Dover Casino Resort (1131 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901).
The conference provides a platform for cross sectional sharing on national, regional, and local best practices, challenges, opportunities, and success stories. With a focus on improving health equity, the ultimate goal of the conference is to strengthen efforts to reduce obesity and other chronic diseases amongst Delawareans. This invitational event includes government legislative and administrative policy makers in public health, nonprofit advocates of health and wellness, educators, medical care givers and policy experts, and academic and medical researchers who are interested or engaged in health disparities, nutrition, chronic illness and obesity prevention. It further serves as an opportunity to close gaps in health inequities, assess progress, and further strengthen the work of community stakeholders.
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Applications
Applications for the 2026 AHL Conference are now closed!
Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Sam Kass
Partner
Acre Venture Partners
White House insider Sam Kass has been a driving force at the forefront of health policy in the United States and has helped to launch this topic into a global discussion. Offering unique and informative insights, Kass explores the latest developments in health care, imparts personal and inspiring narratives, and tackles the serious issues that impact your industry today.
A driving force at the forefront of health, nutrition and food consumption in the United States, Sam Kass brings experiences in both the public and private sectors to inform his audiences. Asked by President Obama in 2009 if he would move to Washington to serve as the First Family’s chef, a role Kass accepted and held for six years, Kass additionally took on several other roles during his White House tenure, including senior White House policy advisor for nutrition and executive director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign. In this capacity, Kass created one of the most successful branded initiatives to come out of the Obama Administration, and in 2011, Fast Company magazine named Kass to their list of 100 Most Creative People.
An enduring facilitator for global change, Kass founded the strategy firm Trove in 2015 with a vision to connect businesses, organizations and governments who are serious about making an impact on the world to the people and tools to help them achieve it. Blending charisma, candor and wit, he engages audience members as he explores the latest technologies and developments in food, health, waste and more as most related to the issues that bear most on your industry. Speaking earnestly, Kass shares personal narratives and chronicles the challenges he has faced in his efforts to lead change and negotiation. An innovative take on the modern keynote, Kass informs audiences with specific tools and takeaways as he explains what a rapidly changing future means for consumers and corporations alike.
Currently, Kass serves as a partner at the venture capital fund Acre Venture Partners and is a fellow at the MIT Media Lab. He is the author of Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World, a cookbook that outlines his philosophy on how to buy, prepare, and eat delicious food, and The Last Supper, a thought-provoking exploration of how our food system must adapt to address climate change and create a more sustainable future.
Poster Presenters
Agenda
8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Lauren Butscher, CHES
Program Administrator, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention Program
Division of Public Health (DPH), Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)Steven Blessing, MA
Director
Division of Public Health (DPH)9:10 a.m.
Remarks
The Honorable Kyle Evans Gay
Lieutenant Governor, State of Delaware9:15 a.m.
Transition
9:20 a.m.
Concurrent Breakout Session 1
- From Ideas to Impact: Designing Community-Based Health Initiatives through Cross-Sector Collaboration. This session will examine how cross-sector partnerships can advance equitable, community-driven health initiatives.Presenters will share insights from an active collaboration highlighting practical methods for co-design, implementation, and sustainability.Participants will gain strategies to strengthen partnerships, elevate community voices, and translate innovative ideas into measurable health outcomes.
- Moderator: Cynthia Newton, Ph.D.
- Presenters:
- Tami Saunders, CNP, Executive Director, The Harvent Outreach People's Project (The HOPP)
- Logan Herring, Chief Executive Officer, The WRK Group
- Connected Communities: How Technology Bridges Health Accessibility Gaps. This session will explore how technology is transforming access to care and supporting healthier communities. Presenters will discuss innovative uses of existing and emerging technology tools to reduce barriers and promote healthy behaviors. Participants will learn practical approaches for integrating technology into individual and community health efforts, improving accessibility.
- Moderator: Mike Tholstrup, MPA, AICP, CPSI, Planning Manager, Delaware State Parks, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Enviornmental Control
- Presenters:
- Leesa Kellam-Shappard, PMP, Project Coordinator, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH), Delaware Department of Health and Social Servcies (DHSS)
- Alta Poterfield, Statewide Social Innovator, Delaware Libraries
- Nicole Minni, GISP, Associate Policy Scientist, University of Delaware, Institute for Public Administration
- Healthy Habits for Life: Preventing Childhood Obesity Through Community Action. This session will highlight effective individual and community strategies for preventing childhood obesity. Presenters will share examples from community initiatives that encourage healthier habits by reducing screen time, increasing physical activity, and promoting balanced diets through family engagement. Participants will gain practical methods for engaging families, schools, and communities in sustainable approaches that support lifelong healthy behaviors.
- Moderator: Aimee Beam, Director, Nutrition Programs, Delaware Department of Education
- Presenters:
- Kelsey Higgins, Clinical Research Coordiantor, Nemours Children's Health
- Alejandra Perez Ramirez, MPH, Clinical Research Coordinator, Nemours Children's Health
- Diane Frentzel, B.A., Program Manager, Delaware Readiness Teams
- From Ideas to Impact: Designing Community-Based Health Initiatives through Cross-Sector Collaboration. This session will examine how cross-sector partnerships can advance equitable, community-driven health initiatives.Presenters will share insights from an active collaboration highlighting practical methods for co-design, implementation, and sustainability.Participants will gain strategies to strengthen partnerships, elevate community voices, and translate innovative ideas into measurable health outcomes.
10:10 a.m.
Transition
10:15 a.m.
Concurrent Breakout Session 2
- From Ideas to Impact: Designing Community-Based Health Initiatives through Cross-Sector Collaboration. This session will examine how cross-sector partnerships can advance equitable, community-driven health initiatives.Presenters will share insights from an active collaboration highlighting practical methods for co-design, implementation, and sustainability.Participants will gain strategies to strengthen partnerships, elevate community voices, and translate innovative ideas into measurable health outcomes.
- Moderator: Cynthia Newton, Ph.D.
- Presenters:
- Tami Saunders, CNP, Executive Director, The Harvent Outreach People's Project
- Logan Herring, Chief Executive Officer, REACH Riverside/The WRK Group
- Connected Communities: How Technology Bridges Health Accessibility Gaps. This session will explore how technology is transforming access to care and supporting healthier communities. Presenters will discuss innovative uses of existing and emerging technology tools to reduce barriers and promote healthy behaviors. Participants will learn practical approaches for integrating technology into individual and community health efforts, improving accessibility.
- Moderator: Mike Tholstrup, MPA, AICP, CPSI, Planning Manager, Delaware State Parks, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Enviornmental Control
- Presenters:
- Leesa Kellam-Shappard, PMP, Project Coordinator, Delaware Department of Health and Social Servcies (DHSS), DSAMH
- Alta Poterfield, Statewide Social Innovator, Delaware Libraries
- Nicole Minni, GISP, Associate Policy Scientist, University of Delaware, Institute for Public Administration, Water Resources Center
- Healthy Habits for Life: Preventing Childhood Obesity Through Community Action. This session will highlight effective individual and community strategies for preventing childhood obesity. Presenters will share examples from community initiatives that encourage healthier habits by reducing screen time, increasing physical activity, and promoting balanced diets through family engagement. Participants will gain practical methods for engaging families, schools, and communities in sustainable approaches that support lifelong healthy behaviors.
- Moderator: Aimee Beam, Director, Nutrition Program, Delaware Department of Education
- Presenters:
- Kelsey Higgins, Clinical Research Coordiantor, Nemours Children's Health
- Alejandra Perez Ramirez, MPH, Clinical Research Coordinator, Nemours Children's Health
- Diane Frentzel, B.A., Program Manager, Delaware Readiness Teams
- From Ideas to Impact: Designing Community-Based Health Initiatives through Cross-Sector Collaboration. This session will examine how cross-sector partnerships can advance equitable, community-driven health initiatives.Presenters will share insights from an active collaboration highlighting practical methods for co-design, implementation, and sustainability.Participants will gain strategies to strengthen partnerships, elevate community voices, and translate innovative ideas into measurable health outcomes.
11:05 a.m.
Transition
11:10 a.m.
Activity Break
Seated Yoga with Breath Work
11:40 a.m.
Lunch, Vendor and Poster Sessions
12:30 p.m.
Remarks
Helen Arthur, HMA
Chief, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Section
Division of Public Health DHSS12:50 p.m.
Keynote Speaker Presentation
Sam Kass
Former Senior White House Policy Advisor for Nutrition and Executive Director, Let's Move!; Founder, Trove; Partner, Acre Venture Partners; Author, Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World1:20 p.m.
Moderated Q&A
Moderator:
Yinka (Adeyimika) Isichei
Community Impact Manager
American Health AssociationSpeakers:
Nyssa Entrekin, MS, RD
Deputy Director of Nutrition Education
The Food TrustSam Kass
Partner
Acre Venture Partners1:50 p.m.
Break
2:00 p.m.
AHL Talk (Nutrition): Improving Healthy Eating Through Community-Level Nutrition Programs
Nyssa Entrekin, MS, RD
Deputy Director of Nutrition Education
The Food Trust2:20 p.m.
AHL Talk (Physical Activity): Movement is Permission: The Missing Link to Lifelong Physical Activity
Pamela (PJ) Cox
Health and Wellness Director
Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA2:40 p.m.
AHL Talk (Obesity Prevention): Addressing Obesity Prevention through Partnership
Gina Crist
Community Health Specialist - Health & Well-being Program Leader
Cooperative Extension, University of Delaware3:00 p.m.
Door Prizes and Closing Remarks
Lauren Butscher, CHES
Program Administrator
Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention, DPH, DHSSTori Burton
Director of Community Health Programs
YMCA of Delaware3:15 p.m.
Adjourn to Networking Reception and Smoothie Bar
4:00 p.m.
Networking Reception Ends
Sponsors/Partners
Thank you to our sponsors! Sponsorship helps keep the conference free for attendees.
Sponsorship applications for the 2026 AHL Conference are now closed!
