About Us
The Community Engagement Core works with North Carolina communities affected by environmental contaminants, with a focus on early life exposures to chemicals that may have impacts later in life.
Feel free to reach out to us with questions at SuperfundCEC@duke.edu
What do we do?
The CEC promotes environmental health literacy in communities disproportionately impacted by chemical contaminants.
How do we do it?
The CEC partners with community-based and serving organizations focused on education, outreach, and policy actions related to environmental health issues.
Why do we do it?
The CEC aims to increase individual and community awareness of the sources and impacts of chemical contaminants in the environment, and support the community’s efforts to address associated health risks.
Who We Are
Elizabeth Shapiro-Garza, PhD, directs the Community Engagement Core (CEC). She has over twenty years of both applied and research experience related to community engagement. Her expertise is in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), the translation of science for low-literacy users, and in pedagogical approaches to teaching community engagement practice and theory.
Megan Hoert Hughes, MEM is the Senior Program Coordinator for Environmental Health Communication. She joined the Superfund Team in 2024 and supports both the Administrative and Research Translation Core (ARTC) and the Community Engagement Core (CEC). Megan has over twenty years of experience supporting and engaging with communities around environmental health challenges.
Chiara Klein, MEM joined the Center in July 2021 and is the Program Coordinator for Community Engagement. She has a Master’s of Environmental Management, degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
Our Community Advisory Board
- Calvin Allen, Director, Rural Forward NC
- Veronica Carter, Councilmember, Town of Leland, NC
- Rob Condon, Founder & Executive Director, Young Scientist Academy
- L.A. Davis-Durante, Engagement Director, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
- Kathryn Gaasch, Program Director, MDC
- Ashley Graham, Health Educator, NC DHHS Division of Public Health
- Neasha Graves, Environmental Health Outreach Manager, UNC Center for Public Engagement with Science
- Dr. Chris Hawn, Co-Director of Research & Education, NC Environmental Justice Network
- Madeline James, Associate Program Manager, Museum of Life + Science
- Ashley Lomboy, Program Director, Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio
- Alexis Luckey, Executive Director, Toxic Free NC
- Katlyn May, Co-Director, Center for Human Health and the Environment, NC State University
- Maya Miller, Executive Director, Cape Fear River Assembly
- Cecilia Monahan, Head of STEM Education, Young Scientist Academy
- Dr. E. Britt Moore, Assistant Professor, UNC-Wilmington
- Fawn Pattison, Fawn Pattison Consulting
- Keni Reinks, Upper School Science Educator, Cape Fear Academy
- Dana Sargent, Executive Director, Cape Fear River Watch