CAUSES welcomes three new members

Mr. Gregory Cooper joined CAUSES as a program coordinator with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), in the Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health, where he teaches and coordinates nutrition workshops in financially challenged areas throughout Washington, D.C. Prior to joining CAUSES, he worked with WIC, Early Head Start Program, INOVA, the Tigerlily Foundation, clinical nutrition and a number of organizations in Liberia, West Africa. He enjoys working with nutrition programs and is focused on alleviating poverty. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Global Community Health and Nutrition from George Mason University. He began working in CAUSES in July.


Dr. Tia Jeffery has also joined CNDH as a project specialist and community educator, with the Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health, where she will plan, implement and evaluate community nutrition education programs that address urban health disparities, positive youth development via nutrition education and fitness, and senior wellness in the District. Prior to joining CAUSES, she provided nutrition management for kidney dialysis at Fresenius Medical Care in California, medical nutrition therapy at Holy Cross Hospital in Maryland, and administered weight management and diabetes programs for Healing Our Village, Inc. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Dietetic Internship Certificate from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, a Master of Science in Human Nutrition (with a cognate concentration in Exercise Science) from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in Public Health (with a specialization in Community Health Promotion and Education) from Walden University. Dr. Jeffery is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Certified Health Education Specialist and an Adjunct Professor at Towson University. She began working in CAUSES in October.


Dr. Matthew Richardson joins CAUSES as Assistant Director for Urban Agriculture Research, in the Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education. A native of Pennsylvania, he earned degrees in Biology and Entomology at the University of Delaware before completing his Master’s in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Prior to joining CAUSES, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Crop Sciences at UIUC, a Research Entomologist with the USDA-ARS, and a Research Scientist with the Center for Conservation and Sustainability at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Richardson’s main research interests lie in understanding plant-insect relationships in human-managed, disturbed, and restored habitats. His writings on science education and outreach appear in six peer-reviewed publications and he is frequently invited to speak in schools, universities, and conferences. His commitment to outreach was recognized with a President’s Volunteer Service Award and a USDA Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Service Award. He will join CAUSES in January 2016.