Advancing Sexual Health Education Through Youth Engagement seeks to improve the sexual and mental health of New Mexico adolescents by improving school-based sexual health education. The aims of the project are: 1) improve knowledge, skills, comfort, and confidence of school staff to teach sexual health education in high school; 2) build a supportive community of practice for school staff responsible for teaching sexual health education, and 3) center youth voices to make sexual health education relevant to their lived experience.
Principle InvestigatorAssistant Professor, College of Population Health
The University of New Mexico, College of Population Health
UNM HSC College of Population Health
Cassandra Acosta, BS
Research Assistant
Cassandra Acosta serves as a research assistant for the ASHE project. She is a second-year graduate student at the University of New Mexico College of Population Health. She is studying to receive a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health.
David Lardier Jr., PhD, LPCC (Click here for Bio)
Co-Principle Investigator
Assistant Research Professor
The University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Department of Community Behavioral Health
Heather Slayton Summers, NBCT
Senior Program Manager for STEM Education
Project ECHO Education Team
Heather works in partnership with NMPED and districts throughout New Mexico. She is president elect for New Mexico Science Teachers Association and serves on the Math and Science Advisory Council, the New Mexico Partnership for Math and Science Education board, the New Mexico National Board Certified Teacher Network, and the Building Science Leadership Network. She has extensive NGSS pedagogy and implementation knowledge from through teaching and facilitating professional learning opportunities in PreK-12 STEM education.
DeAndre Curtis
Program Planning Manager
Project Echo
Kelsey Munger
Operations Specialist
Project ECHO for Education
Elizabeth Weyer-Hudson, MNM
Manager of External Training Programs
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
In this role, Elizabeth leads a team of educators in developing, coordinating, and facilitating training opportunities for youth-serving adults across the country. She has trained educators, health care providers, and other youth-serving adults in both rural and metropolitan areas throughout her time with RSEI. Elizabeth earned her Bachelor's in Political Science and Spanish at the University of Kansas as well as her Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University in Denver. When she isn't working, you can find Elizabeth spending time with her family, including her daughter, partner, and two dogs.
Liza Bley
Education Program Manager
Planned Parenthool of the Rocky Mountains
Liza started working for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in 2013, after publishing Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf: a sexual health comic book with co-editor Siaya Miller. At Planned Parenthood, she teaches sex education in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Outside of her professional career, Liza works alongside founder, Marya Errin Jones, to produce ABQ Zine Fest. She is dedicated to supporting young people as they improve the health of their communities through education, activism, and the arts.
