Welcome our newest additions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Active Plus Announces Preeminent Experts in Medicine, Public Health, Law, and Urban Policy
as Newest Additions to its Non-profit Board of Directors
April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, Carrie Torres, MS, Kate Graeme, MD, and Kate Reilly, JD will provide strategic guidance to Active Plus, the New York City-based non-profit dedicated to improving physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness among communities including at-risk populations
NEW YORK (March 8, 2023) – Active Plus, the leading provider of free health and fitness education and programming in New York City with a focus on improving the health of minority and diverse populations, today announced the addition of four professionals to its non-profit board – spanning medicine, public health, law, and urban policy backgrounds which will be vital to strengthening Active Plus’ reach and impact in health promotion for New Yorkers. The addition of April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, Carrie Torres, MS, Kate Graeme, MD, and Kate Reilly, JD, takes place on this year’s International Women’s Day which celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women while also recognizing the work necessary to improve equity around the world.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome April Joy Damian, Carrie Torres, Kate Graeme, and Kate Reilly as new board members to Active Plus, who will help the organization turn to our next chapter in expanding health and fitness education to the communities we’ve served for over eight years,” said Tarik Kitson, MPH, Executive Director, Active Plus. “Each of these professionals embody the type of leadership that will position Active Plus for continued success, and I’m grateful for their partnership as we work to improve the lives of countless individuals and families in the years to come.”
Kitson and his co-founders established Active Plus in 2015 to fill the need of schools and community members who would benefit from access to, and instruction in, physical education/fitness, mindfulness, and more. Since its founding in Harlem, Active Plus has provided hundreds of New York City students, individuals, and families 100 percent free programming to better their health and their lives – addressing prevention and management of chronic diseases and obesity-related conditions. Recently, Active Plus has collaborated with like-minded organizations including Liverpool Soccer Club Foundation, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, NYC Dept. of Education, CitiBike, and the New York City Housing Authority, to achieve its goals. Active Plus’ all-volunteer Board of Directors provides strategic guidance on programming and fundraising, as well as individualized specialties such as accounting, law, marketing, and more.
“In my work as a physician, and throughout my career including as a researcher in pediatric diabetes, I’ve seen first-hand how regular exercise and healthy habits make a key difference in a patient’s health and outlook,” said Dr. Kate Graeme. “I’m thrilled to be on this journey with Active Plus to bring free programming to students and communities who would benefit from access to physical activity and wellness offered by this inspiring non-profit.”
“As a classically trained public health practitioner, I’m encouraged that my field is coming to understand that equity must be infused in all public health and community engagement work,” said Dr. April Joy Damian, Vice President and Director of the Weitzman Institute, a research, education, and policy center dedicated to quality improvement and primary care transformation, with a particularly focus on vulnerable populations. “Active Plus is way ahead in this movement, as a Black-led organization that understands the barriers to an active lifestyle for under-represented youth in particular. I’m looking forward to pairing my expertise with my fellow board members, to set up Active Plus to meet the moment in New York City.”
“Developing opportunities for economic mobility for New Yorkers including affordable housing and individual empowerment among young people has been a source of great pride in my career,” said Carrie Torres, MS, Vice President/Director of the Department of Empowerment, Compliance, and Opportunity for New York State Homes and Community Renewal, a certified yoga instructor, and former Senior Strategist for the Fund for Public Housing and the New York City Housing Authority. “I recognize there is more work to do to support and grow community based organizations like Active Plus so that more New Yorkers, especially young people can experience the benefits of being physically active. I can’t wait to share my expertise as a board member at an exciting time for the organization, which is celebrating its eighth year in 2023.”
“Active Plus is at the cutting edge of bespoke health and fitness programming that is breaking down barriers to wellness for children and teens living in at-risk communities in New York,” said Kate Reilly, JD, Chief Operating Officer, PTJ Park Hill, a leading global advisory-focused investment bank. “The organization and its board continue to drive positive change, most recently expanding programming that leverages violence prevention and leadership skills for students and young adults. I can’t wait to join this powerful group of board members who are reimagining the future of our city.”
Research shows that regular physical activity and other wellness habits contribute to positive health outcomes, such as improved mental health and wellness, and works to prevent or address obesity and obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer, which are experienced disproportionately in people of color. Active Plus is improving access to, and awareness of, fitness and healthy practices such as nutrition and mindfulness, particularly in under-represented communities that have experienced or are experiencing barriers to wellness, such as a lack of high quality physical education at school, safe neighborhoods including affordable housing, parks and recreation, and modes of active transportation.
To learn more about Active Plus, its essential work in New York City, and its board members, who are selected to serve a term of two years, please visit activeplus-nyc.org.
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About Active Plus:
Active Plus was founded in Harlem, New York to prepare individuals and families for a lifetime of health by disseminating information and skills relating to exercise, healthy food preparation, and obesity prevention. Fitness and nutrition instructors develop engaging routines in the classroom, online, and in the community, to encourage and nurture healthy lifestyles. Our vision is that every New Yorker, regardless of socio-economic status, should have access to high quality fitness and nutrition education.
Board Biographies:
April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
Dr. April Joy Damian is an epidemiologist, health services researcher, and classically trained public health professional with expertise in health equity, social determinants of health, psychiatric epidemiology, and mixed methods. She currently serves as the Vice President and Director of the Weitzman Institute, a research, education, and policy center dedicated to quality improvement and primary care transformation, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations. Dr. Damian concurrently serves as a Senior Scholar for Health Equity at AcademyHealth, and holds faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Wesleyan University. She provides thought leadership on numerous national committees, including as an appointed Member of the National Academies Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Forum for Children's Well-Being, Chair of the National Academies Healthy Parenting in Primary Care Collaborative, Member of the Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy (CAPP) and Membership Committee at AcademyHealth, and former inaugural Vice-Chair of the Health Equity/Patient Reported Outcomes/Community Engagement Committee of NIH's RECOVER initiative. Dr. Damian previously served as the Director of Quality Innovation at the National Quality Forum (NQF), where she spearheaded the expansion of NQF’s portfolio on social determinants of health quality measures, and co-led the NQF Measure Incubator®, an innovative effort that facilitates efficient measure development and testing through collaboration and partnership, and addresses important aspects of care for which quality measures are underdeveloped or non-existent.
Dr. Damian completed her PhD in the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Masters in Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelors of Arts in Ethnic Studies, Highest Honors. She has received numerous recognitions in honor of her role as a social change agent, including the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Community Well-Being Warrior Award, and an honorarium from the University of Delaware.
Carrie Torres, MS
Carrie Torres is Vice President/Director of the Department Empowerment, Compliance, and Opportunity for New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). Carrie's objective is to promote equitable access to economic opportunities for minority and women owned business enterprises plus service disabled and veteran owned business enterprises by eliminating barriers to their participation in NYS contracting. She was previously a Senior Strategist for the Fund for Public Housing and the New York City Housing Authority. A public/private partnership where she was co-lead on initiatives raising funds and creating resident programs to support economic mobility and leadership development amongst over 500,000 New Yorkers residing in North America's largest public housing authority.
Carrie is an Adjunct Professor in the Management & Information Technology Department at St. Francis College located in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Carrie earned a Master of Science in Urban Policy and Leadership from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from SUNY New Paltz. She prioritizes fitness and wellbeing by teaching weekly yoga classes in NYC, dedicated to the practice of yoga for over 20 years.
Kate Graeme, MD
An Asheville, North Carolina native, Dr. Graeme attended undergraduate at Appalachian State University where she majored in Exercise Science. She spent two years prior to medical school in the field of medical research including work with pediatric diabetes, exercise immunology and adult hypertension. After attending medical school in Blacksburg, Virginia at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed a three year residency in Asheville, NC.
Following residency, Dr. Graeme and her husband who is also a family medicine physician spent a year doctoring and adventuring in New Zealand. She returned to the area and joined a family medicine practice in 2019. In her free time, you can most likely find her and her husband on a hiking trail with their infant daughter and dog Annabelle. Her other personal hobbies include running, biking and reading. Dr. Graeme has contributed to articles about pediatric diabetes and exercise recovery in professional journals through her work at both Appalachian State University and The Medical University of South Carolina. Board certified in the specialty of Family Medicine, she is also an active board member for the Western Carolina Medical Society.
Kate Reilly, JD
Kate Reilly is the Chief Operating Officer and a Managing Director for PJT Park Hill, a global capital raising and advisory services firm headquartered in New York. Kate is responsible for all aspects of the operations of the group which includes 175 employees across four countries. Prior to joining PJT Park Hill in 2015, Kate served as an attorney within The Blackstone Group’s Legal & Compliance department where she managed various litigation and regulatory matters for the firm in addition to providing legal and compliance support for Blackstone’s M&A, Restructuring and PJT Park Hill groups.
Kate graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in English Literature and received a J.D. from New York Law School. Kate was a Division I Track & Field athlete while at Dartmouth. She has been an active DEIB Committee member for her daughters’ school for the past 3 years and has been focused on DEIB initiatives at her current firm. Kate strives to make an active lifestyle as part of her daily life and has run several marathons and half-marathons across the country including the NYC marathon.
For More Information:
Tarik Kitson, Active Plus
