2026 Population Health Innovation Summit

Lara Bryn

Anchor and Reporter, CBS 6 News Team

Lara Bryn is an Edward R. Murrow and three-time Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter. She anchors the noon, 5pm and 5:30pm newscasts and created the station’s health franchise, “Wellness Watch.” Lara first joined the CBS 6 News Team as a morning show anchor in June of 2022, where she won an Emmy for Best Morning Newscast. Before that, she spent four years working in sunny Florida, covering breaking news, in-depth health stories, space launches and as many stories at the beach, Disney World and Universal Studios as she could find. Her continuing coverage of the George Floyd rallies in downtown Orlando earned Lara her second Emmy. She also covered morning show traffic and anchored every newscast at the station. Prior to her time in Florida, Lara spent three-and-a-half years in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, working her way up from the Capitol beat reporter to weekend anchor and primary anchor. While in Harrisburg, Lara had the opportunity of a lifetime: to do a story about her father, who was suffering from early on-set Alzheimer’s Disease. Focused on research for a cure and featuring a visit to her father’s assisted living facility, the story earned Lara numerous awards, including her first regional Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award. She also won a national Society of Professional Journalists Award, which she accepted in Washington, D.C. After her father’s death, Lara began focusing more on wellness and health reporting. She has since become a 500-hour certified yoga teacher and earned a certification in health coaching and human performance. This led her to launch her own private yoga and health coaching business this year, called Lighten Up with Lara. She also ran the New York City Marathon in 2017 and 2023, raising money for an Alzheimer’s charity in New York City and is very involved with the Alzheimer’s Association. Lara has also reported in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Elmira, New York. She is a proud graduate of Syracuse University. Originally from New Jersey, she is happy to be living close to family in the Northeast once again with her husband, daughter, son and dog! 

Subrina Dhammi

Anchor, NewsChannel 13

Subrina Dhammi co-anchors NewsChannel 13 Live at 4 and NewsChannel 13 Live at 6 with Mark Mulholland. 

She started working with NewsChannel 13 in June 2005, just two weeks after graduating from Syracuse University.  Subrina first started out as the Berkshire County news chief, where she was responsible for following news all throughout Berkshire County, Mass. and Bennington County, Vt. After one year, she moved over to the main station in Albany, where she was a reporter and fill-in anchor. 

Subrina has covered several presidential visits and was the lead reporter when tropical storms Irene and Lee hit the Capital Region, causing some of the worst storm-related damage this area has seen in years. She was one of NewsChannel13’s main reporters sent to Boston to cover the Boston Marathon bombings.  Subrina also had a small role in the movie “The Place Beyond the Pines,” shot in Schenectady. 

Subrina moved into a permanent anchor role in 2010 on NewsChannel 13 Live at Noon.  Two years later, she started co-anchoring the Capital Region’s favorite morning show. 

Subrina lives in North Greenbush with her husband and their beautiful daughter. 

Alicia Dicks

President & CEO, The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties

As president and CEO, Alicia Dicks leads the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, an organization creating significant social impact through the stewardship of $210 million in charitable community assets. Since joining the Foundation in 2015, she has advanced initiatives to address critical, complex social challenges such as racial equity, social justice, childhood lead poisoning and neighborhood revitalization. Building on the Foundation’s seven decades of nonprofit community investment, she works closely with a volunteer board and professional staff to realize the Community Foundation’s vision for the two counties it serves, creating a “vibrant region with opportunity for all.”  

Previously, Dicks was president of the Fort Schuyler Management Corporation, managing the construction, maintenance and operations of the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute’s Computer Chip Commercialization Center; she spent more than a decade as a regional executive director at National Grid, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the U.S., managing the utility’s regional business operations, and directing market strategy. Her public policy career began at the Albany Local Development Corporation and in Albany city government, facilitating urban planning, development, and construction projects as a senior economic developer. She earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University at Albany and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the State University of New York at Cortland. 

Dicks serves on the Save of the Day Foundation, the School & Business Alliance, the M&T Bank Community Advisory Committee, the MMRI Community Advisory Committee and is chair-elect for the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Growth Enterprises Corporation. 

A sought-after speaker and presenter, Dicks has told the Community Foundation story at national conferences and in numerous community settings. She has appeared on local podcasts discussing leadership, personal growth, and organizational culture.  

Her recognitions, honors and awards are many: she was one of the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley’s 2018 Women of the Year, received the On Point for College’s 2019 Dream Maker Award, and was honored with a 2023 NYS Senate Women of Distinction Award. 

Tanya Henderson, Ed.D.

Founder and CEO, Our Village Services and 1st Step Mental Health Counseling

Alli Lidie

Chief Executive Officer, New York State Network for Youth Success

Stu Maddux

Co-Founder and Director, The Clowder Group

Stu is the creative cat behind The Clowder Group’s acclaimed films, masterfully crafting stories that elevate the voices too often left in the shadows. With seven Emmys and a restless curiosity, he is always on the prowl for stories that spark change. 

His award-winning films, showcased by PBS, Showtime, BBC, and celebrated by The New York Times and NPR, have ignited conversations around the globe. 

 Stu leads with heart, bringing communities together through screenings and discussions at global events like the American Psychological Association and the American Society on Aging. Stu is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. 

Moe Magali

Director of Business Development, Public Works Partners

Moe Magali is Director of Business Development at Public Works Partners, where he operates at the intersection of strategy, cities, and systems change. He leads the firm’s growth and market expansion, focusing on how mission driven organizations can scale impact in an era shaped by economic transition, climate pressure, and shifting patterns of how and where people live and work. Moe’s work centers on a core question: how do we design public systems and places that not only function, but foster connection, opportunity, and long-term resilience? He partners with government, nonprofits, and civic institutions to translate ambitious ideas into executable strategies, bridging planning and implementation across workforce development, economic mobility, and community centered urban development. Prior to Public Works, Moe served as a Senior Advisor at the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity, where he helped design, test, and scale innovative anti-poverty strategies to advance economic mobility. He played a key role in elevating the Center’s national profile, supporting cross sector partnerships and advancing evidence-based program design, and contributed to its recognition through the Innovations in American Government Award, a prestigious honor recognizing bold, results driven public sector innovation. His cross-sector experience spans philanthropy, government, and the cultural sector, with roles at the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the NYC Department of Small Business Services. A native New Yorker, he holds an MPA from New York University and is a graduate of Coro Leadership New York and the Urban Land Institute Health Leaders Network and currently serves on the boards of Newtown Creek Alliance and Seaweed City. 

Gregory Mruk

Executive Director, NY FarmNet

Gopika Muddappa

Deputy Director, Albany County Department of Economic Development, Conservation, and Planning

Gopika Muddappa is a strategic planning professional with expertise in land use, environmental planning, and economic development. Currently serving as Deputy Director at the Albany County Department of Economic Development, Conservation & Planning, she leads strategic initiatives that advance sustainable growth, regional collaboration, and effective land-use planning. Her work includes overseeing conservation, agricultural planning and economic development activities, managing departmental operations, and guiding complex planning processes such as State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) and General Municipal Law (GML) referrals. With a strong foundation in urban and regional planning, Gopika has extensive experience supporting municipalities, coordinating multi-agency reviews, and developing comprehensive planning strategies. She has successfully led grant applications, including New York State funding initiatives for Smart Community Growth. Gopika holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Albany and a Bachelor of Architecture from Bangalore University. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the NYS Upstate American Planning Association, and is currently pursuing AICP and LEED accreditation. Her work reflects a commitment to sustainable development, data-driven planning, and enhancing community resilience. 

Paolo Narciso, Ph.D.

Cofounder, PeopleCare.ai

Greg Olsen

Acting Director, New York State Office for the Aging

Ben Rein, Ph.D.

Chief Science Officer, Mind Science Foundation

Ben Rein, Ph.D. is an award-winning neuroscientist, author, and science communicator. He serves as the chief science officer of the Mind Science Foundation, an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University, and a clinical assistant professor at SUNY Buffalo. He has published over 20 peer-reviewed papers on the neuroscience of social behavior and is the author of, “Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection.” Rein also shares educational neuroscience videos on social media to an audience of more than 1.2 million followers, and has been featured on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Good Morning America,” and 100+ podcasts including “StarTalk” with Neil deGrasse Tyson. His science communication efforts have been recognized with awards from the National Academies of Science, the Society for Neuroscience, and elsewhere.

Ivory Rose, OTD

Lead for Healthcare Engagement, Social Prescribing USA

Ivory Rose, OTD serves as the Lead for Healthcare Engagement at Social Prescribing USA. Rose also works as a mental health occupational therapist at Century Villages at Cabrillo, Calif., where she supports a previously unhoused population by facilitating community-based groups in healthy cooking, gardening, and creative writing. She holds a master’s degree from New York University and a doctorate from Boston University, where she designed a prescribed volunteerism program for transitional aged youth. Rose has authored numerous articles on the intersection of OT and social prescribing and serves as faculty for the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship. An artist and advocate, she uses her original poetry to inspire social change on international stages. 

Christian Ross

Founder & Chief Happiness Officer, HappyTalks

Andreya Williams, Ph.D.

Founder and Qualitative Researcher, Kohere

Andreya Williams, Ph.D., is a qualitative researcher and founder of Kohere, where she advises Fortune 500 companies, state governments, national civic organizations, and philanthropic institutions on belonging, retention, and community well-being. Her research examines how social connection, mobility, and place shape long-term population outcomes and economic resilience. Her insights on rebuilding human connection have been featured in Forbes. Williams has collaborated with academic and policy audiences at New York University and the University of Massachusetts Boston and has conducted international field research in Beijing. She developed the I-to-I™ Framework to measure engagement and integration over time and is the host of Heartland, a cultural storytelling and strategy podcast exploring belonging, identity, and transition.