Administrative Team

Heidi LeBlanc | Director USU Hunger Solutions Institute

Heidi is the director of the Hunger Solutions Institute (HSI) & Create Better Health Utah (SNAP-Ed) program. After learning about Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute she has championed Utah State University to become a HSI university. In the Fall of 2018 the dream became a reality. Her primary focus for HSI is to initiate collaboration and cooperation across disciplines both on campus and off to prevent and end hunger. Her role as director of Create Better Health Utah (SNAP-Ed) fits perfectly under Utah State University’s HSI working to to increase food security and improve the lives of Utahns through a healthy diet and physical activity. Heidi oversees the Utah SNAP-Ed grant plan and contract with the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Program.

Palak Gupta | Co-Director USU Hunger Solutions Institute

Palak Gupta has spent the last 15 years studying how hunger, poverty, and related factors affect the health status of a community. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at Utah State University. Dr. Gupta's passion for working on hunger issues with minorities stems from her living, studying, and serving in both developing and developed nations. Born and raised in India, she has personally seen how living in different zip codes could affect people’s quality of life. She was fortunate to work in various developing countries such as the Philippines, Belize, and India on numerous food security projects. After moving to the United States, she learned about the similarities between hunger issues and their solutions across the globe. She is driven to address these issues and improve the overall health of Utahns.

Mateja Savoie Roskos | Founding Co-Director USU Hunger Solutions Institute

Dr. Mateja Savoie Roskos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science at USU. Mateja teaches a variety of undergraduate courses including: Community Nutrition, Education and Counseling in Dietetics, and Maternal and Child Nutrition. Mateja also teaches several graduate-level courses including Advanced Counseling and Motivational Interviewing for Health Professionals and Hunger Issues and Solutions. Mateja lead a group of faculty in the development of the Hunger and Food Security Studies Minor and assists with Hunger Solutions Institute efforts. When Mateja is not teaching, she is researching nutrition education programming, farmers’ market incentives, gardening interventions for youth, and more.

Kristin Hoch | Extension Home & Community Program Coordinator

Amberly Lambertsen | Hunger Solutions Institute Program Coordinator

Amberly Lambertsen is the Program Coordinator for the Hunger Solutions Institute. She coordinates programming for NourishSmart, NourishEd, and assists with the Food Security Council and HSI's social media presence. Amberly has a master's in education with a family life education emphasis and is a Certified Family Life Educator and Certified Public Health Worker. She spent eight years working for Create Better Health (formerly SNAP-Ed) as the Policy, Systems, and Environment Coordinator, community educator, social media manager, and program mentor. Amberly uses her skills of connection to create collaborations in the communities where she works to ensure programming can have the greatest, lasting impact where it is implemented.

Harim Driggs | Hunger Solutions Institute Nutrition Assistant SR