Board of Directors

Email:  jessica_hoffman@med.unc.edu

Dr. Robinson is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of Education and Outreach at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.  She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Robinson studies how addictive drugs such as alcohol and nicotine affect decision making in the brain, and whether drug-use during adolescence can produce long-lasting effects on the brain.

Her current research focuses on the brain regions that orchestrate decision making and investigates how addictive drugs either acutely or persistently alter function of these circuits and the resulting behavior. To that end, her goal is to address public health concerns, such as the neurobiological consequences of underage drinking.

Her scientific expertise lies in neural dynamics of corticostriatal circuits during drug exposure and action selection in animal models. She specializes in measurements of real-time neural activity, such as dopamine release and neuronal firing patterns, during animal behavior. Currently, a major focus of her lab is to investigate the long-term consequences of adolescent binge alcohol on neural mechanisms of reward bias and behavioral flexibility.

Dr. Robinson is a neuroscientist who thinks the brain is fascinating! The mother of an adolescent, she understands firsthand the importance of parents and other adults talking with youth about the risks of underage drinking and drug use, and the harms substances pose to the still-growing adolescent brain.  She wants to empower other adults to talk early and often to the youth in their lives. 

She explains, "Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by risk-taking and sensation seeking, and this often leads to experimentation with addictive drugs. The teenage brain is specifically sensitive to some aspects of alcohol and insensitive to others, which can lead teens who choose to drink to binge drink. Binge-drinking makes teens and older drinkers vulnerable to blackouts, which are particularly harmful."

Email: christie@overdoselifeline.org

Dr. Christie Barker-Cummings is new to the Board this year.  Christie is an epidemiologist by training, with a focus on genetic and environmental causes of chronic diseases. She has spent the majority of her career in Program management of federal research support services contracts for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive Disorders and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). She has also supported the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the NIEHS, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an expert technical reviewer for evaluation of bias in systematic literature reviews of the impact of environmental chemical exposures on various human disease outcomes. She began her career as a Project Director of NIH grant-funded genetic epidemiologic studies of epilepsy with joint academic appointments at Columbia University and the Mayo Clinic. She is currently searching for her next professional role.

Christie also brings invaluable lived-experience to the Board as the mother of a teenage son who struggled with generalized anxiety as well as sensation-seeking, developed a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), and eventually lost his life to an overdose in November 2018, just three days after his 18th birthday. Kevin attended Orange County Schools from first grade through graduation from Orange High School in 2018, was a high academic achiever, played multiple sports, had many friends and loving family members, and had the benefit of many enriching experiences including international travel in his short life. Realizing that none of those things prevented Kevin from exposure to drugs, taking dangerous risks, developing SUD, and losing his life, Christie pivoted and became formally involved in substance use prevention efforts.

She is putting her pain to purpose working to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy by sharing her knowledge, empathy, resources, and support with others in their grief, or who struggle with a loved one’s substance use disorder. In her words, “It’s time to shake off the darkness and harness the light”.

Christie holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in epidemiology from Emory University, and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in epidemiology from Columbia University.

In her free time, she is involved with SUD-related volunteer initiatives and speaking engagements for community awareness, is an active member of an NC Grief and Recovery After a Substance-related Passing (GRASP) group and has been featured in several WRAL documentaries about the opioid crisis in NC, including one that received a regional Emmy award.

For fun, she enjoys outdoor adventure activities with her daughter and identical-twin sons, Pilates, trail-running, up-cycling antiques, and has aspirations to take up stand-up paddleboarding and amateur flower farming.

Lori Bateman

Treasurer

Email:  lbabateman@gmail.com

Lori joined the Orange Partnership Board of Directors in early 2024. A North Carolinian, born and raised in neighboring Person County, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology, while working in clinical research full-time at Duke University Medical Center. Lori and her husband, Todd, have a son who attends school in the Orange County School district.

Lori took her educational background and applied it to the areas of cardiovascular and pulmonary research initially at Duke University Medical Center and more recently at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lori currently directs multimillion-dollar grants and contracts from the National Institute of Health that study Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Lori has been a member of the Orange County Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), served as Vice-President of the Hillsborough Elementary School PTA, and is a parent volunteer in Orange County Schools. She looks forward to engaging and helping the Orange Partnership conduct important work in the areas of drug and alcohol prevention and education.

When asked what motivated her to take on the role of Board Member at Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, Lori had this to say, “A big part of what makes being a researcher so rewarding is being able to share what is learned with the medical community. When the opportunity to serve as a Board Member for the Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth was presented to me, I thought this would be a wonderful way to serve my local community, particularly youth, while also sharing my expertise and gaining experience with a non-academic based non-profit.”

Outside of work, Lori enjoys spending quality time with friends, playing tennis, drinking coffee from around the world, attending her son’s sporting events, and sightseeing in new places with family.

Kendall R. Rankin, J.D., M.P.A

Secretary

Email: rankinkr@icloud.com

Kendall R. Rankin, J.D., M.P.A., is a new member to the Board this year. He is a strategic and solutions-oriented legal and policy professional with deep expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), public administration, and regulatory compliance. He brings nearly a decade of experience advancing equity across legal, governmental, and community sectors, with a focus on serving historically marginalized populations.

Kendall currently serves in the Equity and Inclusion Department for the City of Durham, where he develops equity-focused training curriculum and consults with departments to support inclusive practices citywide. His previous roles include Human Relations Program Manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, Policy Analyst at the North Carolina Department of Administration, and Legal Fellow with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, a position sponsored by John Deere.

His work has centered on driving equitable outcomes through stakeholder engagement, Title VI and EEO compliance, data-informed strategies, and policy development.



A proud graduate of North Carolina Central University School of Law and Appalachian State University’s Master of Public Administration program, Kendall is passionate about fostering inclusive systems—particularly in areas that impact youth development and health equity. He is excited about the opportunity to support the Orange Partnership’s mission through strategic insight, policy expertise, and a strong commitment to community wellness.”