Staff & Board

Monifa Maat, known affectionately by her clients as The Healthy Motivator is a Nationally Certified Personal Trainer, home fitness and nutrition advocate, Lifestyle Coach, Author, and Founder of Healthy Roots Fitness & Nutrition Camp (HRFNC). Monifa has brough her inspirational lifestyle coach services to HEOW to the delight of our clients since March of 2024. Here are just a few of her accomplishments:

Monifa Maat, MPA | CSI — Founder | Be It Enterprises LLC | www.beitenterprises.com| Community Health Publishing & Consulting | Director, Community Health | Special Populations, Addo Foundation Inc. Author Bed Aerobics Fitness Flow: 18 Mind-Body Bed Exercises for Strength, Flexibility, and Balance | |Playwright & Producer - CRAVE! For Community Health.

Mr. Addo is also a proud graduate of Baruch College and has now retired from a long career in health care management at Kings County Hospital Center. After retirement, he founded HEOW to serve the health education needs of the people of Staten Island where he has teamed-up successfully with local organizations to advocate for access to basic public health services. He's been active in the community - disseminating health information throughout, and the CDC and the NYC Dept. of Health has also recognized Mr. Addo for his work. He has even led HEOW in receiving full CDC recognition for our Diabetes Prevention Program. Mr. Addo continues to serve HEOW in an advisory capacity.

Christian is one of the founding members of HEOW. He continues to be a strong advocate of our diabetes prevention initiatives, and guides the organization with an unwavering commitment to community. We are honored to have Christian in service to the community.

Ms. Bismonte holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Hunter College and a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She has progressive experience in youth development and education, and training in diverse capacities - both in the United States and abroad. Ms. Bismonte is currently a Senior Education Specialist with the Workforce Education Center at LaGuardia Community College and together with her deep roots in education, brings to HEOW her skills in program planning, delivery, and management.

Ms. Chandra is the current director of Communications and College Relations at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH). Ms. Chandra has earned a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the CUNY SPH and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Michigan. Ms. Chandra is now a key strategic board member of HEOW with a focus on communication strategies and health programming design with the goal of impactful health outcomes in NYC.

Mr. Anim-Addo - a founding director - has had an extensive career in public health. He brings over 37 years of experience to HEOW. Mr. Anim-Addo is now retired, but has held several senior positions at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene including at: the Bureau of HIV, the Bureau of STD, and at his most recent position as Chief of the Bureau of Immunization. He received his MSc in Political Science and International Health from Brooklyn College, and his MPH from Long Island University. We are proud to have Mr. Anim-Addo in continued service to NYC through the works of HEOW.

Kenrick joined HEOW in 2017 as Volunteer Assistant Director. He has been Executive Director since May of 2021. He has a BBA from Baruch College in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Public Health degree from Downstate Health Sciences University. He has held various professional and volunteer positions in NYC from Citigroup and Mutual of America to NYC Health + Hospitals Woodhull in Brooklyn, Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, and Project Hospitality/El Cento in Staten Island. He is now committed to making New York City healthier through the initiatives of HEOW.

Dr. Panford is a retired Professor of City University of New York. He received an MA from the University of Ghana, an MA from New York University, and received his Doctor of Education degree from Columbia University. Dr. Panford is passionate about continued service to those in need both locally and abroad. He continues to invest his resources and experiences to impact the community at large. We are proud to have Dr. Panford on our team!