Meet Our Team

Who We Are

Our team is made up of Registered Dietitians, lactation specialists, community health educators, and often students and dietetic interns that we mentor to help advance the field of public health and nutrition.

Ashley Denton, RDN, LD, CLS
Nutrition Services Administrator

Ashley is the current Administrator of the Nutrition Services Program. She is a licensed, Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Specialist with over 15 years of experience in the field of dietetics. Ashley loves food and believes that mealtimes should be bright spots in everyone’s day. When she works with clients, she aims to ensure they will find joy in their mealtimes as they pursue their healthy eating goals. She understands the barriers and complexities of healthy eating and how it fits into a much bigger wellness picture. In her work as a lactation specialist, she helps new parents navigate the world of feeding their new baby and feels truly honored to be a part of something so important. As the leader of the Nutrition Services program, she supports the team of nutrition professionals to provide meaningful nutrition programing, which will help improve the health and well-being of Marion County residents.

Jenna Ruppert
Youth Nutrition Curriculum Coordinator

Jenna is the Youth Nutrition Curriculum Coordinator for Nutrition Services at the Marion County Public Health Department. After graduating from the School of Public Health at Indiana University, Jenna joined our team as the Food Insecurity Project Manager, working closely with older adults and families. Over the last 7 years, her experience at MCPHD has inspired her to become more involved in community engagement and be a leader in health behavior change. She has a passion for educating community members on healthy habits and understands the importance of developing strategies to address identified health needs in today’s youth. Empowering kids to make healthy choices now can help reduce the risk for chronic disease later in life, setting the foundation for lifelong wellbeing.

Pam Horton, RDN, LD, IBCLC
District Nutritionist

Pam is a licensed, registered dietitian nutritionist and international board-certified lactation consultant. She has enjoyed working in the community to spread the word about the importance of feeding ourselves well for 31 years. She has a passion for and is well-versed with plant-based eating. In her role as a lactation consultant, she finds joy and satisfaction in helping new moms and babies find success in their breastfeeding journey. Pam feels lucky to wake up every day looking forward to continuing her meaningful work.

Sydnee Hake, CHES
Nutrition Services Health Educator

Sydnee joined the Marion County Public Health Department 9 years ago. After she graduated from Ball State University she entered Nutrition Services as their Health Educator. Sydnee now specializes in their Watch Me Grow program which narrows in on kindergarten to fourth grade and emphasizes the importance of fruits and vegetables. She is motivated by the necessity of Watch Me Grow and how nutrition education can make a lasting impact at early ages. Sydnee is passionate about shaping young minds and placing an emphasis on healthful choices they can make.

Courtney Earley, MS, RDN, LD, CHES, CLS
District Nutritionist

Courtney started her career in public health as a certified health education specialist (CHES), which catalyzed her interest in nutrition and disease prevention, and led her to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Certified Lactation Specialist (CLS). For the past five years, she has worked at the Marion County Public Health Department in various roles — from being a community liaison for a violence prevention grant, to providing nutrition counseling to Marion County residents, Courtney has a passion for promoting wellness and longevity in all sectors of public health. One of Courtney’s greatest joys is knowing that through her work, she’s helping facilitate positive, individual health changes that promote better wellbeing for the people in her community.

Jamesetta Akinola Afolabi
Community Nutrition Educator

Jamesetta Akinola Afolabi is a Community Nutrition Educator with the Marion County Health Department, where she has served for nearly five years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Management and currently works as a Project Manager supporting both the ACL and DIP-IN grants. Through this work, Jamesetta has played a key role in strengthening Marion County’s access to food resources by connecting community members to the support, tools and nutrition education they need to make healthier choices. She is passionate about community impact and is especially committed to serving high-risk populations by improving access to reliable information and resources that support long-term health and well-being.