Our Team

Dr. Ryan Lavalley is the founder and primary lead of the Community Practice Lab. He has worked as a community occupational therapist since 2014, providing and developing programming most often related to aging, dementia, and housing across Orange County, NC. Ryan has and continues to work in partnership with multiple collaborators across Orange County and North Carolina to further community-rooted initiatives. Ryan is the current coordinator of the Carolina Aging Network, which connects academic aging-related resources and initiatives across Carolina Institutions. Additionally, Ryan teaches the Community-Level Occupational Therapy course in the Masters of Occupational Therapy Program at UNC-CH through which he has guided student partnerships with multiple local organizations to develop programming and strategic actions steps to support community health and participation. Ryan co-hosts an occupational therapy podcast with Dr. Khalilah Johnson. Ryan is originally from West Virginia and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH focusing on occupational therapy, social justice, and peace studies.

Dr. Lauren Selingo is a CPL Lead and assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lauren initiated and co-facilitates FOCUS-OAC, a community-engaged initiative that explores the complex intersections of aging, caregiving, and substance use in Orange County, NC. Lauren has worked across clinical and academic settings as an occupational therapist and course instructor, particularly in behavioral/mental health settings and with older adults in skilled nursing facilities. Specifically, Lauren has supported adults as they navigate queer identity, mental health, and changes in substance use patterns throughout life. Lauren also has expertise in participatory action research and community-based participatory research.

Kevin Giff is a community engagement professional with experience developing and implementing housing, aging, and community development programs. Kevin supports the CPL’s community engagement team, including working with HOPE NC and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. Kevin also partners with the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention’s Food, Fitness and Opportunity Research Collaborative (UNC FFORC), working with communities to advance their goals of creating safer, healthier, and more active places to live. Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, Kevin holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from UNC-Chapel Hill and has previously worked with Habitat as well as the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition and Orange County Home Preservation Coalition.

Stephanie is a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she draws on performance studies and cultural studies to research community-based resistance to police violence and racism. She helps the Community Practice Lab tell compelling stories about community partnerships to work toward systemic justice and more equitable and humane communities. Stephanie holds an MA in Communication and Media from DePaul University. She has previously worked in professional communications with a variety of organizations, ranging from health care and social service nonprofits to higher education and the private sector.

Sayoko Kawabata is an occupational therapist and PhD candidate in the Division of Occupational Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a community engagement fellow in the Community Practice Lab, she has worked on projects in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and Fairview Community Watch in Hillsborough, NC. Through her work in Fairview, Sayoko developed her dissertation in collaboration with Fairview residents. The study focuses on play for children and youth in the community. It explores factors that influence play and asks how play contributes to community cohesion.

Seth is a PhD candidate in the Division of Occupational Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, under the mentorship of Dr. Ryan Lavalley. He holds a Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. His research focuses on the activities and processes of community-rooted strategic action, with attention to the everyday relationships implicated in structural and social change. In the CPL, Seth assists in cultivating community partnerships within the classroom as a teaching assistant in the masters level Community Practice Course.

Lydia Amanueal is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying medical anthropology with minors in Spanish for the medical professions and human development, sustainability, and rights in Africa and the African diaspora. As a CPL Intern, Lydia assists with FOCUS-OAC’s outreach and community-based participatory research efforts in collaboration with older adults, caregivers, and representatives of partner organizations throughout Orange County, NC. Lydia will also support the development of resources for the Orange County Department on Aging’s Master Aging Plan. Driven by her passion for health care, Lydia hopes to explore how community engagement can be utilized to further health and social equity among older adult populations.

Landon Dudley is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In his role as a CPL Intern, Landon supports the Orange County Home Preservation Coalition and the Orange County Department on Aging’s Master Aging Plan in data learning and collaboration. Landon hopes that his work with the Community Practice Lab can support the county in expanding affordable and safe housing and help community members age well together.

Sierra Flynn-Nesbeth is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pursuing her BA in political science and Latin American studies (concentration in history) with a minor in data science. In her role as a Community Practice Intern, Sierra identifies local and regional nonprofits to support and grow HOPE NC’s collective impact work by reviewing popular and academic literature. Using her interest in public policy and service, she researches the challenges faced by older people and people with lived experience of disabilities and best practices and strategies for successfully integrating inclusive housing and community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or older adults.

Kristina Smith is a dual degree MSW/JD student at UNC-Chapel Hill. Kristina previously spent three years working at the Community Empowerment Fund, often supporting individuals experiencing housing instability. Kristina coordinates the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition, where she has the chance to remain connected to affordable housing advocacy as well as expand her understanding of affordable housing development. Professionally, Kristina hopes to continue working alongside people experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness, as she believes affordable, equitable housing is crucial to every person’s ability to survive and thrive.

Dr. Jenny Womack has worked since the 1990s to integrate occupation and the frameworks of occupational therapy within community contexts. Through her work as a resident services coordinator in affordable senior housing, a community-based OT with a county Department on Aging, a folklorist focused on community oral history, and an aging-in-community specialist, she has explored and expanded the boundaries of community-based practice. She was recognized in 2012 as a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association for ‘engaged occupational therapy to enhance community participation.’ She serves as a general consultant and supporter of the Community Practice Lab.