Meet the TACFL Team

TACFL has a new TEAM!

We’d love to hear from Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties in New York. We’re making connections in YOUR communities! Reach out to us if we haven’t reached out to YOU—yet!

Hannah Lee is a Senior Manager (Health Promotions) at American Lung Association. As the Director for the Tobacco Action Coalition of the Finger Lakes (TACFL), she provides critical guidance and team leadership for TACFL coordinators. A seasoned public health professional, Hannah brings years of experience to support the Team’s goals of:

  • Reducing the negative impact of tobacco product marketing and price promotions on youth and adults at the point of sale
  • Increasing the number of local laws and voluntary policies that prohibit tobacco use in outdoor areas
  • Decreasing secondhand smoke exposure in multi-unit housing, with an emphasis on policies that protect the health of low-income residents
  • Promoting policies that protect our environment from the harms of tobacco products

Reach out to Hannah here.

Hali Rockow, the Team’s Youth Engagement Coordinator, is the go-to person for Reality Check—a program of the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Control.

Reality Check is for youth ages 13–18, and it’s offered as a free teen program. This youth-led movement empowers young people to become leaders, while raising awareness about the manipulative marketing tactics used by the tobacco industry. This is a statewide initiative! The program involves all things advocacy about the harm that tobacco products (i.e., vapes and nicotine pouches) have on youth. Through Reality Check, Hali offers educational opportunities for health or Phys Ed classes, tables at school events, and develops community events—such as cigarette butt clean ups! Reality Check also provides youth with the opportunity to visit the state capital to voice their concerns about Big Tobacco to their legislators. Email Hali here.

Tracy Brown-Simmons works with municipalities and businesses on tobacco free policy initiatives. As the Community Engagement Coordinator for TACFL, Tracy coordinates, implements, and evaluates lung health programing while fostering tobacco-free norms across Ontario, Seneca, Waynes and Yates counties. By mobilizing stakeholders to cultivate policy shifts aimed at eliminating tobacco/vape use and establishing tobacco-free spaces, Tracy seeks to aid communities in improving the health and well-being of these vibrant Finger Lakes communities. Email Tracy here.

Additional work for TACFL staff includes promoting smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing through educating tenants, landlords, government offices, etc., with an emphasis on protecting the health of low-income residents and also providing education and raising awareness about the environmental impact of tobacco product waste, including cigarette butts and e-cigarette (vape) components.

Learn More!

Check out our TACFL initiatives!