Our Team
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Collapse ▲Ben Chapman, PhD
Principal Investigator
Department Head, Professor & Extension Specialist
Dr. Ben Chapman is the department head of Agricultural and Human Sciences, professor, and director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program at North Carolina State University. Ben also provides leadership to the food sector, serving as Project Director for FoodCoVNET, a collective of food safety professionals conducting research and outreach around COVID-19 concerns in the food supply chain. Ben is the Co-Chair of STOP Foodborne Illness board of directors, an advocacy group for individuals affected by foodborne pathogens. Ben also co-hosts two podcasts, Food Safety Talk and Risky or Not as well as participates in social media. Find him at @benjaminchapman on Twitter.
Email: bjchapma@ncsu.edu
Jayne McBurney, MS
Program Coordinator
Jayne has a BS in Family Relations and Human Development and an MS in Home Economics Education, completing both degrees at Ohio State University. She coordinates the federal nutrition education program Steps to Health, NC State’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). Jayne was a Social Media and Technology Associate for nutrition education programs last year, and a Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 10 years before joining Steps to Health.
When not at the office, Jayne enjoys traveling, time with her family, and using her skills and abilities in service projects.
Email: jayne_mcburney@ncsu.edu
Tony Benavente, MS
Data Analyst, Extension Associate
Tony joined the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences in 2012 as the Data Analyst for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). In 2020, he joined the Steps to Health team. His main responsibilities include data management and preparing state and federal reports for both federal nutrition education programs.
Tony has a BS in Agriculture from the University of Guam and a Master’s in Extension Education from NC State University. Prior to working at NC State, Tony was the Interim Extension Director for the Northern Marianas College, the land grant institution in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. As Director of Extension, part of his responsibility was to supervise the administration of EFNEP. He also was the first Director who brought SNAP-Ed funding to Extension.
Email: Tony_Benavente@ncsu.edu
Savana Everhart Nunn, PhD
Retail Food Safety Extension Associate
Amanda Butalla, MEILE
Social Media and Marketing Extension Associate
Amanda has a passion for empowering people by connecting them with information that engages and entertains. In her role as Social Media and Marketing Associate, Amanda serves North Carolina by bringing Steps to Health resources directly to individuals, families, and communities. She is motivated to strengthen multi-platform communication as social media becomes an increasingly popular tool for education.
Amanda began her career with NC State Extension as an FCS agent in 2019, having completed her BS in Family and Consumer Sciences and BA in Spanish at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. She completed a Masters of Entrepreneurship in Innovation Leadership through Western Carolina University in 2024.
Amanda enjoys travel and exploring her creativity through photography and recipe development.
Like and subscribe to Steps to Health’s social platforms to stay connected:
Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Email: amanda_butalla@ncsu.edu
Morgan Marshall
EMFV Program Manager
& Local Food Communications Assistant
Morgan Marshall has served with Extension for over 10 years, formerly as an FCS Agent in Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender Counties. In addition to managing the EMFV Program, she also manages the Donation Station Program. She has a passion for local foods and enjoys supporting agents with their programming and volunteer management. In her free time she loves reading, hiking, cooking, and spending time outdoors with her husband Sam and her son Charley.
Shannon Hoffman
Administrative Support Specialist
Shannon provides data entry, office support, and year-end reporting assistance for the Steps to Health program. She has a degree in Business Administration and a degree in Marketing.
Shannon has worked for several statewide non-profits and other industries, including the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her unique background and her perspectives and ideas are unique and valuable to the team. In her spare time, she is either judging a horse show, riding her mules and donkeys in the mountains, or working on her farm.
Email: sshoffma@ncsu.edu
Kyle Hood, MS
Garden Collaborative Extension Associate
Kyle works statewide with Extension Agents to build capacity using research- and practice-tested strategies to train agents on how to plan, implement, and evaluate PSE projects through gardening and garden education.
Kyle has a BS in Nutrition from Appalachian State University and an MS in Nutrition with a concentration in Community Food Security from Meredith College. Prior to joining the Steps to Health team, Kyle had many experiences in community nutrition including managing garden education programs.
When Kyle isn’t working he enjoys gardening, hiking, and raising pigs and chickens with his family.
Email: wkhood@ncsu.edu
Caren Maloy, MS, RD, LDN
Food Bank and Food Pantry Extension Associate 
Caren works with Extension Agents across the state, assisting them with the development, implementation, and sustainability of food pantries. She provides the necessary training and technical assistance to meet the needs of the Extension Agents, as well as food pantry organizations.
Caren has over 30 years of clinical and food service experience in hospital and healthcare settings with leadership in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating healthcare promotion and community-based nutrition education programs. Over the past eight years, Caren has focused on building community partnerships through direct education and PSE initiatives. She has also worked across NC with Extension Agents to build capacity using researched, evidenced-based, and practice-tested strategies from Steps to Health toolkits to train agents on how to plan, implement, and evaluate direct education and PSE projects.
Caren has a BS degree in Foods and Nutrition from Marymount College and an MS in Foods and Nutrition from Florida State University. In her spare time, Caren enjoys traveling, needlepoint, and reading.
Email: cbmaloy@ncsu.edu
NaTosha Thigpen
University Program Specialist – Grant Monitor
Email: nmthigpe@ncsu.edu