Meet Us

Marie Turchiano, Interim Director of CPO,Director of Recreation and Wellness
(631) 632-4145 | marie.turchiano@stonybrook.edu

Christine Szaraz, MS, LMHC (She/Her/Hers)Christine is the Assistant Director of the Center for Prevention and Outreach at Stony Brook. Christine’s primary responsibility is coordinating sexual violence prevention education on campus, largely through the bystander intervention training program Green Dot. Along with this role she supports CPO’s overall mission in a variety of ways including in the hiring process of student assistants, coordinating broad initiatives like the Healing Arts program, collaborating with departments like the Undergraduate Colleges to develop the health and wellness lessons delivered in the UGC 101 curriculum, and representing CPO on various Stony Brook committees and at regional and national conferences related to college health and prevention.

Christine is interested in the ways experiences in one dimension of our lives can impact other areas, and she tries to help people develop insight into those connections. She aims to help others appreciate the value of communication and creative self-expression as coping strategies and as part of recovery in their lives. Christine feels that her work at Stony Brook is meaningful in that she is given the opportunity to make small but significant impacts in the lives of amazing young people, who will in turn make even bigger and more impactful contributions to the world. 

Christine received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Stony Brook before completing her Master’s of Science in Counseling at Long Island University. She remembers attending the Roth Regatta as an undergraduate student at Stony Brook, it remains her favorite Stony Brook tradition and she loves the joyful absurdity of it. In her free time, Christine enjoys science fiction and horror, both movies and books, and exploring nature whether that be at the beaches or in the woods of Long Island, or in her favorite place to commune with nature: her backyard.

Kerri Mahoney, MPH, CHES(She/Her/Hers) Kerri is the Assistant Director of the Center for Prevention and Outreach here at SBU. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing the Substance Abuse Prevention programming,  including Red Watch Band, the Care Team Cafe Series, and the Substance Abuse Prevention (SAP) internship program. She also oversees CPO’s programs and initiatives focused on Recovery. She has recently started managing the new Health Education Outreach programs including the Protect yOUR Health Series and the Health Education Internship program. 

Kerri completed her Undergraduate degree from SBU in Ecosystems and Human Impact, and her Masters in Public Health from SBU as well. She is also a Certified Health Educator through the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading a book, and spending time with her pup, Mattis. Kerri’s favorite Stony Brook tradition is Strawberry Fest. 

Melissa J. Woody, LMSW(She/Her/Hers) Melissa is the Collegiate Outreach Coordinator in which she develops comprehensive multidisciplinary approaches to provide mental health, suicide prevention and outreach education and programming for students. Melissa works to provide community stakeholders on and off campus with the most up to date information about mental health programming and services that are available to students. 

Melissa is a Seawolf through and through, she received her Bachelors in Sociology  and went on to get her Master’s in Social Work from Stony Brook School of Social Welfare in 2018. Melissa is a NYS Licensed Master Social Worker and before joining the CPO team at SBU, she has spent over 10 years working with at-risk youth and young adults and has experience working from a trauma-informed perspective. Melissa's favorite Stony Brook tradition is Earthstock, she loves being able to see how the SBU community is taking steps towards a greener future. In her free time, Melissa enjoys hiking, fly fishing, making forts with her toddler and trying new recipes that her husband creates. Melissa plays guitar and sings in a band, when she isn’t being creative she’s spending time with her family and friends.