As chief program officer, Dina Faticone oversees Common Ground’s health improvement programs, including community outreach, education and advocacy for children and historically underserved populations.
She previously served as the agency’s director of community health and engagement, managing the Healthi Kids and High Blood Pressure programs, two health and wellness intervention initiatives aimed at preventing chronic disease and improving population health in Monroe County and the Finger Lakes region. Under her leadership, she helped build Healthi Kids by increasing revenue by 47% to expand the program’s reach into additional schools and neighborhoods. As part of her Healthi Kids work, Faticone also co-chairs the Summer Meals Partnership of Rochester, which offers kids and teens age 18 and under a free, fresh and nutritional meal. The number of meals served has increased by more than 20 percent during her tenure as co-chair.
Prior to joining Common Ground Health in 2012, Faticone spent more than 10 years working in the community development field on a broad range of issues including youth development, environmental health and sustainable development. Her work included researching the effects of climate change on small islands in Columbia and working as a field program coordinator at the World Learning, School for International Training in Botswana.
Active in the community, Faticone is a member of the American Public Health Association, the APHA Climate and Health Alliance, the University of Rochester Autism Intervention Research Network, S2AY Rural Health Network Farm to Cafeteria Committee, and the American Farmland Trust Farm to School Coalition. She also has volunteered with the URMC Center for Community Health as a community health mini-grant reviewer.
Faticone’s professional leadership has been recognized with the Reshaping Rochester Award for Activism (Honorable Mention) and the Friend of Youth Award from the Metro Council for Teen Potential.
Dina Faticone earned a master’s degree in sustainable development from Brandeis University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Le Moyne College. Her hobbies include spending time outdoors, yoga, West African Dance and playing with her kids.