Health & Physical Education Team

Dr. Jenny Lind Withycombe, Assistant Director for Health and Physical Education in Portland Public Schools (PPS), has over 25 years of experience within the field of health, physical education, and PK-12 instruction.

Dr. Withycombe is responsible for ensuring the quality and inclusive implementation of Health and Physical Education in a safe and supportive environment for all 44,000 PPS students, PK-12. She has secured over $7.5 million in grants between 2017 and 2025 to support health and physical education in PPS.

• Grants:
  • CDC, Improving Adolescent Health and Well-Being Through School-Based Surveillance and the What Works in Schools Program
  • Oregon Department of Education Curriculum Grant
  • Adolescents and Communities Together 2.0 (ACT)
  • CDC, Health Equity Supplemental Grant
  • Kaiser Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment
  • Kaiser Thriving Schools Playbook 
  • CDC, Mental Health – COVID Response Grant 
  • CDC, SAY Wellness Sexual Health Grant    
  • Campbell’s Soup Grant (Healthy Active Schools)    
  • ISC – Professional Development Task Force
  • CDC, Mental Health – COVID Response Grant 
  • Oregon Health Authority, HEALTH for K-5 Grant
  • Advocates for Youth and the CDC Sex Education Grant
  • Presidential Youth Fitness Program Grant
  • Erg Ed Grant, George Pocock Rowing Foundation

• Service:
  • State of Play Portland-Multnomah County, Aspen Institute of Sports and Society, 2025-2027
  • USRowing, Northwest Masters Regional Council, 2025-2027
  • Oregon Public Health Advisory Board, State of Oregon, 2024-2027
  • Chair of the USRowing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board Committee, 2024-2026
  • Health Curriculum Analysis Group, Oregon Department of Education, 2024
  • National Health Education Council, SHAPE America, 2023-2026
  • SHAPE America Board of Directors Nominations Committee, 2023-2024
  • USRowing Grievance Panel, 2022-2024
  • Health Content Panel Advisory, Oregon Department of Education, 2022-2023
  • PE Content Panel Advisory, Oregon Department of Education, 2022-2023
  • Teachers Standards and Practices Commission, SEL Committee, 2022-2023
  • SHAPE America Conference Reviewer, 2021-Present
  • SHAPE America Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, 2020-Present
  • USRowing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, 2020-Present
  • School Health Advisory Council Planning Team, 2019-Present
  • Urban Wellness Coalition, Action for Healthy Kids, 2016-Present
  • Adolescents and Communities Together, Educational Subgroup, 2016-Present
  • Family Violence Coordinating Council, Prevention Subgroup, 2016-Present
  • Wellness Advisory Council, Coordinator, 2016-Present
  • Editorial Board, Women’s Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 2012-Present

Dr. Withycombe is a competitive Master’s Rower and Women’s Team Captain for Willamette Rowing Club. She has earned over 200 medals throughout her 25+ years of rowing.

Elena Beeck (they/them) is the Business Operations Specialist for the Health and Physical Education department. They are a graduate of the University of Portland’s School of Social Work, and have been working for Portland Public Schools since the 2020-21 school year. They supported the initial launch of Summer Acceleration Academy, transferring to the HAPE team at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. Elena lives with their wife and two cats; most weekends they can be found playing DND or hiking in Forest Park.

Vanessa Peña-La Torre, MPH, CHES® (she/they) is a Program Manager at Portland Public Schools, overseeing 5th-12th grade sexuality education programming, training, evaluation, and parent engagement under the Adolescents and Communities Together (ACT) grant.

Vanessa is a bilingual, first-generation Peruvian-American with a diverse multicultural background, and a lifelong interest in cross-cultural communication, cultural-responsiveness, and equity and inclusion. Combining her interest with her family traditions and practices around health promotion, Vanessa found her way to the field of public health.

With over 20 years’ experience as a sexuality educator, Vanessa centers her work in providing education that is inclusive of diverse cultural experiences, including the diversity within and intersectionality across cultural groups. This includes ensuring that learners receive LGBTQ+ inclusive, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed (or healing-centered) educational instruction that is developmentally and age-appropriate. Her experience ranges from providing workshops and training to youth, families and educators in diverse multicultural communities, such as LGBTQ+ and Latina(e/o) communities, to participating on state and national health advisory panels.

Vanessa holds a Master of Public Health from Portland State University, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. In 2019, she was recognized as a Queer Hero by GLAPN (Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest). When not working, Vanessa enjoys spending time being a happy wanderer and exploring the beauty of the PNW.

Anna Bledsoe (she/they) is the SAY Wellness Grant Program Supervisor, committed to creating safe, affirming spaces for young people, ensuring they have access to inclusive resources and support systems within Portland Public Schools. With a background in public health, she is passionate about fighting stigma, overcoming barriers associated with health and social issues, and centering young people in initiatives that impact them and their peers. Anna believes that prevention is the first step in reducing the impact that behavioral and social challenges have on communities and enjoys collaborating with others to promote positive health outcomes for youth. As a parent to three young kids, Anna has honed the art of adapting to unpredictable situations, negotiating with highly emotional tiny humans, and staying resilient – powered by leftover snacks and a soundtrack of potty training songs. These same skills fuel her passion for creating safe, supportive environments for young people, ensuring they feel heard, valued, and empowered—whether at home or in the communities she serves.

Susannah Lightbourne-Maynard previously served as a K-8 TOSA-IC. She is currently serving as the Program Manager for a number of Health-related grants, and continuing her work supporting K-12 Health & PE teachers across the district. She began teaching over 15 years ago as a 4th and 5th grade teacher with Baltimore City Public Schools. She joined the PPS Health and Physical Education team in 2019.

Susannah's background includes several years teaching and writing curriculum with Expeditionary Learning (EL Education), as well as working as a content editor with Great Minds. Susannah began working in Elementary Health Education when she became the Elementary Health Specialist Program Manager for the North Clackamas School District in 2017.

Susannah enjoys playing music and adventuring outdoors with her family!

Rachel Toback (she/her) works in the HAPE department supporting Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse Prevention. Rachel holds a Masters degree in Teaching which she has used for the past four years at PPS as a High School Health and PE teacher (Go Riders!). When she is not reading the ODE Health Standards (again) you can find her baking cakes for her friends, taking a long walk through Forest Park,  riding her bike to the river or gym or reading a memoir while snuggling with her grumpy cat.