About Us

Jonathan is a dedicated healthcare professional with a passion for addressing lung cancer screening and smoking cessation barriers. He graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program in 2017 and subsequently completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program in 2022.

Since 2018, Jonathan has played an integral role in the development of the lung cancer screening program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He now serves as the Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program and is also the Director for the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research.

He serves on the Mississippi Lung Cancer Roundtable’s Steering Committee and is the Vice-Chair of the Lung Cancer Screening Workgroup and Chair of the Smoking Cessation Workgroup. Additionally, he is a member of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable’s Tobacco Treatment in the Context of Lung Cancer Screening task group.

Kathy has an Associate’s Degree in Business Secretarial and has been an Administrative Assistant for over thirty years and with UMM for five. In her spare time, she loves to read, travel and go shopping.

Brittany Tichenor graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Mississippi College. She has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2014 with experience in mental health and substance abuse treatment settings. Brittany has been a Tobacco Treatment Specialist at the ACT Center since 2015. She completed training and became a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and later received the Nation Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice (NCTTP) from NAADAC.

Robert Lock is a licensed professional counselor who has been involved in clinical, research and education focused on tobacco dependence. Robert got his start with tobacco dependence beginning with the MS Tobacco Quitline as an intern in 1999, before moving on to the ACT Center. With 24 years of tobacco dependence experience, Robert continues to strive to help Mississippians break the dependence on tobacco and continues to educate the public on the dangers of tobacco use. Robert has provided 1 on 1 and group treatment to 1000’s of patients and has facilitated numerous speaking engagements throughout the state of Mississippi. Robert is a member of the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD), the Tobacco Control Advisory Council, The Tobacco Coalition and Project Bat (Black People Against Tobacco).

Erica has served the University of Mississippi Medical Center for over twelve years in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. She currently serves as the Lung Cancer Screening Program’s Nurse Coordinator where she is vital to ensuring patients are able to be screened and have an enjoyable experience. She is proud to serve her community by helping to promote early detection and treatment of lung cancer and believes that no one should have to lose a loved one to cancer. She enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, two daughters, and their dogs.

Kelli Grant-Olive has eighteen years of service to the state of Mississippi. She is currently the Project Manager II for the ACT Center where she has served in this position for two years. Outside of work, she serves faithfully in her church, enjoys working out in the gym, and spending time with family and friends. She also has a cat named Fuzzie who she loves dearly.

Sharon is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Psychology and a Master of Science in Special Education in Emotional Behavior and Disorders. She also holds a Master of Science in Continuing Education with a Major in Counseling Psychology. She earned her license as a Licensed Profession Counselor in 2015. From there, she gained sixteen years of experience working in the mental health field as an Outpatient Therapist servicing children and adults with emotional behavior and disorders. Sharon is currently a Senior Tobacco Treatment Specialist with the ACT Center where she has been for five years. She completed training and later received the National Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice (NCTTP) from The National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). She is passionate about helping and working with others.

Latoya (Toya) Scott is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of six amazing girls. She has been with UMMC for twenty-two years. She started her career with UMMC working in dietary and subsequently moved to multiple other positions before becoming a scheduler II with the Act Center alongside Dr. Jonathan Hontzas. Her journey with UMMC has been “amazing” with a lot of teaching and learning experiences.