Dr. Joe Smyser is the Chief Executive Officer of PGP.

Dr. Smyser has created the strategies for several of the world’s largest and most successful behavior change campaigns and programs. The methodologies he has championed, such as media monitoring for disease surveillance, disseminating health information through community influencers and organizations, and rigorous peer-review regardless of a program’s scale, are now widely recognized as best practices.

He is an advocate for leveraging the tools and techniques of private industry for public health, increasing public-private partnerships, and fostering private industry innovation for the public good.

Dr. Smyser’s academic background includes a PhD and masters in public health and a postdoc at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through its evaluation fellowship. Additionally, he interned at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration within the Office of International Programs. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, having served in Swaziland.

A regular and dynamic speaker and trainer, Dr. Smyser frequently delivers keynote addresses and contributes as a panelist with other experts. He has been a full-time instructor at Columbia University and San Diego State University.

Yonaira Rivera’s scholarship focuses on reducing health inequities and improving the well-being of Latinx and underserved communities through health communication initiatives. Her work uses qualitatively-driven, mixed methods and community-based participatory research to study social media health misinformation, cancer control and prevention, and disaster relief. She conducts research in English and Spanish.

Nick has worked in digital marketing for more than a decade, with particular focuses on social media strategy, content creation, and website analytics. Currently, he leads audience development at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where his team oversees enrollment marketing, digital advertising, social media, and search. You might recognize his team’s work on the @JohnsHopkinsSPH Instagram account.

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Nick worked in book publishing and the financial industry. He studied English literature and history at the University of Miami.

Nashon Hornsby is a first-generation college graduate. A native of Neptune Township, New Jersey, he earned an associate’s degree in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, from Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ (1990) and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Cum Laude from Morehouse College in 1993. Following graduation from Morehouse, he returned to his home state and attended Seton Hall University Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and Legal Letter Masters (LL.M.) in Health Law. Licensed to practice in the State of New Jersey, Nashon has served the State of New Jersey for approximately 20 years.

Nashon began his public service tenure as a Senior Policy Advisor to former Health Commissioner Dr. Clifton R. Lacy. He then assumed the role of Procedural Safeguards Coordinator for the New Jersey Early Intervention System, where he coordinated dispute resolution efforts for the complainants. He was later hired by former Governor Jon S. Corzine, as a Senior Policy Advisor on issues related to health, education, urban affairs and engagement of faith- and community-based organizations. Following this role, Mr. Hornsby assumed the post of Chief of Operations of the Department of Health, Division of Family Health Services, where he supported the Division’s Assistant Commissioner and oversaw operational efficiencies and performance management.

In his current post as Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Community Health Services (CHS), he oversees the Community Health and Wellness (chronic disease control and prevention services) Unit, the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health and Oral Health Services.

Mr. Hornsby is married to Melissa Dyanne (nee Chisholm) Hornsby and the couple reside in Lawrenceville. The couple also has two adult children, Din Mayfield (married with one child) and Nia Mayfield, who have their own residences.