The Society is pleased to announce our 2024 annual leadership positions. 

President & Steering Committee Chair: Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD
Role: Serve as Chair of the Society’s Steering Committee; lead development and implementation of the Society’s strategic plan; and provide direction and oversight for the annual National Summit for Health Communication.

About Ashani
Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD is Vice President at NORC at the University of Chicago. She is an experienced and award-winning social scientist with over 20 years conducting communication, social marketing, public health, and public policy research, including rigorous measurement of communication messages, materials, and campaigns. Johnson-Turbes blends her academic background in political science and public policy with years of work in public health, health communication, and evaluation. She has a B.A. from Hampton University, M.A., and Ph.D. from Purdue University with continued studies in political science and quantitative methods at Leiden University and the University of Chicago. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health.

Vice President: Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHES
Role: Plan and execute the annual National Summit for Health Communication; help implement the Society’s strategic plan, particularly focused on revenue growth; and plan and oversee the Society’s educational webinars.

About Stacy:
Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHES is the President and Co-Founder of CommunicateHealth. A self-proclaimed health literacy geek and an expert in clear communication, Robison leads CommunicateHealth’s content and creative excellence. Since co-founding the company at age 30, Robison has been recognized as an innovative business leader by the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Robison has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Healthcare News, among other media outlets, discussing a variety of issues from entrepreneurship to health behavior change. She is a founding member of the Society and previously served on the Society Steering Committee and Advisory Board.

Secretary & Member at Large: Stephanie Miles, PhD
Role: Oversee engagement of the Society’s Advisory Board and meetings; help implement the Society’s strategic plan and lead Society organizational member recruitment and engagement activities.

About Stephanie:
Stephanie Miles, PhD is the Deputy Director, Communication Research at Fors Marsh. Miles combines her academic background in health communication with over 10 years of experience leading research for strategic communication campaigns to help lead a variety of public health projects. She co-directed the HHS COVID-19 Public Health Education Campaign, We Can Do This, and serves as a research director on efforts to increase childhood vaccination rates. Miles works across many health areas including suicide prevention, mental health, substance use disorders, COVID-19, and childhood vaccinations. Before working at Fors Marsh, Miles served as the Director of Communication at the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation, where she advocated for funding to support food and nutrition research.

Past President: Michael Grela
Role: Provide strategic support to Executive Leadership Team and lead select priority workstreams, including partnerships and educational webinars and thought leadership.
 
About Michael:
Michael Grela is Executive Vice President, Head of Reputation, Public Health, and Social Impact at global health communications agency Inizio Evoke Comms. He is an award-nominated, passionate, and creative communicator with over 15 years’ experience working with non-profit and private sector clients to create lasting impact in health. Grela leads a diverse team of global health and social impact specialists and oversees the agency’s cross-sector client portfolio in public health and social impact. Grela leads the global Reputation team and manages all Inizio Evoke Comms’ awards, publications, thought leadership, social media, and related employee engagement. He works across many therapeutic areas including in Ebola, malaria, HIV/AIDS, oncology, trachoma, and tobacco control and on programs that change behaviors and advance health equity. In 2023, Grela was named a finalist for the PRWeek Purpose Awards, Most Purposeful Agency Pro. Grela holds a B.S. from SUNY College at Brockport.