Nia Naylor's journey to the Howard University Student Association (HUSA) presidency is a testament to her leadership, resilience, and commitment to advocacy. A political science major from Dallas, Texas, Naylor developed her passion for public service early in her academic career. As a dedicated student leader, she took on various roles in campus organizations, honing her skills and gaining valuable experience in addressing student concerns and driving positive change.

Her campaign for the HUSA presidency was built on a platform of inclusivity, transparency, and student empowerment. Naylor focused on creating spaces for open dialogue between students and administration, ensuring that the voices of her peers were heard and considered in decision-making processes. Her determination and vision ultimately earned her the trust and support of the Howard community, cementing her role as a pivotal advocate for student rights and campus improvement.

Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry, Senior Pastor

The Reverend Doctor Kendrick E. Curry advances the cause of Jesus Christ within the church and community. During his 14-year tenure as the Senior Pastor of The Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, the congregation has spiritually transformed and developed a Kingdom-focused ministry that continues to thrive and be renewed. The church has 20 plus intentional ministries and activities designed to meet the needs of seniors, women, men, young adults, youth, and the community at-large. It also partners with over 10 civic, social, and professional groups including AARP, an Addiction Recovery Group, and Toastmasters to help bring about communal transformation. Specifically, through partnering with a mental-health day treatment program for DC residents, producing in cultural arts events, and convening family-oriented workshops, the church educates families and children, and it brings awareness to relevant issues affecting the larger community.

Pastor Curry values education and has been academically prepared for life and ministry. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, TX; an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI; and a M.Div. (Masters of Divinity) from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA. Pastor Curry has studied at The Shalem Institute of Spiritual Formation of Washington, DC and was trained as a community organizer at the renowned Midwest Academy for Social Organizing of Chicago. He has also done advanced studies at Wesley Theological Seminary in DC, Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, and Northern Seminary near Chicago.

In addition to pastoring, Pastor Curry worked in the corporate sector for Union Carbide Corporation (now Dow Chemical) and Eastman Kodak and in the government sector for Lawrence Livermore National Labs. Additionally, he also worked in the non-profit sector for the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation directing the prestigious NASA/Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship Program. In academia, Pastor Curry was the Associate Research Director and an adjunct faculty member at West Virginia State University. As a small business owner, he leads teams and managed projects in chemical, materials and environmental engineering and in the development of educational programming for youth and adults.

Pastor Curry is a prophetic voice in the public square. As such, he is active on the Board of Directors for the DC Baptist Convention and the Marshall Heights Community Development Corporation. He is the Economic Development Committee Chair for the DC Ward 7 Democrats. As a member of Faith Strategies, he serves with collective of clerics who bring faith-based solutions to social injustices in the DC metropolitan region. He also actively serves on the Board of Directors of DC Jobs with Justice. Pastor Curry advocates for Senior’s rights via his position on the Executive Committee for the DC State office of AARP. Because of his passion for equity in education, Pastor Curry serves on the Chair of the Board of Directors for Education Forward DC, and he has served on the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia. Pastor Curry is an alternate member of the Board of Directors of DC Water, and he frequently consults in engineering and for academic, interfaith, and community organizing groups.

Based on Pastor Curry’s service on behalf of the residents of the District of Columbia, he has received numerous awards including the Wilhelmina Rolark Outstanding Citizen Award by the Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO, and the Community Service/Partnership Award by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Reverend Karen W. Curry, Associate Minister

In 2001, she was licensed by Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

She was ordained the following year in 2002. In addition to ministering to the community,

Rev. Karen also provides communications services for clients ranging from small non-profits to Federal agencies, including DCTV where she has been an on-camera host for the station’s “Student Exposure” broadcast. She also previously served as chair of the Enlistment Committee of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, and worked with the Time to Fly Foundation, a ministry which helps women and children heal from abuse. She currently serves on the DC State Athletics Commission.

Her formal education includes a Master of Theological Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary; a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations from the University of Southern California; and an Associate of Arts degree from Prince George’s Community College where she has worked as an Adjunct Professor and launched a creative and critical thinking course she developed entitled, “Think About It! Write About It! Do Something About It!” In her spare time, she enjoys writing and performing her original poetry and raps. Her poem, “Colin Couldn’t Stand,” earned an honorable mention in the Beacon newspaper’s arts contest and was featured on Howard University’s television station, WHUT-TV. Her poem, “Violins or Violence” was featured at Rev. Dr. William Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign Revival in Washington, DC and at an anti gun violence service at the National Cathedral. Both poems can be viewed on Rev. Karen’s website, as well as YouTube, and are included in Rev. Karen’s book, Poetic and Prophetic.

Rev. Karen is happily married to Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry, Pastor of the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church. The Currys are the proud parents of Keyona and Kendrick Curry, II. Visit Rev. Karen’s website at www.KarenWCurry.com or contact her at info@KarenWCurry.com for preaching/teaching/speaking engagements, to purchase a book, to request a personally-commissioned poem or rap, or to request assistance through her Real Estate ministry.

Founded in 1967, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is America’s oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. Because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, ASH supports bold solutions proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. ash.org

Spoken word, emcee, poet has been shaking the music industry with her style.

Manager of Activism & Strategy, Truth Initiative

Caroline Bennett is currently the Manager of Activism & State Strategy at Truth Initiative. She is responsible for building and sustaining partnerships with youth-serving community organizations across the country, and mobilizing activists on key issues through online and offline campaign strategies. Caroline received a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and public Health and a Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University.

Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, GW Cancer Center - George Washington University

Dr. Debra Bernat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, and a member of the George Washington University Cancer Center. Dr. Bernat’s research focuses on 1) evaluating the effects of tobacco control policies, particularly smokefree policies, on smoking behavior and associated outcomes, and 2) engaging peers in implementing smoking cessation interventions.  

Director of Policy, Action on Smoking and Health

Chris Bostic is the Policy Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and has been a leader in global tobacco control since 2001 when he attended negotiations for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as a civil society international and human rights law expert.

Chris oversees the development and implementation of ASH’s programs. His current priority areas include Project Sunset (tobacco endgame), the environment, UN and WHO treaty negotiations, trade agreements, tobacco industry monitoring, human rights, and tobacco industry liability. In addition to his close involvement in the WHO FCTC negotiations and implementation, Chris actively participated in negotiations for the TransPacific Partnership Agreement from 2011-2016 and the negotiating sessions of the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. Since 2018, he has served on advisory committees for the tobacco endgame at the state, national, and global levels.

Throughout his career, Chris has worked on tobacco policy at the local, state, national and international levels. Prior to joining ASH, he worked with the American Lung Association, where he helped to develop SLATI (State-Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues), a national database of tobacco control regulations. He has also served as a clinical instructor at the University of Maryland School of Law, and was a member of the board of directors of the Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network until it merged with ASH in 2019.

In 2009, Chris led the efforts of an international coalition to redevelop a civil society shadow reporting program for the FCTC, culminating in the periodic publication of Tobacco Watch, which tracked global implementation of the treaty.

He has also served as a legal counsel, policy advisor, policy taskforce leader, and FCTC COP Daily Bulletin Editor for the Framework Convention Alliance on Tobacco Control (now known as the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control).

Chris holds a Juris Doctorate from the Washington College of Law, and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He regularly presents at regional, national and global conferences and has been a guest lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center, University of Maryland School of Law, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Howard University School of Public Health, University of Illinois-Chicago, & Gettysburg College.

Manager, Tobacco Control Program, District of Columbia Department of Health

Carrie Dahlquist is Manager of DC Health’s Tobacco Control Programs, overseeing initiatives to reduce the harm of tobacco through prevention, cessation, reduction in secondhand exposure, and health equity through policy, systems, and environmental change approaches. Ms. Dahlquist brings over 20 years’ experience in public health with national organizations including the American Cancer Society and the Alzheimer’s Association and as the coordinator of the DC Health Comprehensive Cancer Control Program. She received an MPH from University of Massachusetts, holds a bachelor’s degree in government and history from University of Louisiana, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in public health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Chair, DC Tobacco-Free Coalition

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Community Wellness Alliance, LLC

DC Representative, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council

Charles has over 20 years experience working nationally and locally on HIV/AIDS issues and 15 years of experience working with chronic disease. He is a member of the DC Tobacco Free Coalition for 6 years and Chair for the past 2 years. Charles is experienced in grassroots organizing, community outreach and health promotions particularly in disparate communities, and he has held various leadership roles with non-profit organizations. He is a Certified Master Health Education Specialist (MCHES), Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist (CTTS) and a Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC). Fun fact: Charles is a native Washingtonian and meditates every day for at least an hour.

Poet

Jacob Mayberry is a Baltimore born spoken word artist, Open Mic host, youth poetry coach, and MC. He has showcased his talents on a national level, being a part of 2016's National Poetry Slam championship team Slammageddon. He's also a national rap slam champion, he covers the spectrum, "I'm writing lyrical narratives."

Assistant Professor, Howard University Master of Public Health Program

TyWanda is an Assistant Professor with Howard University Master of Public Health Program. She served as the faculty coordinator for the community-based practicum from 2005-2008. In addition to academic responsibilities, she maintains an active research portfolio. Trained in Clinical Psychology, TyWanda’s research focuses on socio-cultural and behavioral health factors among minority adolescents and emerging adults. TyWanda employs mixed-methodologies to conduct college health research in the areas of alcohol/substance use, sexual health, and sleep.

The Howard University Master of Public Health Program is a two-year interdisciplinary program. It is aimed at preparing its graduates to successfully navigate the intersections of research, practice, teaching, administration, and policy development, in order to address the current and evolving issues within public health. With an emphasis on eliminating health disparities, sexual health, violence, and cancer education/outreach programs are offered through community partnerships.

Chief Exectuive Officer, Strategic Management Services, LLC

Tasha Moses has been a member of POWAB since 2017 and currently serves as a co-chair. Tasha is the CEO for Strategic Management Services, LLC, a womanowned management consulting firm based in National Harbor, MD. Tasha has a successful track-record for designing and implementing cross-sector public health programs and an established reputation for forging multi-sectorial collaborations with and between C-suite leaders and community stakeholder groups to accomplish shared goals. Tasha’s unique background encompasses 15 years of diverse experience in the non-profit, government and private sectors.

An effective facilitator, Tasha has been hired by national organizations to include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Institute of Medicine (IOM), Patient Advocate Foundation, American Lung Association and the American College of Rheumatology to develop and facilitate strategy meetings, workshops, trainings, webinars and focus groups on disease topics to include lupus, cancer, tobacco cessation and diabetes.

Prior to Strategic Management Services, Tasha’s career involved tenures at several health care organizations in the District of Columbia and New York City. Her responsibilities at these organizations included operations management, program administration for government funded programs dealing with HIV/AIDS and STD prevention, community health, immunizations and school-based health; and coordinating activities in preparation for health care organization and state accrediting bodies.

Tasha has a Dual Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Sociology from Northeastern University and a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Health Policy and Management from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Professor, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University

Dr. Taylor is a tenured Professor in the Department of Oncology and a member of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program. Dr. Taylor’s research has focused on three broad areas: 1) the clinical and public health translation of lung cancer screening as a teachable moment for smoking cessation and relapse prevention, 2) understanding the impact of prostate cancer treatment on psychosocial, behavioral and clinical outcomes; and 3) developing and evaluating interventions designed to improve the outcomes of men undergoing prostate cancer screening and treatment.

Associate Professor of Medicine & Public Health, Howard University

Dr. Carla Williams received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Howard University. She is currently Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Interim Director of the Howard University Cancer Center.   Her work centers around understanding and reducing cancer-related health disparities.  Her research activities emphasize engaging communities that have not been adequately represented in research.  Dr. Williams works with community health leaders to promote individual adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors as well as population-level change in the environment, health policies, and health systems.

Since 2010, Dr. Williams’ collaborative research efforts have resulted in the expansion of her role to function as an Executive Scientist.  In this capacity, she helps to build research teams within and across institutions to promote collaborative research.  She has led the development of a regional symposia to equip scientists and community health advocates with the skills to maximize the impact of collaborative research. 

In her teaching roles, Dr. Williams has developed new training paradigms to enhance students understanding and utilization of evidence-based practice.   She has also incorporated the use of reflective exercises to promote learning synthesis and integration.  Most recently, she has worked to develop a combined didactic and practice-based course that builds skills for community engagement as a key discipline in public health, health care research, and health policy.

Vice Chair, DC Tobacco Free Coalition

Program Manager, Leadership Council for Healthy Communites

Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, Department of Health Studies, American University

Dr. Edrin R. Williams is an Adjunct Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Health Studies at American University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and a current fellow of the American College of Health Data Management. Dr. Williams obtained his Doctor of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and holds a Master of Health Services Administration degree from Mississippi College.

He currently serves as Program Manager for the Leadership Council for Healthy Communities (LCHC), a community/faith-based organization, managing its Advancing Health Literacy and Tobacco Control and Food Access Programs. Dr. Williams' active engagement in the community, addressing health disparities, promoting healthy behavior, and health education provides students insight into the significance of health inequities and their role in health promotion.

Dr. Williams also serves as Vice Chair of the DC Tobacco Free Coalition.

Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and MassGeneral Hospital for Children

Jonathan P. Winickoff, MD, MPH, is a practicing general pediatrician and researcher. With over 100 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Winickoff's research focuses on strategies to address tobacco use and exposure in families; current work includes CEASE (Clinical and Community Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure), as well as projects related to thirdhand smoke,regulating smoking in multiunit housing, and raising the purchase age of tobacco to 21. As the past Chair of the AAP Tobacco Consortium, Dr. Winickoff works with pediatric tobacco control researchers across the country to develop the best tobacco practices for child healthcare settings. Dr. Winickoff is a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Dr. Winickoff was educated at Yale University, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health and completed his pediatric residency at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center and fellowship in health services research at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.