Governance and Financials

Staff

Joseph Nadglowski
President and Chief Executive Officer
Joseph Nadglowski is President and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition. A frequent speaker and author on the importance of obesity awareness, Mr. Nadglowski has more than 25 years of experience working in patient advocacy, public policy and education and is a graduate of the University of Florida. As a patient advocate who has publicly shared his own personal experience with obesity as well as those of OAC’s members on many boards, taskforces, workgroups and public testimony, Mr. Nadglowski was recipient of the 2012 Society for the Study of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) Public Service Award. As part of his advocacy work, he has dedicated a significant part of his work toward the recognition of weight bias, its impact on those with obesity and our nation’s efforts to combat it. He has been a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House to discuss childhood obesity and has testified before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the importance of increasing treatment options for individuals affected by obesity.

James Zervios
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

James has more than 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit healthcare/patient advocacy sectors and is a graduate of the University of South Florida. James joined the OAC in 2005 and served many years overseeing the Marketing and Communications department until transitioning to VP/Chief of Staff in 2023. In March 2024, he was named Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the organization. He is responsible for managing the organization’s operations, including overseeing all organization departments, corporate partner development, strategic planning, staff management, and speaking/presenting on behalf of the organization. In 2015, he was awarded the OAC’s Milestone Award for distinguished service to the organization. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, cooking and spending time with his wife, Danielle, and son, Nicholas.

Tracy Zvenyach, PhD, MS, RN
Director Policy Strategy and Alliances

Dr. Tracy Zvenyach is Director of Policy Strategy and Alliances at the Obesity Action Coalition. In this role, she provides leadership in the development and implementation of policy priorities and strategy for OAC and represents OAC in alliances and coalition efforts to advance obesity care. She also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches healthcare policy and advocacy to graduate level students. In her previous roles, Dr. Zvenyach led obesity public policy and advocacy efforts for seven years at Novo Nordisk and worked in the U.S. Senate for years, on topics ranging from healthcare, women’s policy, workforce, disaster response, and judiciary policy. Two of her top legislative accomplishments include work on provisions included in the Affordable Care Act and reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Dr. Zvenyach’s research and publications focus on health economics and policy research to address barriers to obesity care, as well as diet quality of pregnant women receiving the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental food program. Dr. Zvenyach received a BS in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and her MS in nursing and PhD. in health policy from the University of Maryland-Baltimore. Dr. Zvenyach volunteers her time as Co-Chair of the Public Policy Council for the Wisconsin Nurses Association and President of the Board of Trustees of the Wisconsin Nurses Political Action Committee.

Lisa Gresco-White
Senior Membership Manager

Lisa Gresco-White has been with the OAC for more than 15 years where she has focused her efforts and passion to serving the needs and interests of our members. As OAC’s Membership and Mobilization Manager, Lisa is responsible for the management of OAC’s Membership program, along with the recruitment and retention of OAC’s members and its associated programs. She serves as the main liaison to OAC’s Membership Committee, working closely with this volunteer group to chart the course to ensure OAC’s membership grows and thrives. In addition, Lisa also oversees OAC’s efforts to effectively mobilize its membership through the management of OAC’s Community platform and the emerging Regional Community Networks. With a strong emphasis on support, she also devotes her time to the creation of new and ongoing support opportunities for OAC’s members, along with the management of OAC’s volunteer-base.

Chris Gas
Senior Marketing Manager

Chris joined the OAC in 2018 as the Web Development Manager, tasked with the development, maintenance, and security of all of the organization’s websites, before moving into his current role, where he oversees the OAC’s marketing efforts. Chris is also responsible for the technology needs of the organization. He spent more than 10 years working with small businesses, helping them take advantage of digital media to drive growth before moving onto working with nonprofit organizations. Chris attended Broward College and the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, focusing on web design and interactive media.

Michelle “Shelly” Vicari
Senior Program Manager

Michelle “Shelly” Vicari joined the OAC team in 2023 as the Senior Program Manager. In her role, she is responsible for the development and execution of OAC’s educational programs, events and services, which includes OAC’s Weight Matters Magazine, and OAC’s Your Weight Matters In-Person (Engage) and Virtual Conventions. Shelly also works on the coordination and execution of OAC’s digital educational offerings, public resources and awareness campaigns. Prior to joining the OAC staff she served on the OAC’s National Board of Directors for 10 years. Shelly attended Grossmont College and San Diego State University, where she majored in Child and Family Development and Political Science.

Melanie Hittinger
Development Manager

Melanie joined the OAC team in early 2020 as the Development Associate, and focuses her efforts on facilitating philanthropic gifts, grants and programming to advance the mission of the OAC and its goals and initiatives. Prior to coming to the OAC, she worked on the Institutional Advancement team at Haverford College and led the Giving Program at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia. Melanie is passionate about work in the nonprofit sector and connecting donors to the causes they care about. She attended West Chester University and holds a B.A. in English.

Chrystal Jones
Advocacy Manager

Chrystal joined the OAC team in 2021 as the Advocacy and Awareness Initiatives Associate. She is responsible for the coordination and execution of OAC’s advocacy and awareness initiatives and activities in key issue areas. Chrystal has dedicated over 16 years to working in nonprofit organizations with a background that includes advocacy, program management, fundraising, communications, volunteer management and electoral work. She has managed advocacy campaigns on a broad range of issue areas including expanding access to health coverage, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, state education standards and assessments, and environmental protection. Chrystal graduated from Eckerd College with a BA in Political Science and minor in International Relations, and Norwich University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

Kendall Griffey
Communications Manager

Kendall joined the OAC team in 2022 as the Communications Associate, where she devotes her time to developing and implementing communications and marketing strategies. Kendall promotes events and campaigns, including the Stop Weight Bias campaign and the annual Your Weight Matters Convention. She also creates and distributes OAC communication pieces such as OAC Insider, the OAC Blog and the latest news from the OAC in Weight Matters Magazine. In addition, she manages OAC’s social media accounts, coordinates with the Development department on fundraising efforts and supports media relations. Kendall graduated from University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Communications with a focus in public relations.

Lynsie Nichols
Administrative and Database Coordinator

Lynsie joined the OAC in 2021 as the Administrative and Database Coordinator. In this role, Lynsie is responsible for taking care of OAC’s administrative activities and works across all Association departments to ensure efficient office organization. As part of her focus, Lynsie fulfills all information and resource inquiries from members and constituents, coordinates OAC’s database entry activities, assists in bookkeeping and invoicing and provides general support to OAC’s leadership. Lynsie served in the United States Air Force for eight years, working as a Public Affairs Specialist.

Yunus Bulutoglu
Communications Coordinator

Yunus joined the OAC in 2022 as the Communications Coordinator. In this role, Yunus is responsible for assisting in digital marketing efforts, coordinating social media postings for all OAC pages, and planning multiple virtual and in-person educational events. Yunus has a background in digital communications management, and he graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Comprehensive Marketing and a minor in management.

 

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