The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is in the election process for our 2022 National Board of Directors! Since you're an OAC member, you have the privilege of helping to build our incredible leadership.

Below, you will find our 2022 National Board of Directors slate. Please review this slate and take action, if needed. Alternate candidates may be presented, but they must receive FIVE percent of the vote to be on the slate. If you do not have any alternative candidates or objections, no action is needed at this time. Details about this process may be found below the slate of presented candidates.

Liz Paul

Liz Paul is a wife, mom, non-profit professional, and obesity advocate from Mankato, MN. She has lived with obesity her whole life and uses this first-person experience to advocate against weight bias and stigma and to fight for access to obesity treatments and care for all. In her professional life working with youth, she works to create safe spaces for children to have positive experiences with the outdoors and move their bodies regardless of their size and ability. Liz is a member of the OAC and serves OAC's Membership and Development Committees. She also enjoys camping, board games, D&D, her cats, and playing the trumpet.

Robyn Pashby, PhD

Dr. Robyn Pashby is a clinical health psychologist, a passionate member of OAC, and someone who has both personal experience with and a family history of obesity. Professionally, Dr. Pashby has spent the last 15 years incorporating mental health care into obesity treatment in a variety of multidisciplinary settings, and most recently in her own behavioral health group practice. She loves seeing individual clients and has led numerous groups over the years, including ongoing support groups to help people manage binge eating and to adjust to life after bariatric surgery. When not in session with a client, Dr. Pashby is working to reduce both mental health and weight bias by educating other psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, personal trainers, physical therapists, and other clinical healthcare workers on how these biases harm their patients. She lives in Washington, DC with her family and their dog, and she loves to spend her time outside in nature, listening to alt-country or 80s music, or traveling the world. She looks forward to bringing a richer mental health focus to the OAC’s excellent work. 

• Michelle Vicari - Michelle “Shelly” Vicari is the Immediate-Past Chair of the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), and currently serves as Chair of the Weight Bias Committee. She majored in Child Development & Family Studies and Political Science at San Diego State University and is the former Curriculum Director of the largest National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredited Child Care Centers in Southern California. She has authored many curriculum guides for teachers working with young children.

• Kristal Hartman - Kristal Hartman is the Secretary of the OAC National Board of Directors and serves as the co-chair of the Convention Planning Committee. She had gastric sleeve surgery in August 2014 and shared that it was the hardest and best decision she ever made for herself. Kristal is not only passionate about the cause of obesity but also her work in Biomarker and Genetic Research for Precision Medicine in Oncology, Obesity, and other Chronic Diseases.

• Nina Crowley, PhD, RDN, LD -  Dr. Nina Crowley serves on the Access to Care and Education Committees of OAC, and is an advocate for patient-centered care and appropriate treatment for people with obesity. She loves public speaking and enjoys presenting to professional and patient audiences about behavior change, counseling, weight bias, and taking action through public policy. Dr. Crowley is active in several local and national professional organizations and leads the interdisciplinary metabolic and bariatric surgery team at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.

Please note: The election process also formally votes for the renewal of the above Directors of the OAC National Board.

According to OAC's bylaws, the above slate will officially be elected on December 12, 2021, unless FIVE percent of OAC's membership submits an additional individual to be considered within 30 days of when this slate is presented. 

If you wish to submit a nominee to be considered for the Board of Directors, please email [email protected] with your name, nominee name, and the nominee's contact information. Anyone proposed must be a current member of the organization. If additional nominees are submitted, an official election ballot (including the above slate and any additional nominees) will be sent to OAC's membership. If you have no objections and/or suggestions for additional nominees, no action is needed. 

The above members of the slate, if elected, will become Directors for 2022. To view the current list of OAC's National Board of Directors, Click Here. 

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