Team
John M. Clymer
Title Executive Director
John Clymer leads the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, a nonpartisan, nonprofit catalyst for multi-sector collaboration to improve cardiovascular and metabolic health for all. Under John’s leadership since 2012, the National Forum has made a measurable impact on population health while increasing its revenues sevenfold. National Forum-led collaborations have helped drive policy changes in 32 states that expanded people’s access to evidence-based healthcare, and implementation of programs, policies, and infrastructure changes proven to improve health in communities in 39 states.
Additionally, John is a fellow of the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership at Loma Linda University, a guest lecturer at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the senior member of the Community Preventive Services Task Force. He has served as a subject matter expert at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.
As president of the Partnership for Prevention (2001-08), John spearheaded the successful advocacy campaign that secured the addition of preventive services to Medicare in 2003, established the National Commission on Prevention Priorities, earned recognition from Harvard Business Review for a “Breakthrough Idea” in workforce health, and quadrupled PfP’s revenues.
John has conducted numerous Congressional briefings, appeared on Fox & Friends, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, public radio, and in print media such as The New York Times, and authored book chapters and articles on prevention. He served as TEDMED’s Thought Leader for Great Challenges: Making Prevention Popular and Profitable.
Jen Childress
Title Director of Programs
Jen Childress, MS – Director of Programs, manages the National Forum’s Value & Access and Move with the Mayor initiatives. Jen brings 20 years’ experience in the field of health promotion. She co-created & launched HealthLead®, a comprehensive workplace & academic health promotion program accreditation initiative designed to assist organizations and universities in enhancing their health & wellness management policies.
Jen has over a decade of leadership in both the private and non-profit sectors organizing events & convening stakeholders, including recruiting & educating lay-leaders, senior leaders, & community champions. She currently serves on the US Conference of Mayors Business Council Steering Committee, and the Board of Directors for the San Tan Trail Runners as communications chair and recording secretary. In 2016, Jen was named one of the National Top Ten Business Women of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) for her contributions to business, community & the association.
Jen holds a Bachelors degree in Government from Claremont McKenna College and a Masters degree in Health Promotion Management from American University. She resides in Mesa, AZ, where she enjoys trail running, working out, reading, and volunteering at a local horse rescue.
Julie Harvill
Title Director of Operations
Julie Harvill, MPA, MPH is the Director of Operations for the National Forum. In this capacity, she oversees and manages the daily operations of the organization. Working with the management team, she contributes to the development and implementation of organizational strategies, programs, policies and practices in support of the National Forum’s vision, mission, 2021 goal and strategic priorities. She provides strategic, logistical and administrative support to the Forum’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Corporate Operations and Finance Committees. She directs the Annual Meeting and Mid-Year Meetings, and other special work groups.
Harvill, a native of Illinois received a bachelor’s in psychology and social service from Bradley University in 1985, a master’s in public administration from Sangamon State University in 1993 and a master’s in public health from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2001. She was formerly the administrator of the Illinois Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program. Harvill was President of the Chronic Disease Directors in 2004-2005. She was the Co-chair of the Cardiovascular Health Council in 1998, President of the Illinois Society for Public Health Education in 1995 and Executive Council Member of the Illinois Public Health Association from 1992–1995. She was co-chair of the National Chronic Disease Conference in 2004 and chair of the Great Lakes Regional Cardiovascular Conference in 2003. Harvill received the Community Service Award from the Illinois Department of Public Health in 1997, the Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors in 2006 and the National Forum Chair Recognition Award for her leadership and actions to increase effectiveness of the organization in 2010. Harvill resides in Glenarm, Illinois with her husband Rick. They have two daughters Cassandra and Ciera.
Sunny Hsu
Title Finance Officer
Sunny Hsu is an experienced Financial Officer at National Forum, responsible for managing grant-funded programs. With nearly 20 years of experience in financial management and office administration, Sunny has become a seasoned grant management professional with a proven track record of managing grants from federal, state, and private sources. She excels in budget development, compliance, and reporting, and is highly skilled in managing complex grant-funded programs while collaborating with diverse stakeholders.
Prior to joining National Forum, Sunny served at three major research universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa State University, and Texas Tech University Health Science Center. She is passionate about grant management and is committed to achieving excellence in her work. Her expertise and experience have been invaluable to the organizations she has served.
Sunny is a team player who enjoys collaborating with others. She resides in Lubbock, TX, and is an avid tennis player, jogger, and hiker. In her leisure time, Sunny loves going on cruises and ballroom dancing.
Michelle Snyder
Title Community Engagement Coordinator
Michelle Snyder is a Community Engagement Coordinator for the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, an independent, nonprofit catalyst for collaboration.
Michelle brings experience in health education, health promotion, marketing, and event management in her role at National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention. She has served in leadership roles in the nonprofit and humanitarian sectors. She received her master’s degree in public health with a specialization in community health education and her bachelor’s degree in workforce education specializing in education, training, and development both from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Il.
She has traveled extensively for her work including teaching/training in Haiti, Honduras, Malawi, and Tanzania. She currently resides in southern Illinois.
John Bartkus, PMP, CPF
Title Program Management Consultant
John Bartkus is a program management consultant specializing in enterprise performance improvement and project/program management. His 25+ years in project management cross a variety of industries and disciplines working with companies such as British Airways, SITA, Freese & Nichols, Jacobs Engineering, Carter & Burgess, Carstens & Cahoon, DFW Airport, WFAA, AbleTo, ForeFront Telecare, and the American Heart Association.
John is a Project Management Institute (PMI) Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) with the International Association of Facilitators. His formal education includes a Bachelor’s in Applied Technology and Performance Improvement (BAAS-ATPI), and he is a former president of the Fort Worth Chapter of the Project Management Institute and was named PMI Chapter Leader of the Year (globally) in 2013.
John has supported the National Forum with project management for the annual convening – as well as production services to make it engaging and broaden the reach/impact.
Emma Waugh, MPH
Title Program Evaluator
Emma Waugh is the Program Evaluator for the National Forum. In this capacity, she oversees data analysis and develops, monitors, and evaluates the collection and quality improvement needs for the organization’s portfolio of programs.
Emma received an undergraduate degree in Global Health and Nutrition from Cornell University and a Master’s in Public Health from Emory University. Her work has focused on improving the health of communities through innovative programs to expand access to healthy foods and physical activity. She has worked to implement and evaluate child nutrition programs in the U.S., with Native American communities, and globally. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and participating in triathlons with her husband.
Keena Seward, AuD, MA
Title Health Policy Researcher and Program Coordinator
Dr. Keena James Seward is a Health Policy Researcher and Program Coordinator for the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Her work with the National Forum focuses on advocacy for Community Health Workers and the Million Hearts® Flu Vaccination Campaign. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Hampton University. She also holds a master’s degree from Lehman College and a clinical doctorate from the University of Maryland. She is a licensed audiologist and speech-language pathologist and has worked in a variety of clinical and academic settings. She has also engaged in advocacy work with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the National Black Association for Speech, Language & Hearing.
In addition to advocating for health policy, she is passionate about homeschooling and traveling with her son.
Brady Duplan
Title Accounting Consultant
Brady Duplan is a consultant with expertise in both the private and public grant space. In this capacity, he is ensuring all programmatic funding and expenditures are within compliance according to contract provisions, GAAP, and Federal Uniform Grant Guidance. He has managed the spend down of a $30M grant portfolio at another large non-profit. He is currently a Senior Financial Analyst for a major health care system in the US and has also been the Director of Finance and Operations for a small urgent care network.
Brady holds a BS in Finance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an MBA from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He lives in New Orleans with his wife and two daughters.
Nivene Elkoshairi
Title Senior Grants Strategy Consultant
Ms. Elkoshairi has 30 years’ experience in diverse fields including grants strategy, proposal writing, business planning, advertising and communications, and specialized training in grants management and other essential fundraising competencies. With a master’s degree in Economics, she has a personal interest in challenging the myriad barriers to equitable development and health facing communities worldwide. Combined with strong budgetary and financial skills, Ms. Elkoshairi ensures all services reflect clients’ multifaceted needs.
Amanda Thomas
Title COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Amanda Thomas is a communications and community engagement coordinator for the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. In her role, she develops and implements effective communication strategies for the National Forum.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Alabama with a major in Journalism and minors in Creative Writing and English. She has over eight years of experience working in the healthcare sector, specifically focusing on communications, community outreach, and engagement.
She’s passionate about promoting mental health awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding it. She lives in Atlanta, where she enjoys running, watching horror movies, and spending time with her family.
James Jones
Title Community Engagement Coordinator
Whitney Webber
Title Communications Manager
Whitney Webber is the Communications Manager for the National Forum. She has a BA in Communications from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Baker University. She has worked for the past decade in event planning and marketing for various associations and companies. Whitney lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with her daughter Grace and spends her free time cooking and traveling.
