Dr. Colin K. Smith, President-Elect of the Georgia Public Health Association, was invited to speak and participate in a round-table discussion during the recent 2017 American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference. Dr. Smith addressed the APHA Council of Affiliates on the topic of member recruitment and retention, recounting GPHA’s recent successes. Membership in GPHA has soared during 2015-2017, from about 450 members to over 1600. Dr. Smith’s presentation also covered the topic of sustainable growth of a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer run, public health advocacy and education association.

In addition to serving GPHA as President-Elect, Dr. Smith is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University.

The round table discussion was also attended by Melissa (Moose) Alperin, who provided the photo. Alperin is Director of the Region IV Public Health Training Center, Emory Public Health Training Center, and Emory Center for Public Health Preparedness, as well as the GPHA Representative to APHA.