Sandra Paredes, a Westat health communications and social marketing specialist, has been elected as the president of the Social Marketing Association of North America (SMANA). SMANA is the leading professional organization for behavior change agents from academia and practitioners to students. It is part of the International Social Marketing Association.

The Westat Health Communications Group uses social marketing strategies in many Federal health campaigns to maximize visibility, brand awareness, and audience-specific messaging in its work to influence and change behavior. Ms. Paredes’ election to SMANA represents Westat’s commitment to research-driven communications.