HERO is a Member Driven Organization
HERO IS A FULLY REMOTE TEAM
Karen Moseley, President & CEO
Karen Moseley is President & CEO of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), a national think tank dedicated to advancing best practices in workplace health and well-being. In collaboration with HERO members, Karen and the HERO team provide leadership in research and education by connecting science and practice to demonstrate value of a health and well-being employer ecosystem.
Prior to being appointed President of HERO, Karen served as the organization’s Vice President of Education and Director of Operations. In these positions, she was instrumental in growing HERO membership, increasing member engagement, and continuously improving educational programming and supporting HERO’s robust research agenda. Karen also managed HERO’s grant-funded projects, which include a multi-stakeholder collaboration to support employer involvement in community health initiatives and another to identify common measures of community health, both funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Having worked in the non-profit sector for more than 30 years, Karen has led the development and dissemination of groundbreaking research and educational convenings within multiple health-focused organizations. She is the 2021 recipient of the Leader in Workplace Wellness Award presented by the Global Wellness Summit. In 2023, she was recognized in the American Journal of Health Promotion’s “The Most Influential Women Leaders in Health Promotion.” Karen received her Bachelor of Science in business administration from the Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To stay healthy, Karen enjoys yoga, testing new healthy recipes, and soaking up the great outdoors. Karen and her husband, T.J., are proud parents of two adult children and reside in Wake Forest, NC.
Paul Terry, PhD, Senior Fellow
Dr. Paul Terry is a Senior Fellow at HERO where he collaborates with HERO members and national experts in planning learning events and supports the HERO team in organizing the annual forum, think tanks and webinars. Terry preceded Karen Moseley as HERO’s president.
Before HERO, Terry was president and CEO at StayWell Health Management and before StayWell, Paul served as president and CEO at The Park Nicollet Institute. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and his Masters from Minnesota State University at Mankato where he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award.
Terry is Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion and is a Past-President of the Minnesota Public Health Association. He serves on advisory councils for The National Academy of Sciences, the American Heart Association, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health. Prevention programs that Dr. Terry developed won the C. Everett Koop National Health Award.
Alongside his wife Gail and his children Anna and Will, Paul loves rowing, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, camping, hiking, biking and x-country skiing.
Sara Johnson, PhD, Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Sara Johnson is a Senior Research Fellow at HERO where she provides research thought leadership and identifies funding opportunities for new studies through grants and industry partnerships. In addition, she is also Co-President & CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc., a behavior change consulting firm and solution provider that empowers people to experience life-changing breakthroughs in health and well-being. She is also the Chair of the Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference, and Co-Editor of Knowing Well, Being Well. In 2019, Dr. Johnson received the Health Enhancement Research Organization’s Mark Dundon Research Award and was named one of the 50 on Fire by Rhode Island Inno. She was named the Health Care Services Woman to Watch by Providence Business News in 2018, and in 2015, she was selected as a Top 10 Health Promotion Professional by the Wellness Council of America.
In her 23 years at Pro-Change, she has been responsible for generating and leading the implementation of innovative research and development opportunities as well as creating and expanding strategic business alliances. She has been the principal investigator on over $6 million in National Institutes of Health grants to examine the effectiveness of evidence-based health and well-being interventions and has more than 40 publications.
Mary Imboden, PhD, Research Fellow
Dr. Mary Imboden is a HERO Research Fellow, where she oversees the development of the HERO Worker Well-Being Clearinghouse, Powered by the NIOSH WellBQ. In her previous HERO role, she was responsible for the HERO research agenda and the ongoing development and research of the HERO Health and Well-Being Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer©, and continues to serve as an advisor for HERO Scorecard best practices.
Mary joined HERO in 2018 after receiving her PhD in human bioenergetics from Ball State University with a primary focus in clinical exercise physiology. She has been fortunate to author and co-author several peer-reviewed publications in this area, as well as present her research findings at the national level including the AHA, ACSM, and AACVPR conferences. Prior to joining HERO, she served as a clinical research coordinator at Wake Forest Baptist Health and worked with the CEO Pledge for Physical Activity sponsored by the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity.
She is an advocate for exercise as medicine, and to stay healthy and fit Mary runs and has most recently ventured into trail running since her move to Portland, Oregon.
Jessica Grossmeier, PhD, Senior Fellow – Education
Jessica Grossmeier, PhD, MPH, is an award-winning researcher, speaker, and author of Reimagining Workplace Well-being: Fostering a Culture of Purpose, Connection and Transcendence. As a leading authority in workforce well-being, she collaborates with employers and well-being service providers to create evidence-based strategies. Jessica serves as a Senior Fellow for the Health Enhancement Research Organization, co-leads the Global Wellness Institute’s Workplace Wellbeing Initiative, and serves on several advisory boards. Jessica holds doctoral and master’s degrees in public health, specializing in community health education.
Wendy Lynch, PhD, Senior Education Fellow
Wendy Lynch, PhD has dedicated almost 40 years to bridging the gap between complex analytics and business impact. As a respected educator, researcher, and consultant, she has built her career around the science and art of analytic translation—helping organizations convert data into decisions and market success.
Dr. Lynch has held faculty positions at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and as an Associate Professor (Adjunct) at IUPUI. She has also served as Vice President of Strategic Development at HCMS Group, Principal at Mercer Human Resource Consulting, and has sat on the boards of several companies. As a consultant, she has advised numerous Fortune 100 firms, applying her expertise in human capital management and corporate health analytics.
Her career has spanned diverse environments—from digital start-ups to academic medical centers and boardrooms—deepening her understanding of the unique language and priorities of both business and analytic teams. That journey led to her latest book and online course, Become an Analytic Translator, designed to equip professionals to bridge the persistent gap between data science and decision-making.
Dr. Lynch was honored with the Bill Whitmer Leadership Award in 2022 for her sustained contributions to corporate health and human capital analytics.
MJ Shaar, MAPP, HERO Senior Education Fellow
As one of the pioneers in kindness-driven performance, MJ’s work proves that kind people don’t finish last. They lead the pack in creating thriving, high-performing organizations and create ripple effects that extend beyond the workplace into our home lives and broader communities.
Armed with a Bachelor’s in Organizational Behavior and a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology, MJ is a sought-after corporate trainer and keynote speaker. She enjoys partnering with forward-thinking organizations to elevate employee engagement, strengthen team dynamics, and develop inspiring leaders. In her role In her role as Senior Education Fellow at HERO, MJ’s focus is on creating educational programs aiming to improve employee and community health and well-being.
MJ’s evidence-based approach marries scientific evidence with personal stories and real-world applications. She is a regular collaborator for nationally-recognized wellness institutions, such as The American Institute of Preventive Medicine, Health Enhancement Systems, and WellCoaches. She is also an occasional guest speaker at many Ivy League Universities.