The prestigious guest speaker for 2022 was Gayle E. Smith, who has served as a top advisor on international issues for three American presidents and is one of the world’s leading experts on global development and global health security. In 2021, Smith took on a temporary role at the request of the Secretary of State and served as U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for Global COVID Response & Health Security, where she played a leading role in the US effort to end the global pandemic. She is currently the CEO of the ONE Campaign. Dr. Nirav Shah, the Maine CDC Director, introduced Gayle at the Colby event.