Meet Kermit Payne | Marketing and Public Relations for Better Health Outcomes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kermit Payne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kermit, how does your business help the community?
At 1Joshua Group, we hold that systemic change depends on combining strategic vision with seamless execution. As a management consulting firm focused on strategic communications, meeting management, and association management, we operate at the vital crossroads of health equity, education, and community empowerment. Our efforts support the broader mission by providing the individuals, ideas, and organizations advocating for social and health equity with the professional strength, visibility, and operational efficiency required for success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My “art” isn’t confined to a traditional canvas or a theater stage; it is the art of strategic storytelling, audience engagement, and systemic advocacy.
Early in my journey, I received undergraduate training in acting. While some might view theater and corporate strategy as entirely separate worlds, I discovered that the stage is the ultimate laboratory for human behavior, empathy, and communication. Acting taught me to read a room, step into the shoes of diverse stakeholders, and translate complex, deeply felt truths into narratives that move people to action. It is about moving an audience from passive listening to active engagement.
What sets me apart is this intersection of creative expression and rigorous operational execution. Many strategists can draft a project timeline, and many creatives can build an inspiring vision, but very few can move comfortably between both worlds.

I am most proud of my sustained work at the intersection of health equity and workforce potential. Collaborating with networks of public health, leading long-term strategic initiatives, and creating platforms that directly shape how future healthcare professionals are trained in underserved areas are incredibly rewarding.

I am energized by the future—specifically, exploring how emerging tools like how we use data and artificial intelligence can be integrated into medical education and public health advocacy without losing the essential, empathetic and private human element that drives real community wellness, especially in times like these.

1Joshua Group’s and my story proves that an unconventional background is a superpower. By blending the arts’ empathetic, engaging toolkit with the rigorous execution of corporate strategy, we help organizations find their voice, command their stage, and leave a lasting impact on the communities they serve. I am blessed to have the loyalty of supporters and cheerleaders who embrace the same discipleship, some of whom I’ve worked alongside for more than thirty years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hosting your best friend in Atlanta for a week means striking the perfect balance among the city’s rich, foundational history, the natural beauty just north of the perimeter, and the undeniable community energy of its vibrant and historic neighborhoods on the Southside. To understand Atlanta, you have to understand its soul. Start your week where the heartbeat of the civil rights movement was born.

Starting with the ‘history of Atlanta’ and ‘Sweet Auburn’ is a good way to see Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, which encompasses several city blocks in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood and preserves the exact community that shaped Dr. King’s early life and global philosophy of peace and non-violence. Georgia State University and Georgia Tech are close to this neighborhood. So, checking them out is ‘on the way.’
Ebenezer Baptist Church is a hallowed cornerstone of the community, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was baptized and later served as co-pastor alongside his father, Daddy King, from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. The Church has been fully restored to its 1960s appearance, allowing visitors to sit in the pews and listen to audio recordings of Dr. King’s sermons.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights provides an incredibly powerful, interactive bridge between the American Civil Rights Movement and modern global human rights struggles, featuring a profoundly moving lunch counter sit-in simulation; housing the Voice to the Voiceless gallery, which displays personal papers and artifacts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and hosting rotating, thought-provoking exhibitions on contemporary global activists. It sits on the outskirts of the Atlanta University Center, home to Morehouse School of Medicine, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, Spelman College, and Atlanta University. You just gotta eat at Paschal’s Restaurant & Bar – formerly a hotel and restaurant where major collaborations about the Civil Rights movement took place, including removing the barrier in Southwest Atlanta that separated housing for blacks and whites….legally and literally.

On Day 2, we’ll spend a scenic two-hour drive north into the Chattahoochee National Forest to explore the elegant mountain town of Blue Ridge, Georgia. Growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia makes this feel like reliving my childhood in Martinsville. But let’s return to reality—you’ll need some relaxation and a cold, refreshing drink.

On Day 3, the afternoon in the Historic West End, one of Atlanta’s oldest and most culturally rich neighborhoods, blending deep historical heritage with a thriving, modern, community-centric artistic scene lets you visit Tyler Perry Studios and Lee-White Street entertainment complex and the Atlanta Beltline with a sprawling district of breweries, food halls, and open-air hangouts.

Over the rest of the week, we could spend evenings catching a show at the historic Fox Theatre, spend a morning walking the Eastside Beltline trail up to Ponce City Market, relax under the trees in Piedmont Park, stroll in Midtown, and drive through the beautiful neighborhoods of Anley Park, Morningside, and Druid Hill, the Westend and Br’er Rabbit Wren’s Nest all while not missing the current exhibitions at the High Museum of Atlanta.

Well, it’s time to return to the World’s busiest airport. Until next time in the ATL, “where the playas play”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Whenever I examine any professional achievement, title, or milestone, I realize that its foundation is fundamentally familial. If I were to give a shout-out to the main influences in my journey, it would be to those who supported me well before I entered a boardroom.

Beyond my immediate family, this recognition also reaches my chosen family—my lifelong brothers and sisters and partners who have stood by me for decades. These bonds, formed over forty or fifty years, go beyond simple friendship. They offer tough love when needed, share in celebrations, and provide comfort during the tumultuous times of entrepreneurship and leadership.

Success isn’t achieved alone. Although we may receive recognition for our efforts, true credit goes to the circle that supports, grounds, and motivates us to keep going. My story is a testament to their investment in me.

Website: https://www.the1joshuagroup.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kermit-g-payne-0031229/