# Stacey Nelson Smith

> Stacey Nelson Smith is the San Diego-based founder and CEO of Civilian, the marketing communications agency she started as AdEase in 1999. She led its evolution from commercial advertising toward community-focused behavior change campaigns and its 2015 rename. Civilian is a Certified B Corporation working with government agencies, nonprofits, foundations and purpose-driven businesses.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Civilian
- **Organizations:** Civilian (formerly AdEase), Mission Valley YMCA (public LinkedIn profile lists Board of Advisors service beginning January 2008)
- **Education:** BA in Communications, San Diego State University, University of San Diego
- **Known for:** Founded Civilian’s predecessor AdEase in 1999 and led its evolution toward social marketing., Led the agency through the 2015 Civilian rename., Civilian earned B Corp certification in October 2018, according to B Lab.

## Career timeline

- **1999** — Founded AdEase, later renamed Civilian.
- **2008** — Public LinkedIn profile dates Mission Valley YMCA Board of Advisors service from January 2008.
- **2014** — AdEase won a two-year, $4 million California PaintCare media contract.
- **2015** — Renamed AdEase Civilian, effective January 7. The announcement reported 35 employees and more than $20 million in billings at that time.
- **2017** — Published an article about the business case for behavior change and social marketing.
- **2018** — Civilian became a Certified B Corporation; B Lab lists certification since October 2018.
- **2022** — Discussed purpose, collaboration and B Corp certification with Jeff Blanton on Conscious Curiosity; episode recorded June 27.
- **2024** — Civilian was named an Ad Age Best Place to Work and marked its 25th anniversary.

## Achievements

- Founded Civilian’s predecessor AdEase in 1999 and led its evolution toward social marketing.
- Led the agency through the 2015 Civilian rename.
- Civilian earned B Corp certification in October 2018, according to B Lab.
- Civilian was included in Ad Age Best Places to Work 2024.
- Civilian helped establish B Local San Diego.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Civilian published an account of its environmental behavior change work on October 16, including PaintCare and San Diego Community Power. This is an agency update, not a new personal appointment.
- **2026-08** — Civilian described preparing for upcoming B Corp recertification on August 3; the post does not establish that recertification had been completed.

## Links

- Website: https://civilian.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-nelson-smith-74a857

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/stacey-nelson-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24