Healthy NewsWorks is pleased to announce two changes to our board of directors, effective Oct. 1.
Blair Jones, a senior finance director at Comcast, joined the board, and Omar D. Joseph, a senior marketing manager for MetLife, returned to the board after stepping aside temporarily this spring to serve as Healthy NewsWorks’ interim chief of staff.
Blair has held several roles in financial analytics and business operations at Comcast since she started there in 2008. In her current role, she oversees several diversity, equity, and inclusion equity initiatives, including partnering with nonprofits to provide free internet access to children during pandemic-related school closures.
Blair was inspired to get involved with Healthy NewsWorks after her son was diagnosed as neurodivergent, meaning that his brain processes information in a way not typical of most individuals. “I found myself diving into books and articles, meeting with doctors, and utilizing therapy to do everything I can to help him,” Blair said.
Through volunteering at her son’s school, she became familiar with Healthy NewsWorks. As she read the work of Healthy NewsWorks reporters, she saw parallels with what she had been learning in raising her son. “Empathy, being kind, helping others, taking care of our bodies, etc. There is such a correlation to health and school performance,” she said.
“I look forward to bringing my professional expertise as well as my passion for helping others to Healthy NewsWorks,” Blair said.
Omar is a dynamic marketing and communications executive on MetLife’s Group Benefits Marketing team. He is known for his strategic innovation, with a proven track record in driving growth and elevating brand reputation across industries including healthcare and technology.
“Rejoining the board is a great honor for me. I’ve had the chance to do great work with Healthy NewsWorks in the past, but there’s so much more to accomplish,” Omar said. “Having the chance to see Healthy NewsWorks from the perspective of interim chief of staff gave me a perspective about the organization that’s going to help enhance my ability to impact it.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Blair to our board and to have Omar back,” said Marian Uhlman, executive director of Healthy NewsWorks. “They both have great skills as business leaders that will be invaluable at Healthy NewsWorks as we work to expand our reach.”
