The Healthy NewsWorks board is pleased to announce its newest member, Dr. Ross T. Hamilton, Jr., a career educator who has taught in New York City and Philadelphia schools, worked at the state level on education policy, and now serves as a school administrator at Upper Merion High School in Montgomery County, PA.
In his current position as assistant principal, Ross oversees staff evaluations, coordinates student and staff scheduling, and manages various operational aspects of the high school. He is also an adjunct professor at Arcadia University, where he recently completed his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.
Ross previously served as a Teach Plus Pennsylvania Senior Policy Fellow and a Teach Plus National Advisory Board Member, where he contributed to state policy development. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Logic Model Planning Group in 2022.
Before shifting to policy and administration, Ross spent more than 15 years in the classroom in Philadelphia and New York City schools in various roles, including as a social studies teacher, community council restorative justice class facilitator, curriculum designer, and content leader. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Norman Miller Award from Arcadia, University, Teach Plus PA Fellow of the Year, Mastery Charter Schools Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in Philadelphia.
He was introduced to Healthy NewsWorks by Ellyn Jo Walker, a member of the Healthy NewsWorks community advisory board and former member of the board of directors. “I was thoroughly impressed with the active citizenship displayed by students, particularly in educating their community on healthy practices to improve both their physical and mental health,” Ross said. “As a lifelong educator who recognizes the power of active pedagogy, I knew that I wanted to be a part of such a worthy cause, especially one that is sparking generational change.”
As a new board member, he is looking forward to helping bring Healthy NewsWorks programming to more schools in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey.
“It is imperative that schools have in place strategic plans to prepare our students to be active and productive citizens in a global society,” Ross says. “Healthy NewsWorks provides school communities with a platform to support their literacy goals while also helping to expose our youth to how mass media, when used effectively, can help win the war against preventable diseases.”
“We are excited that Ross has joined the board,” said Healthy NewsWorks Executive Director Marian Uhlman. “His exceptional work as an educator and school leader will be a great source of guidance as we expand our reach to more students in the coming years.”
