A New Chapter and a Change of Heart

I must admit, these past few years of my life have been a whirlwind of personal growth, personal loss, professional achievements and a constant journey toward my place in the world. Meeting people whose ideas challenge and strengthen my own, reading books that not only broaden my passions but also encourage my creativity, and finally making strides to understanding what is important in life.

All those things I believe have and will continue to prepare me for some new things happening in my life – namely joining the American Heart Association’s Mid-Atlantic affiliate as their brand new Director of Digital Communications and New Media. An organization that I’m proud to say has been doing quite a bit to improve one of the important things in life: good health. From community events to ongoing advocacy to the popular Red for Women campaign – I’m beyond excited to be joining the ranks of an organization where I can see the good being done and hear about the stories of changed lives. That’s what it’s all about to me.

In recently attending the CDC Health Communication, Marketing and Media conference, I got to sit in on a panel discussing the art of storytelling for public health. It’s one of the subjects that I’m really interested in because it has meaning. Not numbers placed on a chart or crunched to find out how bad a population is doing with a certain illness. It’s the stories of countless lives being changed and affected that makes me rally around public health. I firmly believe the Association has that story to tell.

My good friend Marci Williams has one of those stories:

In my new role I will be looking forward to building a foundation of understanding around social media, innovation and new concepts that will continue to make it a great leading organization for the communities it serves. The Mid-Atlantic affiliate covers North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia – the latter two regions having a close place in my heart. It is my hope to be able to align my skills and passions around Public Health 2.0 with the American Heart Association to empower the organization to interact, tell stories and most importantly transform lives for the better with a new awareness.