Doug Nelson, Kenneth Jones join the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Board
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Rebecca Jackson
November 16, 2020 443-842-5723 or rjackson@ghhi.org
Douglas W. Nelson and Kenneth Jones enhance Board’s focus on impact, equity and justice in advancing healthy housing for families across the U.S.
BALTIMORE, MD – The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) today announced the appointment of two new members of the organization’s Board of Directors who will each help support the nonprofit’s mission to address the social determinants of health and racial equity by ensuring every child, senior and family has access to a healthy home.
“As GHHI continues to meet the ever-changing needs of families and communities amid the challenges brought on by Covid-19, we are excited and extremely grateful that both Doug Nelson and Ken Jones have agreed to lend their talents to our efforts,” said Board Chair Joy Thomas Moore. “Both bring a world of experiences and unconditional commitment to families inequitably burdened by unhealthy homes and the consequences these homes create. The work of GHHI will be greatly enhanced by their contributions.”
“It is a distinct honor to welcome Ken Jones and Doug Nelson to our board,” said GHHI President and CEO Ruth Ann Norton. “They each bring distinguished records of service, impact and experience that will help us scale our efforts to end lead poisoning and advance healthy housing as a critical driver of racial equity and opportunity. Ken and Doug join a stellar group of existing members representing philanthropy, public health, community development, research, and social justice who are all committed to helping us demonstrate the tremendous health, economic, and social benefits of investing in healthy housing.”
Kenneth Jones is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the MacArthur Foundation. He is responsible for all aspects of the finance, accounting, tax, audit, information technology, administrative services and facilities functions for the Foundation.
Prior to joining the MacArthur Foundation, Ken was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He traveled extensively in Africa and Southeast Asia as CFO for Danya International, a public health and education organization and Jhpiego, a nonprofit international health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. Ken previously held corporate finance positions at Ford Motor Company, Pfizer Corporation and the Prudential.
Ken received his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a master’s degree in economics from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree from Boston University.
Ken serves on the boards of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the National Prevention Science Coalition, the Mission Investors Exchange, the Thurgood Marshall Academy, Think of Us, the Public Justice Center, the Southern Education Foundation, the Center for Urban Families, the Steve Fund and Corus. He is a Who’s Who Black Baltimore recipient, Arthur Vining Davis Fellow for the Aspen Ideas Festival, Presidential Scholar at Concordia College – New York, Smart CEO Magazine Executive Management Award recipient as well as a DCA Live Star CFO awardee. Ken was in the 2nd Cohort of the Council of Foundations’ Career Pathways Program.
Douglas Nelson is the retired President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). He is a leading advocate for children and a widely recognized expert on policies and community-based responses to improve the lives of at-risk children and their families. Doug is also regarded as one of America’s leading thinkers on the strategic role of philanthropy in advancing racial justice and positive social change. He assumed the presidency of the Casey Foundation in 1990 and, for more than 20 years, led AECF through one of the most remarkable and innovative transformations of a philanthropic organization.
Prior to joining AECF, Doug was Deputy Director of the Center for the Study of Social Policy, a Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit organization specializing in policy research and analysis across a range of domestic issues. Before that, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services. He also studied and taught social history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Doug currently serves as Program Chair for Health, Peace and Human Rights on the Board of Trustees of the Carter Center; Vice Chair of the Heart Mountain Foundation; and Senior Advisor to the Race to Equity Project. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Case Commons, Inc. (New York City) and Forward Community Investments (Madison, WI). He is also a former Chair of the CDC Foundation.
Mission Statement: The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative is dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health and the advancement of racial and health equity through healthy, safe and energy efficient housing. By delivering a standard of excellence in its work, GHHI aims to eradicate the negative health impacts of unhealthy housing and unjust housing policies for children, seniors, and families in low-income communities. With an emphasis on Black and Brown communities, GHHI delivers improved health, economic and social outcomes.
About the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative: Founded in Baltimore, MD in 1986 as Parents Against Lead, the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative is one of the nation’s most effective and influential healthy housing organizations. It serves the public through direct service programs, technical assistance and advisory services across the United States. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, GHHI is focused on addressing the social determinants of health and racial and health equity. To learn more, please visit www.ghhi.org and follow us at: @HealthyHousing.