The National Menopause Foundation Adds Experts in Women's Health, Advocacy, and Social Justice to Its Board of Directors

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Mar 29, 2023, 08:43 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Menopause Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors.

The new Board members, Omisade Burney-Scott, Debra DeShong, and Victoria Noble, bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the fields of communications, advocacy, community building, and brand strategy.

"By expanding our Board of Directors with female executive leaders from a variety of industries, we broaden the scope of expertise to help lead the National Menopause Foundation and to fulfill its mission. We will continue to strengthen our capacity and reach and grow the organization into the most trusted resource for women on their menopause journey," said Claire Gill, Founder, National Menopause Foundation.

Omisade Burney-Scott is a seventh-generation Black Southern feminist, storyteller, and social justice advocate. She is also the creator/curator of The Black Girls' Guide to Surviving Menopause (BGG2SM), a multidisciplinary culture shift project focused on normalizing menopause and aging through the centering of the stories of Black women, transgender and gender-expansive people. BGG2SM's core programs are their Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause podcast, which is a guide to the different stages of menopause, intergenerational storytelling gatherings, and annual zine called "Messages from the Menopausal Multiverse." She has been featured in numerous outlets including Oprah Daily, Forbes, VOGUE, Prevention, The Washington Post and The New York Times. Over the past 25 years, her work has been grounded in social justice movement spaces focused on the liberation of marginalized people, beginning with her own community. She has worked in the nonprofit sector around social justice since 1995 and has been an organizational development and capacity-building consultant for 16 years for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. She has served on various nonprofit boards, including Fund for Southern Communities, Spirithouse NC, Village of Wisdom, Working Films and The Beautiful Project. She currently serves on the wisdom circle for the Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom. Ms. Burney-Scott completed her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Debra DeShong is an advocacy/communications expert with more than two decades of experience in public policy, communications and international relations. She most recently served as the Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Prior to joining PhRMA, Ms. DeShong was Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Communications and Industry Affairs for MGM Resorts International where she oversaw both external and internal communications as well as the development of messaging strategies for issues impacting the Company around the world. She previously was an Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Public Affairs at Subject Matter, a public relations and communications firm in Washington, DC. Her prior experience also includes serving as Chief of Staff to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, working as a founder and executive at Washington public affairs firms Point Blank and Five by Five and holding top communications positions with the United Nations Foundation, U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli, the Democratic National Committee and the John Kerry for President campaign. Ms. DeShong has a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in English from Fairfield University.

Victoria (Vic) Noble is an award-winning visionary health and wellness commercial leader known for activating human-inspired brand experiences at scale. She has been at the forefront of disease education for women with the mission of democratizing access to care and empowering women to have real conversations with their healthcare providers. After decades of disrupting the health landscape with industry recognized work for global health brands, she now focuses her energy on the biggest determinant of health and happiness in our time: social connectivity. She has been recognized as a top 50 Healthcare Influencer by Medical Marketing & Media (MM&M) and PRWeek, PharmaVoice100, the MM&M Hall of Femme and DTC Hall of Fame. She is a Founding Member of Chief, a private global network dedicated to drive more women into positions of power and influence, and keeping them there. Ms. Noble holds an BA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

The National Menopause Foundation website – www.nationalmenopausefoundation.org – features information to educate, inspire and empower women as they approach and experience menopause. Its electronic newsletter, The Hot Flash, is shared quarterly and its podcast, "The Positive Pause," features interviews with a variety of experts and influencers sharing insights to help bring about positive changes in women's lives.

About the National Menopause Foundation
The National Menopause Foundation (NMF) was founded in 2019 by women and for women to create an informed community where women can learn, exchange information, find support and be inspired as they approach and journey through Menopause., visit www.nationalmenopausefoundation.org.

Contact: Claire Gill
917-327-7916
[email protected]

SOURCE National Menopause Foundation