The U.S. Fund for UNICEF Appoints Veronica Pollard as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications

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May 12, 2010, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is pleased to announce the appointment of Veronica Pollard as its new Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications. In her new role, Ms. Pollard leads a team of more than 20 people across four divisions. She is charged with directing the branding, communications, and marketing functions at the organization.

Having worked for Toyota, ABC Inc., Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Save the Children, Ms. Pollard brings with her a unique combination of experience in corporate communications, journalism and international development.

"We are excited to have Veronica on board," said President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Caryl Stern. "Not only is she versatile in talents, but she has also shown a true dedication – in both her professional and personal pursuits – to the well-being of children worldwide. We welcome her to the UNICEF family and look forward to her leadership and expertise."

Ms. Pollard's most recent post was Vice President of Communications and Public Policy at Save the Children, an organization with which UNICEF often partners in the field. While at Save the Children, she oversaw media relations, web marketing, publications, celebrity engagement, public policy and advocacy.

"I am pleased to join the U.S. Fund for UNICEF," Ms. Pollard said. "It is a pleasure to work on behalf of the world's children and for such a venerable organization. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues in our mission to promote child survival."

Ms. Pollard began her career as an educator and taught first grade at a public school in Harlem. She later went on to manage Newsweek magazine's educational programs and later transitioned into public affairs. The knowledge she gained from teaching and working at Newsweek led her to a reporting stint with The San Francisco Chronicle, where one of her primary beats was education.

For 17 years Ms. Pollard worked for ABC, Inc., rising from publicist to Vice President of Corporate Public Relations, including overseeing the ABC Foundation. From ABC, she joined Toyota Motor North America, where she served as Group Vice President of Corporate Communications, responsible for corporate media and investor relations, corporate advertising and the Toyota U.S.A. Foundation.

Ms. Pollard received a B.S. degree from Boston University and an M.A. degree from Columbia University's Teachers College. She has been very active in the non-profit sector and currently serves on the boards of the Museum for African Art and The Doe Fund (an organization that supports people who are homeless), both in New York. She is an honorary member of the board of the West Side YMCA in New York, where she served as board chair, and is a past member of the boards of the YMCA of Greater New York and the National YMCA of the USA.

About UNICEF

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.

UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress—the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008. But still, 24,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

SOURCE U.S. Fund for UNICEF