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 WisconsinMadison.

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.