Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota Announces New Associate Executive Director
Jenna Carter, also a Bloomington City Councilmember, will join the organization to lead strategy
SAINT PAUL, Minn., December 2, 2021 (Newswire.com) - Today, the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota (EFMN) announced the addition of Jenna Carter as the new Associate Executive Director of Mission & Strategy.
Carter joins EFMN from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota where she served as the Public Affairs and Government Relations Manager. During her tenure, she led the health care company's launch of six COVID-19 mobile vaccination buses, which reached over 7,000 Minnesotans struggling with barriers to access vaccines. She served as a leader for health and racial equity within Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and will bring the skills she developed there to EFMN.
"Jenna is a phenomenal leader with a proven record in health equity across Minnesota," said Glen Lloyd, Executive Director of EFMN. "We are thrilled to have her join our team as we work to support the entire epilepsy community in Minnesota and particularly address equity issues that most affect the people who live on the cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic margins of society. Jenna will help lead the mission and strategy of EFMN and help us ensure that no one journeys with epilepsy alone."
In addition to her role at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, where she spent the past 11 years, Carter serves as a Bloomington City Councilmember, serving a suburban community of 90,000 people with an annual budget of $200,000. Despite leading during a pandemic, Carter was instrumental in creating policies to address racial and social inequities, including by banning menthol and flavored tobacco products which disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities. She also led the city in declaring racism a public health crisis and increasing access to affordable housing and home ownership opportunities.
"When I review the work of EFMN and the holistic approach to achieving the organization's mission, it truly inspires me," said Jenna Carter, new Associate Director of Mission & Strategy for EFMN. "I appreciate that EFMN not only supports individuals and families understanding a diagnosis and then learning to live with epilepsy, but also educating community stakeholders and working to advance public policy to change systems that currently do not serve people living with the condition."
EFMN supports the more than 55,000 people living with epilepsy in the state of Minnesota and their friends, families, and advocates. The organization recently secured the passage of Seizure Smart Schools across Minnesota where all public and charter schools will provide resources to staff to recognize and respond to seizures.
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Media Contact:
Cailin Rogers
612-806-8737
About Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota:
The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota (EFMN) is a patient advocacy organization offering programs and services to support individuals impacted by epilepsy to help improve their quality of life. EFMN's programs work to educate, connect, and empower people with epilepsy, their family, and caregivers no matter where they are on their epilepsy journey. Its vision is a world in which people living with seizures realize their full potential. It operates a successful social enterprise in used clothing collection and its resale to thrift stores. Founded in 1954, EFMN is a leading nonprofit affiliate of the national Epilepsy Foundation based in the Washington, D.C. area. Through education, events, advocacy, custom resources, and support, EFMN connects and empowers individuals with epilepsy and their families, builds awareness of the condition, reduces stigma about epilepsy, and delivers world-class programming. EFMN's purpose-driven staff provide a wide range of programs and services for people with seizures, their families, and the wider community across Minnesota and the bordering communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, serving 150,000 people annually.
Source: Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota