“My father worked at the NY Daily News and belonged to the Newspaper and Mail Delivers Union. He was a proud union member who instilled in me the core values of unionism and the passion of standing up for the rights of all people,” says Jo-Ann, so it is no surprise that she belongs to the 1199SEIU Training and Education Fund family. Jo-Ann’s passion for wellness led her to the opportunity to work with the Labor Management Project.
In October 2013, Jo-Ann began working as a Program Specialist for the LMP’s Workplace Wellness Program. She serves as the direct liaison between the Workplace Wellness Program at various hospitals and nursing homes, the 1199SEIU leadership teams and the LMP consultants supporting the effort.
Jo-Ann joined the LMP after 10 years as a provider relations specialist at the 1199SEIU Benefit and Pensions Funds, where she provided direct services to members and recruited the Funds’ 35,000 contracted providers in Brooklyn and Staten Island. An instrumental part of the Credentialing team, Jo-Ann made countless contributions including the renaming of the “cactus system,” a training manual for new hires that was part of a cross-training initiative.
In her current role, Jo-Ann is an ambassador for wellness. She actively encourages and motivates others to foster nutritional and physical changes for personal health and well-being, in and outside of the workplace. She looks forward to earning a Master’s degree in Wellness, Exercise and Nutrition, to bring even more effective support to this great cause.