Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 5-7-21

Local
Former Newspaper Columnist Aims To Enlighten Community About Non-Profit
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Ernest Hooper, a for- mer newspaper columnist, was recently named Vice President of Communica- tions for the United Way Suncoast.
“I’m very excited about this new opportunity. In this new role, I hope to continue to shine the spotlight on United Way’s strategic com- munity partners,” he said. “So many people are not fa- miliar with what the United Way does. I want to en- lighten them about the many successful programs of- fered.”
Led by CEO Jessica Muroff, Hooper says the United Way Suncoast is one of the most impactful non- profits in the area – serving
residents from youth to sen- iors. He mentions commu- nity leaders such as: Emery Ivery, Chief Impact Officer for Hillsborough and Pinellas County; Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, Berme- tra Simmons; and Chief Advancement Officer, Kari Goetz, who are a part of the success of the non-profit.
“These are people I’ve known and written about over the years. It’s exciting to join such a stellar team,” he said.
“I’ve always had a heart for non-profits and commu- nity initiatives,” and he’ll continue reaching out to the partners in the five-county region (Hillsborough, Pinel- las, Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto), where the organiza- tion focuses on early learn- ing, youth success and
ERNEST HOOPER
...New Vice President of Com- munications for United Way
Suncoast
financial stability. The pan- demic has put a damper on many of the programs the or- ganization serves, but he’s pleased to announce that the Reading All-Stars program (for youths) is moving along. The program pairs mentors
with students in 1-on-1 weekly reading sessions.
Hooper has worked with and written about so many individuals and organ- izations in the Tampa Bay community. He’s reaching out to them to spread the word about the United Way and its programs.
Hooper brings a wealth of communications experi- ence and community engage- ment knowledge to the United Way Suncoast. He served as the Communica- tions Director for the Ameri- can Cancer Society’s Southwest Florida division. He’s best known for his 27- year tenure at the Tampa Bay Times. While there he was honored twice by Creative Loafing.
Hooper also hosts the quarterly public affairs tele-
vision show, That's All I'm Saying, on WEDU-PBS. In addition, he co-leads The Write Field Program, a writ- ing intensive program for middle school and high school boys at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. He's also a frequent youth speaker at local schools, and a regular guest presenter at Florida Scholastic Press As- sociation events. In 2017, Hooper's long-time in- volvement with high school journalism students led to him receiving the national Friend of Journalism Award from the Journalism Educa- tion Association.
Hooper is married to his University of Florida college sweetheart, Florence, and they have three children: Matthew, Ethan and Madelyn.
FRIDAY, MAY 7 , 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 9-A