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Montclair, NJ.  November 18, 2103 – Award-winning journalist, digital media strategist and startup advisor Ju-Don Marshall Roberts has been appointed Director of the Center for Cooperative Media, an initiative of the School of Communication and Media, at ��Ʒ���˸������� University. 

In this role, Roberts will be responsible for managing all products and editorial initiatives of the center.  This includes developing partnerships involving Center partners, developing tools for use by all Center participants, developing conferences and other events consistent with Center goals and coordinating Center initiatives with faculty and staff at ��Ʒ���˸�������.

“We’re thrilled to have Ju-Don joining the Center,” said Merrill Brown, Director of the School of Communication and Media.  “Her career has the right combination of big media company managerial and editorial experience, entrepreneurial activity, and writing that the Center needs.  Ju-Don is a proven leader, digital media innovator and local news expert and her experience is just the right blend to help those of us at ��Ʒ���˸������� significantly enhance the civic engagement and journalism opportunities ahead for the citizens of New Jersey.”

Roberts has served as general manager and senior vice president of Everydayhealth.com, a health news, information and services network. She was senior vice president and executive editor of Beliefnet.com, a leading spirituality and inspirational website.

Roberts spent 17 years at The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com, where she led the company’s digital news operation until her departure in 2009.

In 2003, she received a prestigious Nieman Fellowship award to spend a year studying with journalists from around the world at Harvard University. A graduate of Howard University, Roberts is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Online Publishers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. A member of the advisory board of J-Lab’s McCormick Foundation’s New Media Women Entrepreneur Awards, she has also served on the board of the Online News Association.

The University’s School of Communication and Media provides groundbreaking programs that give students the tools they need to succeed in the communication and media industries. Its Center for Cooperative Media reflects the School’s commitment to media innovation and journalistic collaboration. Through investments by the University and generous gifts from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Center leverages the resources of the School of Communications and Media to provide support to New Jersey-based media partners. 

The Center’s partners include New Jersey Public Radio (NJPR) News; NJ.com; NJTV; NJ News Commons; NJ Spotlight; North Jersey Media Group (NJMG); Patch.com; Reuters; and WBGO. The New Jersey Commons component of the Center includes a network of approximately 50 local news sites throughout the state.

Through its partners, the Center is expanding news and information in New Jersey and strengthening the voice of New Jersey. A hub for New Jersey media, it provides School of Communication and Media students and faculty with unique on-campus professional multiplatform production and work-study and internship opportunities. In addition, it is a national anchor for forums, guest lectures and research into the future of journalism.

 “The Center has a unique opportunity to help strengthen local media, invent new products, and enhance educational opportunities for ��Ʒ���˸������� students in digital media,” Brown said.  “Ju-Don’s leadership will help faculty, students and Center partners with those challenges.”