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New NFNF Chief Executive Officer
August 11, 2008
For Immediate Release
Nurses for Newborns Names New Chief Executive Officer;
Founder Will Retire After Leading Nationally Recognized Effort Since 1991
Nurses for Newborns, which has received national recognition for saving the lives of high-risk babies by sending registered nurses into the homes of low-income families, has named a new chief executive officer. She succeeds the organization’s founder who is retiring after leading the organization for nearly 20 years.
The new chief executive officer is Melinda Ohlemiller, who was director of prevention services at St. Louis Arc, a metropolitan agency that serves and advocates for persons with developmental disabilities and their families. She also is an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Pediatrics at St. Louis University and a national leader in the prevention of alcohol use during pregnancy which can cause developmental and health problems in babies. She begins her new job on August 20.
She was selected after a national search to succeed Sharon Rohrbach, a former neonatal nurse who founded Nurses for Newborns in 1991 after seeing that newborns in under-insured, low-income families developed life-threatening medical problems that could be prevented through proper medical care.
Registered nurses provide regular home visits. In addition to health evaluations and services to these newborns, the nurses assist families in getting connected with any additional medical, social or government services they need to care for the baby.
Based in St. Louis, Nurses for Newborns opened a second office in Nashville, TN, in 2001 and has extended its services to the Springfield, MO, area as well. The organization has received recognition by the federal government and others for the results achieved, including reduced unnecessary hospitalizations for newborns, reduced incidence of child abuse and major increases in immunization rates.
“There will be excellent continuity in the executive transition. Melinda Ohlemiller has strong leadership skills and experience,” said Patrick Dougherty, president of the Nurses for Newborns board of directors. “Our new CEO understands and embraces the current mission to save babies and strengthen families, which will remain at the heart of the organization. She is strong communicator. She has provided strong leadership in another well-known agency. She has strong academic background for understanding the challenges and opportunities, as well as the day-to-day operations of our organization. She has a clear vision for the future.”
Ms. Ohlemiller holds a masterŐs degree in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as an undergraduate biology and psychology degree from Indiana University. She brings to Nurses for Newborns more than 25 years of professional experience in early childhood intervention and family support services.
Ms. Rohrbach will continue to work with the organization as a consultant and ambassador over the next year and a half, Dougherty said.
The national executive search was performed by Annie Gray Associates.
“I am honored, excited and committed to the future of Nurses for Newborns,” said Ms. Ohlemiller. “At the same time, I want to join with countless others in thanking Sharon Rohrbach for her vision, her wisdom and her persistence in building an organization that has made a difference in the lives of so many babies and their families. She and so many others have given us a legacy that will grow in the years ahead as we continue to focus on what this is all about...the babies.”
“I wish Melinda Ohlemiller well as she takes on a challenging, yet rewarding job. I fully support her and will do everything I can to make this an effective transition. I also want to thank the St. Louis and Nashville communities and many others who have supported Nurses for Newborns. What you have done has made a difference,” said Ms. Rohrbach.
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