Panasonic Foundation Appoints Three New Members to Advisory Board

The Panasonic Foundation today announced the appointment of three new members to its Board of Advisors. Juan Otero, Ainissa G. Ramirez, Ph.D., and Jeff Werner are joining the board of the Panasonic Foundation, dedicated to advancing equity in PreK-12 public education in the United States.

“With the addition of these exceptionally talented and distinguished members, the Panasonic Foundation is poised to make further strides in improving the education and lives of at-risk children and families in Newark and across North America,” said Milton Chen, chairman, board of directors, Panasonic Foundation, and senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation. 

Juan Otero serves as vice president of Diversity & Inclusion for Comcast NBCUniversal where he oversees the strategy and implementation of diversity and inclusion in five focus areas: governance, workforce, procurement, programming and community impact. Prior to joining Comcast, Juan served as a director for the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., and previously was deputy director at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he oversaw efforts to develop improved interoperability technologies and communications. Before joining DHS, he worked as principal counsel for the National League of Cities.

Ainissa G. Ramirez, Ph.D. is a science evangelist who co-authored “Newton’s Football: The Science Behind America’s Game” (Random House); and, authored “Save Our Science: How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists” (TED Books). Before taking on the call to improve the public’s understanding of science, she was an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Yale University and a research scientist at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, where she conducted award-winning research. Ainissa received her training in materials science and engineering from Brown University (Sc.B.) and Stanford University (Ph.D.).

Jeff Werner serves as vice president of corporate & government affairs for Panasonic Corporation of North America. In this role, Jeff oversees government and public affairs from Washington, D.C., and related regulatory compliance units at the company’s Newark, N.J., headquarters. Previously, Jeff worked at Daimler North America Corporation, where he served as general manager of international and public policy.

“Juan Otero has vast policy experience in Washington and is a respected voice within the Hispanic community. Dr. Ramirez is known for her passion and deep knowledge of science, business and media. Jeff Werner understands the intersection of the government, the public sector and Panasonic’s many technologies for smarter and sustainable solutions. Together, these highly skilled members will strengthen our ability to advance initiatives that will create the next generation of technology leaders,” Chen noted.