Joy DiBenedetto, Former Executive at CNN and CARE Press Officer, Named President/CEO of Friendship Force International
ATLANTA, GA (PRWEB) July 29, 2013 -- Joy E. DiBenedetto, a former executive at CNN Worldwide and the international humanitarian agency CARE, has been named president and CEO of Friendship Force International. DiBenedetto most recently was CEO of HUM: Human Unlimited Media.
Friendship Force Board Chairman Jack Mullen announced that after a seven-month search, DiBenedetto took the reins this month, replacing Dr. George T. Brown Jr., who retired after 23 years with FFI.
"The search committee felt without a doubt that Joy has the skill and vision to lead our organization to new heights as we continue to advance our belief that a world of friends can be a world of peace," said Mullen. "Throughout her career, Joy has strived to promote the importance of global understanding and to unite the world’s people, which has been a key element of the mission of Friendship Force International since our founding 36 years ago."
Joy is the founder and former CEO of HUM: Human Unlimited Media, the world’s first and only all-nation content and information agency. An award-winning 20-year media veteran, she has covered every major global event in successively senior positions, from the television studio and in the field; domestically and internationally; as a producer and manager.
Until March of 2008, she was the global vice president of network booking and research for the CNN News Group, where she oversaw guest coverage for CNN’s domestic and international news networks, managing a worldwide staff.
"I believe strongly in the Friendship Force mission and in the signature program of home hospitality, which encourages personal friendships among global citizens," said DiBenedetto. "This is an authentic message and method of worldwide cooperation that, in our data-driven digital age, is often overlooked. It is an undertaking I am eager to help elevate and represent on behalf of the incredible legacy and purpose of Friendship Force International."
She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology/audiology. In addition to being a recipient of a George Foster Peabody award, an Alfred I. DuPont Columbia Broadcast News award, and a Jack Myers Media Award for Innovation, she is also a Marshall Memorial fellow and a UN Foundation Global Health Press fellow who sits on numerous advisory and directorial boards. She often speaks publicly about the media industry, international business strategy, and on what connects us all to the human experience and to each other across the world.
ABOUT FRIENDSHIP FORCE INTERNATIONAL
Founded in Atlanta in 1977 by Wayne Smith, with the support of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Friendship Force International provides opportunities to explore new countries and cultures from the inside by bringing people together at the personal level. Through the signature program of home hospitality, local hosts welcome international visitors into their culture, sharing with them meals, conversation, and the best sights and experiences of their region.
Friendship Force today has 380 clubs in 60 countries around the world. Since its founding, Friendship Force has brought together more than 1 million people as guests or homestay hosts in various programs focused on overcoming the barriers that separate people through friendship and understanding.
Andrew Bowen, APR, Clearview Communications + PR Inc., http://www.clearviewcom.com, 813-374-3735, [email protected]
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