Clarence and June Pearson

Clarence Pearson is a 1950 graduate from the Department of Biology at Northern Illinois University. It was during his time on campus that he met his late wife, June, who also was a student at NIU. After having served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during WWII, he attended NIU on the GI bill. Following graduation from NIU, Clarence taught seventh-grade and eighth-grade biology and health education. He went on to obtain a Master’s degree in public health (MPH) at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in public health education. Clarence has served as Senior Advisor to the World Health Organization Office at the United Nations and as Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Health Education (NCHE), the outcome of a Presidential Commission. He was a ‘loaned’ executive for a two-year White House assignment as Associate Director of a U.S. Presidential Health Commission. Pearson also served as Vice President of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and Vice President and Director of Health and Safety Education for Metropolitan Life.Pearson conceived and serves as Executive Editor for a book series on global health, published by Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons: Critical Issues in Global Health, Global Health Leadership and Management, Global Health and Global Aging, and Urban Health: Global Perspectives. The fifth book, Global Health, Poverty, and Longevity, will be published in 2012. Laurie Norris is a seasoned professional with a distinctive blend of experience and interdisciplinary skills honed in the nonprofit and business sectors. Laurie Norris has demonstrated results working toward progressive change. An experienced interviewer and writer, she has worked cooperatively and independently on a broad range of projects involving foreign and domestic collaborations. For the Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons series of books on global health, Laurie serves as managing editor and editorial consultant to the founding editor of the series. It includes Critical Issues in Global Health; Global Health Leadership and Management; Global Health and Global Aging; and Urban Health: A Global Perspective. For an organization that pioneered Western-style medical education in China and Southeast Asia, she wrote and project-managed a history, The China Medical Board; 50 Years of Programs, Partnerships, and Progress 1950-2000. Laurie was Director of Communications for Catalyst, a national, business-supported organization focused on work and family issues, where she worked to establish Catalyst’s Work and Family Center as the primary resource of its kind. She also served as Vice President for Communications at the American Heart Associate tion/NY C Affiliate. Together, their passion for health education has led Clarence and Laurie to play a vital role in the shaping the past, present, and future of our nation’s health education initiatives. By establishing the Clarence and June Pearson Worldview Internship Award, Clarence and Laurie will continue a legacy of furthering the importance of health education through students at Northern Illinois University.