Williamsburg High School alumnus Joy Hamilton Marini, who graduated in 1979, has been inducted into the Western Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
She was inducted during the Nov. 14 Hilltopper Excellence Awards that were presented by Franklin Bank & Trust at the Knicely Conference Center.
Marini, who graduated WKU in 1983, served as a Global Director of three divisions of Johnson & Johnson over time, including Global Community Impact, Global Public Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer. Her strategic focus area was maternal and infant health, violence against women and gender inequality.
She is one of 100 Save the Children U.S. Changemakers for Children, and she was recognized by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities as a UNFPA Icon and Activist.
At Johnson & Johnson, Marini led teams driving global health insights, evaluation and advocacy, which supported health workers on the front lines of delivering care for vulnerable people in more than 30 countries. She designed and led partnerships with governments, United Nations organizations, international non-government organizations and community-based entities. These collaborations measurably improved the health of women and children by strengthening the health workforce, including clinical skills, leadership, health equity and clinician empowerment.
Marini’s work at Johnson & Johnson furthered the company’s vision of a world in which women, newborns and children can survive and thrive wherever they live. She developed public-private partnerships including Born on Time with Global Affairs Canada and the governments of Mali, Bangladesh and Ethiopia as well as the 15-year China Neonatal Resuscitation Program with the Chinese Ministry of Health, which is now scaled to more than 90 percent of maternity facilities throughout China.
Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Marini was in clinical practice as a Physician Assistant in family medicine and geriatrics. She held sales, marketing and medical education roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb and public relations divisions of Omnicom and Grey Advertising. In addition, she served on boards of the Global Health Council and GBC Health.
Marini received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Animal Science from WKU. During her time on the Hill, she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi, the Panhellenic Association, the Equestrian Team and the inaugural class of Spirit Masters. She was Greek Woman of the Year in 1983. She holds additional degrees from Rider University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
