This is a bittersweet moment, for sure, but today is my very last task as Director of Communications at RHHD! I’ve taken a position at the City of Richmond working in their Office of Strategic Communications and Civic Engagement. While I’m sad to leave y’all, my public health family, I hope to bring the many, many experiences and lessons I’ve learned here at RHHD with me to my new work at the city.

I joined the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts way back in July of 2021—early on in the pandemic and before the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. I’d never worked in public health before and quickly found myself in the deep end of strategic, risk communications as, together, we all learned about this new coronavirus. What and how we communicated about COVID-19 changed over time, but, across almost four years, it remained difficult, long, scary, strange, and sometimes even fun work. I am incredibly proud of what we all—across all of our teams—accomplished.

And that’s what I’ll miss most about my time at RHHD—all of you! I’m so lucky and honored and humbled to have worked with some of the best, kindest, smartest, and most curious people during one of the darkest, scariest, and most uncertain times in my life. I’ll forever remember the late nights, long meetings, and thoughtful words of encouragement that kept me going.

Just as I’m incredibly proud of what we have already accomplished, I’m incredibly excited for what y’all will tackle next. COVID-19 is (mostly) in our rearview mirror, and we’ve still got important work to do, communities to serve, and stories to tell. Ever onward!

Thanks for the last four years, y’all, and I will definitely see you around!

Stay well and do good, Ross