CaringBridge CEO Liwanag Ojala Elected to MPR Board of Trustees

Eagan, Minn., (March 14, 2016) — Minnesota Public Radio has elected Liwanag Ojala to its board of trustees. Ojala is the newly appointed CEO of CaringBridge, the first and most widely used global nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey.

As CEO, Ojala leads management and ensures that all CaringBridge operations contribute toward its mission to make each health journey easier by amplifying the love, hope and compassion in the world.

“Liwanag is an energetic and imaginative executive,” said Brad Anderson, chair of the Minnesota Public Radio board of trustees. “Her expertise in customer-focused business strategy and thought leadership in technology user experience will be instrumental to our success as we continue to shape our public service in the digital age.”

Before joining CaringBridge as chief operating officer at the end of 2014, she was vice president of ecommerce at Meijer. She developed digital grocery strategy for the company and oversaw Meijer.com. Prior to Meijer, she served in several executive roles: president of print business for startup Pear Tree Greetings; president of SimonDelivers; and general manager of CobornsDelivers. Ojala began her career as an attorney with Briggs & Morgan, PA. As legal counsel for SpartanNash Company, she assisted the public company by advising executives on legal matters.

In 2015, the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST recognized Ojala as a “Top Emerging Women Leader” in health care. In 2008, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recognized Ojala’s leadership with the “40 Under 40” award. She remains a member of the Minnesota State Bar and a trustee emeritus of the Blandin Foundation.

Ojala holds a B.A. in history from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. She has been an MPR member since 2005.

About CaringBridge

CaringBridge is a global nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey through the use of personal websites. Our mission is to amplify the love, hope and compassion in the world, making each health journey easier. CaringBridge is cost- and advertisement-free, with nearly 90 percent of all funding coming from those who have experienced the power of CaringBridge firsthand. Since its founding in 1997 by Sona Mehring, more than half a million CaringBridge websites have been created. Combined, they have received two billion visits. For more information, visit www.caringbridge.org.

About Minnesota Public Radio®

Minnesota Public Radio® (MPR) operates a 45-station radio network serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states. Reaching more than 900,000 listeners each week, MPR and its three regional services—MPR News, Classical MPR and The Current—produce programming for radio, digital and live audiences. Programs produced by MPR’s parent company, American Public Media™, reach 19 million listeners on nearly 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be found at www.MinnesotaPublicRadio.org. MPR meets all 27 of the Charities Review Council (CRC) Accountability Standards. Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio. Data are estimates only.