Union Bank and KPBS Honor 2015 Local Heroes During Black History Month

SAN DIEGO, CA, (February 5, 2015) – In celebration of Black History Month and as part of its ongoing commitment to cultural diversity and responsible banking, Union Bank has partnered with KPBS to honor three extraordinary San Diegans as local heroes. The 2015 Black History Month honorees are: Dr. Gail R. Knight, M.D., M.M.M., F.A.A.P, chief of staff and chief, Division of Neonatology at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego; and Andre Jones and Aaron Wooten, fatherhood program coordinators of the Father2Child program. They will be recognized in February at a private dinner celebration with their families and executives from KPBS and Union Bank.

Since 1998, KPBS and Union Bank have collaborated on the Local Heroes program and recognized more than 200 honorees. The program pays tribute to exemplary leaders who are making a difference and enriching the lives of others by improving their community, region and the world at large. The 2015 Black History Month honorees demonstrate a shared commitment to providing their communities with the tools to thrive in today’s changing world.

“Union Bank is proud to recognize the contributions of these local heroes who have generously given their wisdom, time and resources to enrich our communities,” said Union Bank Managing Director Pierre P. Habis, who heads Consumer and Business Banking. “We are delighted to partner with KPBS as we recognize these individuals who personify our core values and reflect the vibrant and diverse communities we serve.”

”Once again KPBS and our terrific partner, Union Bank, have the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of outstanding community members,” said KPBS General Manager Tom Karlo. “It’s a pleasure to highlight and recognize the Black History Month honorees and their contributions on our media platforms.”

The 2015 honorees for Black History Month are:

Dr. Gail R. Knight, M.D., M.M.M., F.A.A.P., chief of staff and chief, Division of Neonatology at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego has been a part of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team for 22 years. Dr. Knight specializes in treating high-risk and premature babies. She is also a health services clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego, and serves on the NICU Parent Advisory Group. Dr. Knight was named Top Doctor, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine on “2010 Top Doctors: The List” by San Diego Magazine and the San Diego County Medical Society. She earned her bachelor’s and M.D. degrees from the University of California, San Diego, and served as a resident in pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Andre Jones and Aaron Wooten are fatherhood program coordinators of the Father2Child program, designed to educate and support fathers in being a positive influence in the lives of their children. The program uses the 24/7 Dad® curriculum provided by the National Fatherhood Initiative® organization. The African American fatherhood program assists fathers in learning new parenting skills including understanding the importance of a father in the life of a child, learning the part fathers play in the emotional development of their child and discovering discipline techniques.

Jones earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education with a concentration in counseling from San Diego State University. Wooten, a former U. S. Marine, also serves as a counselor/case manager at Veterans Village of San Diego.

KPBS features a wide range of programming during Black History Month (February). For more information or to nominate a future local hero, please visit www.kpbs.org/heroes or unionbank.com/heroes.

About KPBS

KPBS serves our local communities with news and entertainment programming that respects our audience with inspiring, intelligent and enlightening content. KPBS will deliver this content via multiple outlets, including television, radio, and digital media and will adapt and remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. KPBS values integrity, truth, transparency and lifelong learning. At KPBS we strive to engage with our citizens and showcase the unique neighborhoods and people that make our community thrive. And as a public service of San Diego State University, education is a core value – from our children’s programming to our local news coverage. KPBS is committed to being a reliable source for in-depth, thoughtful, and high quality content.

About MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

MUFG Union Bank, N.A., is a full-service bank with offices across the United States. We provide a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of customers. The bank also offers an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for customers, including investment banking, personal trust, capital markets, global treasury management, transaction banking and other services. With assets of $113.7 billion (USD), as of December 31, 2014, the bank has strong capital reserves, credit ratings and capital ratios relative to peer banks. MUFG Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE: MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations with total assets of approximately ¥279 trillion (JPY) or $2.3 trillion (USD)1, as of December 31, 2014. MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation, the financial holding company and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. have corporate headquarters in New York City.