Protected: Isabelle Gerard

Isabelle “Belle” Gerard is a natural-born storyteller with a deep appreciation for research and a desire to always be learning and growing. She serves as a communications officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and brings over 15 years of experience advocating for culture change. Gerard works with the Research Evaluation and Learning team and its grantees to put research in the hands of people shaping a more equitable culture, society, and communities—from elected officials to Hollywood screenwriters. Her favorite work focuses on shifting narratives, and she is passionate about making way for more diverse stories and storytellers.  

Her prior experiences include working on political campaigns, in the Senate, with a progressive think tank and a public opinion research firm, and with nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she was the policy and opinion research manager at the American Heart Association. There she led hundreds of research projects to gauge public support, inform strategy, and craft the strongest messages to shift opinion. Her time on the Hill taught her that without first changing the narrative, equitable public policy often doesn’t stick.  

Gerard holds an MPH from the University of California, Los Angeles. She grew up channeling her creativity into writing, loving film and television (which she had to sneak over to friends’ homes to watch), and she dreams of a future where every child grows up feeling represented in the images and stories they see.