Clinton Colmenares
New staffers join News and Public Affairs
Jon Coomer
Jerry Jones
Three new staff members have recently joined News and Public Affairs. They are Clinton Colmenares, who came in August as an information officer, Jon Coomer, who took over as Reporter editor in September, and Jerry Jones, who came in September as an information officer.
Colmenares came to VUMC from the Tennessean, where he was a health feature writer. He has also worked as a feature writer at the Montgomery Advertiser and San Antonio Express-News. He also has medical and health writing experience as an editor in the department of Family Practice at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and assistant editor of the San Antonio Medical Gazette.
Colmenares, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, will write for VUMC publications, including the Reporter, and also act as a liason for members of the news media working on stories involving the Medical Center.
Colmenares replaces Matt Scanlan, who left Nashville to attend the University of Dayton School of Law.
Coomer also comes to VUMC from the Tennessean, where he was Special Projects Manager, and he has also previously worked as assistant editor of the Adair (Kentucky) Progress.
He is a 1992 graduate of the Western Kentucky University School of Journalism and takes over responsiblity for the editing and production of the VUMC Reporter. Doug Campbell, the publication’s previous editor, recently accepted a position as managing editor of Amusement Business, an international trade publication for the entertainment industry.
Jones, who earned a degree in Speech Communication and Journalism from David Lipscomb University in 1987 and a master’s in Public Administration from Tennessee State in 1995, has wide-ranging experience in communications and health care.
He previously worked for Community Research Associates, a contrator with the U.S. Department of Justice. He also has reporting experience with the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, and served as chief of Emergency Services for Bedford County from 1992 to 1997.
Jones will focus his attention on writing for VUMC publications and special projects, with an emphasis on Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital during this time of growth and change for VCH.