Jules O’Rear, Ph.D., joined MUM’s Board of Directors in 2012.

Jules moved to the Washington, DC area in 1999 when he accepted a position with the FDA where he works currently as a Supervisory Microbiologist in the Division of Antiviral Drug Products. There, he works on drugs to treat HIV, HBV, HCV, influenza virus and other serious viral infections.

Since moving to DC, he has volunteered for organizations that provide food, including Share DC, DC Central Kitchen, Shepherd’s Table, and MUM; housing: former board member for both GreenHome and Rebuilding Together Montgomery County; and education, where he was a board member and president of First Time Computers.

With his identical twin brother, he started the Pay-It-Forward Fund, a merit needs-based loan forgiveness program at the University of Oklahoma, where his brother is on the faculty. Jules met his wife Holly Ketchel in 2001 while volunteering at ShareDC and they enjoy doing volunteer work together