🍎 Carmen Boon: VP, Public and External Affairs Food Bank for New York City

Resilience, Equity and Transparency as a Communicator

Hello, It’s Julia, Founder of The Switchboard, a newsletter exploring the ways we communicate and connect at work and beyond. In this edition, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Carmen Boon, Vice President for Public and External Affairs at the Food Bank for New York City.

About Carmen

Carmen currently serves as the Vice President for Public Affairs at the largest hunger relief organization in New York City, leveraging her expertise to empower individuals toward achieving sustainable food security. Bringing over 20 years of experience, Carmen's skill in crafting public and media relations outreach strategies and integrated media campaigns has heightened awareness for a multitude of governmental and nonprofit programs. 

Before her current role, Carmen served for fifteen years in various roles within New York City government agencies. Born and raised in Venezuela, Carmen moved to NYC after graduating from journalism school at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Caracas. As a Fulbright scholar in NYC, she completed her Master of Arts in Media Studies at The New School. Carmen shares her life between NYC where she has worked for 25 years and Verona, New Jersey where she now resides with her husband Dan, son Simon, and furry daughter Callista.

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What sparked your path into your field?

I’m a first-generation immigrant in the US from embattled Venezuela. My B.A. is in journalism, and I worked in the field in Venezuela. I came to the US nearly 25 years ago on a Fulbright grant to study Media studies at The New School. 

After graduation, I confronted rejections for roles in PR and journalism at agencies and media outlets in New York City. It was then that I was compelled to look into in-house communications opportunities in different sectors and adopt a more expansive and flexible interpretation and practice of my career.  I found a job at the Venezuelan Consulate in NY and Mission of the UN in NY as an internal and external communications coordinator that allowed me to connect with various local institutions and actors and serve new immigrants. 

During this transitional period, I became more convinced that my college education in journalism could be a significant asset and that my aspirations in journalism could be effectively channeled into a niche within in-house communications. My skills around research, writing, and critical thinking were highly transferable and invaluable in the in-house communications field. My ability to dig deep into stories, see the big picture, ask the right questions, and present information clearly and compellingly proved handy to enhance my effectiveness in this field. In addition, my proficiency in Spanish and my understanding of the community proved to be invaluable assets in my future jobs in government. 

During my time at the Mission to the UN, I developed a network with city government communications people which helped me land me a job in a NYC government agency where I grew as a government communication and external affairs professional during 15 years in different agencies and roles and under two Mayors.  

My current role at Food Bank For NYC offered me a transition out of the city government after 15 years and an ideal platform to integrate gradually and organically into the intersection of policy and donor communications and public affairs dynamics of the nonprofit world.

What are the skills needed for great communicators?  

It’s important for a communicator to stand for their decisions to be trusted in any organization. In addition, risk assessment and anticipation are key. I’ve worked in multiple emergencies and crises involving the lives of millions of people. In those moments, it’s very important to look at the forest from the trees. My communications training in city government gave me the ability to have a sense of risk assessment and trained me to always look at the big picture, something many communicators take for granted.  

You also must be an extremely informed person. There’s an imperative need to stay on top of what’s happening around us no matter your field and your industry. You should always know how to answers questions on the news of the day. If a project is not in your area, make sure you are open to learn and continue to really stay open to learn new knowledge and new practices. 

Is there a pivotal project that's shaped your career?

This isn’t the most glamorous project, but I believe it’s foundational to our infrastructure as communications professionals. Every time I arrive at a new job, I notice in my organization a lot of disjointed communications tactics. This hampers the ability for the audience to perceive the organization as a whole. My first and favorite project has always been working to streamline these communications efforts, creating an annual portfolio of public awareness campaigns in order to establish brand awareness and elevate our impact. 

As a communicator, I highly value equity at the center of what I do. When I review our communications through this lens, I ask what's missing here and whether we are being inclusive? Can this message be easily comprehended by families spanning multiple generations? Is the language straightforward and accessible to everyone? Are our translations not only precise but also culturally resonant? Are we ensuring that materials are available in all languages spoken by the communities we aim to serve? 

This internal examination of our workflow and strategy is so important and I encourage everyone to take the time to ensure those practices are in place. 

What additional values drive you?

At the center of my work and life, I need transparency in all dimensions to be happy and enjoy what I’m doing. I also need my work to be of service to others. I pursued my speciality in communications to provide people in need the services and programs to allow them to find a path to a better life. 

I also want to emphasize the importance of assertiveness. I believe communications leaders and teams should always be at the decision table. It should be part of the business focus and at the core of an organization, not an order taker and an afterthought. To ensure that happens, organization leaders need to be assertive about the crucial role of communication in the organization. 

What's a hack or habit that grounds you?

Lately, I have to mention meditation. I’ve been working for 25 years. It can be taxing working in environments with crises, emergencies  and challenging and toxic dynamics. 

I also recently have embraced keeping the Japanese practice of Ikigai at the center of everything I do. It’s about what’s important to live for and also work for. For instance, for me, I need to be in touch with nature daily by taking a short walk or jog in the park or sitting in my backyard for a few minutes. That’s enough to keep me grounded. 

This career profile is based on a live interview. I’m grateful to you for reading, reacting and commenting. If you enjoyed this edition, consider sharing it. Signing off until next time. —Julia