Carmen Boon
Carmen Boon currently serves as the vice president for public affairs at Food Bank for New York City, 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 non-profit programs. As a strategist specializing in strategic, crisis and advocacy communications, Carmen has led large-scale, issue-based, multi-platform, multicultural and multilingual public awareness campaigns to impact policy and public opinion. She is a staunch believer in the power of teamwork and the importance of establishing strong connections internally in any organization, attributes she considers essential for executing communications campaigns that truly serve those who need it most.
Before her current role, Carmen served for fifteen years in various roles within New York City government agencies—including two mayoral administrations—which equipped me with a deep understanding of a big city management complexities. With a portfolio in areas ranging from affordable housing and social services to workers, human and immigrant rights, public health care and economic democracy, she tackled outreach challenges in areas such as affordable housing shortages, essential social service delivery, worker and immigrant rights advocacy, and public health improvements. Her last public sector job as the Senior Director for Strategic Communications at NYC Health + Hospitals, allowed her to spearhead strategic external affairs and communications for NYC Care, the largest healthcare access municipal program in the U.S for individuals without health insurance and for the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic when NYC and its municipal healthcare system were the epicenters of this global health care and socioeconomic crisis.
Carmen has secured recognitions of her work such as the Shorty, MarCom, PRWeek Purpose, and AVA Digital awards. Her involvement extends beyond professional accolades as she is currently a NY Greater Chapter Board Member at the Fulbright Association and remains an active member at CHIEF, NY Women in Communications, Public Relations Society of America, 100 Hispanic Women and Feeding America’s Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee.
Born and raised in Venezuela, Carmen moved to NYC after graduating from journalism school at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Caracas. As Fulbright scholar in NYC, she completed her Master of Arts in Media Studies at The New School in Manhattan. 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.