Carmen Boon Vice President for Public Affairs, Food Bank For New York City 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 non-profit programs. As a strategist specializing in strategic, crisis, and advocacy communications, Carmen leads large-scale, issue-based, multi-platform, multicultural, and multilingual public awareness campaigns to impact policy and public opinion. With a broad portfolio encompassing affordable housing, social services, workers and human rights, public health care, food security, poverty, and economic mobility, Carmen has secured recognitions such as the Shorty, MarCom, PRWeek Purpose, and AVA Digital awards. Her involvement extends beyond professional accolades as she remains an active member, mentor, and volunteer at CHIEF, NY Women in Communications, Public Relations Society of America, 100 Hispanic Women and Feeding America’s Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee. Before her current role, Carmen served for 15 years in the New York City government. 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. Born and raised in Venezuela, Carmen moved to NYC as a Fulbright scholar completing her Master of Arts in Media Studies at The New School in Manhattan. 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 large-scale public awareness and education campaigns to serve those who need it most. Carmen is a Brooklynite at heart (she lived there for 20 years) but she now happily resides in Verona, New Jersey with her husband Dan, son Simon, and furry companion Callista.