Carmen Boon
VP, External Affairs
Food Bank For NYC

Carmen Boon is an award-winning senior communications, multicultural marketing and external affairs public sector professional with 20 years of experience in journalism, media relations, strategic communications, integrated public awareness campaigns, public affairs and digital media. Boon arrived in New York City from her native Venezuela as a Fulbright scholar to pursue an MA in Media Studies at New School University.

Carmen oversees communications and marketing and government relations at the Food Bank for NYC where she’s leading strategic external affairs to elevate Food Bank’s mission and its people. Prior to joining Food Bank, she led 15-year career in the New York City government in agencies and offices serving New Yorkers in a variety of essential areas. From affordable housing, social services, consumer affairs and workers’ rights to human rights protections and health care access, Boon’s advocacy for an "always-on" proactive marketing and communications strategy has helped elevate the visibility of many NYC agencies and programs as avenues for diverse and vulnerable communities to get the help and support they need.

Under her leadership, the NYC Commission on Human Rights received Shorty for Social Good and Marcom awards for its public awareness campaign “Look Past Pink and Blue” promoting gender identity and expression protections under the NYC Human Rights Law. The campaign was the first of its kind in the country's history—planned, produced and implemented by a municipal government agency. Additionally, the Commission’s campaign “It’s just a joke/just a kiss/just a hug. It’s sexual harassment” on gender-based and sexual harassment protections in the workplace she produced, received a Marcom award and was a finalist for a Shorty for Social Good.

Prior to joining the NYC government, Boon worked for the Consulate and the Mission of Venezuela to the United Nations, developing and implementing community, media outreach and multicultural marketing plans to serve new immigrant families in the tri-state area and to foster relations with local organizations assisting immigrants and other vulnerable communities.

Boon earned a BA in Mass Media/Journalism from Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.