Her Team: Beep’s comms director credits
trajectory to Gibson’s belief in young people
In the “Her Team” series, the Bronx
Times sat down with key leaders on
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson’s
team, to learn the story behind the
faces who will help guide her administration.
“The staff that we have here and the
new staff we will bring on will be some
of the most creative and boldest minds
in the Bronx, and the City of New York,”
Gibson told the Bronx Times. “We’re
going to make sure the staff is refl ective
of the diversity of the Bronx.”
BY ALIYA SCHNEIDER
Were you contacted by the Borough
President’s offi ce? It was probably
given the stamp of approval by
26-year-old Michael Ivory, Bronx Borough
President Vanessa Gibson’s director
of communications.
Ivory knew he was interested in
government as early as 12-years-old,
when he watched the news with his
grandma in their Mott Haven apartment
about Barack Obama, an Illinois
senator at the time, running for the
presidency.
And ever since the summer before
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
his senior year as a political science
student at Wheaton College in Massachusetts,
he has climbed the ranks of
Gibson’s team.
First, he was placed in Gibson’s
offi ce as an intern in summer 2016,
through Bronxworks’ Summer Youth
Employment Program.
“I remember just being in awe, because
I had no idea about local government,”
Ivory told the Bronx Times.
“When you study political science,
they teach you about the federal level,
so you really have to take it upon
yourself to learn about what’s happening
on the local and state level. So to
fi nd out there was a woman of color,
a Black woman, who was a councilwoman
here in the borough that I
grew up in was so impactful.”
Ivory interned for Gibson again
over his winter break, and joined her
staff as an outreach liaison just a few
weeks after graduating college. In a
matter of months, he was promoted
to Gibson’s director of community
engagement, at which point he also
worked as the offi ce’s LGBTQ liaison.
Just over two years later, he became
the director of communications in
January 2020, shortly before the COVID
19 pandemic hit.
Ivory is still Gibson’s communications
director, but now for her boroughwide
offi ce.
He credits his success to Gibson’s
dedication to empowering young people,
and that fi rst opportunity to intern
in her offi ce.
“A lot of times when you enter these
spaces you don’t see people that are
your age doing this work,” Ivory said.
“And I still think there is a stigma that
if you are a young person, that you
just don’t have the knowledge, or you
should be ignored … I never had that
feeling about her (Gibson). She was always
willing to listen to me or to any
other young person that she hired.”
Gibson’s council staff was noticeably
young, which Ivory said
“amazed” people. He is hopeful other
politicians will follow suit.
“I think it’s so incredibly important
to amplify young people,” he said.
“Especially young people of color,
young queer people of color, we need
to give them the opportunity. That one
opportunity that Vanessa (Gibson)
gave me is the reason why I am here
today. She believed in me.”
Ivory grew up in the South Bronx
and attended Herbert H. Lehman
High School in the east Bronx, the two
areas he spent the most time in. But
working in Gibson’s offi ce has helped
him learn more about different parts
of the borough that he was less familiar
with.
Along with engaging with the
press, Ivory wants to use social media
as a tool to inform Bronxites about
the borough’s happenings, highlight
Bronx businesses and encourage
young people to engage with local politics.
Ivory also wants to support other
communications directors for Bronx
elected offi cials, like by discussing
the everchanging role of various social
media platforms.
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 22 MAR. 11-17, 2022 BTR
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson’s communications director, Michael Ivory, has
spent his whole political career under her leadership. Photo | Finalis Valdez
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