2020
SELVENA
BROOKS-POWERS
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
Selvena Brooks-Powers has been serving as Manager for External Affairs and Community
Outreach for the JFK Redevelopment Program. She has been a lifelong resident of Southeast
Queens and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wilberforce University in
Wilberforce, Ohio. She also holds a Master’s of Science degree from New York University in
International Law and Dispute Settlement.
Committed to public service, Brooks-Powers has spent her entire professional career working
on issues impacting vulnerable communities, including domestic violence and economic
inequality. She first began her career as a volunteer for then-New York City Public Advocate
Mark Green for four years. Known for her activism, she made a name for herself by organizing
many voter empowerment initiatives in college, most notably coordinating a stop on the bus
tour by Presidential Candidate John Kerry.
Brooks-Powers has held numerous positions in both government and labor, and among some
of her achievements were working with hundreds of evacuees from the Gulf Coast following
Hurricane Katrina, working closely with local non-profits to prioritize and advocate for funding
for organizations throughout Southeast Queens.
Brooks-Powers was elevated to Downstate Press Secretary, coordinating messaging and
press operations for the Senate Democratic Conference. After winning the majority, she
served as the Press Secretary to the Senate Majority Conference Leader and was later
promoted to the role of Deputy Chief of Staff.
She has since served as the Communications Director for the NYC Mayor’s Office to Combat
Domestic Violence and then as the Northeast Communications Director for the SEIU. Never
leaving her community behind she has remained committed to service throughout the Queens
community through her ties with local organizations.
POWER WOMEN NEW YORK