If you’ve ever joined a meeting with Gianna just a few minutes early, you’ll soon find that you know a thing or two about Gianna’s life that you didn’t know before. Over time, the more minutes you get to spend talking with Gianna, the more you’ll come to know about who she is, about her family, and about her commitment to her hometown, The Bronx. Gianna is that type of person you hear so much about, but you rarely encounter in genuine form – the type of person who wears their heart on their sleeve. In her line of work as Director of Advancement and Communications, that is a quality of the utmost significance. With everything that Gianna shares comes a generous dose of sincerity and friendship.
Gianna was born and raised in the West Farms/Morris Park section of the Bronx. She lived in the Bronx until her early 30s. Gianna remembers growing up in a neighborhood that was incredibly diverse with families from different backgrounds and cultures.
I remember it was the quintessential Bronx, tightknit neighborhood where everybody knew everybody.”
After graduating high school, Gianna attended St. John’s University, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. She worked for many years in sales, marketing and advertising, before making a career change to Development. When the opportunity came in 2015, she joined BronxWorks as the Director of Communications and Advancement. Leading a team of fundraisers and communications professionals, Gianna oversees all of the public relations, marketing, and promotional operations for the entire organization. Every year, she organizes annual fundraisers, including a formal gala, the #TeamBronxWorks NYC Marathon runners, Giving Tuesday, Year End Appeal, and so much more.
I see the other departments as internal clients. We support their work, we amplify their work, we help get the message out about the incredible need and the incredible accomplishments.”
In all things, Gianna is singularly focused on advancing the impact of BronxWorks programs. “I wanted the mission-driven work,” she says, “In the department, Ken Small and his team support the public funding side and we support the individual, corporation, and communications side.”
Outside of work, Gianna is all about her family. She is a mother of two, a 14-year-old daughter who has a passion for performance art, and an 11-year-old son, who has a significant following on his YouTube channel. Whenever she has time, Gianna loves to camp with her family, work on home improvement projects, and thrift.