Executive DIrector
Cindy McCain

For nearly two years, I’ve led social media strategy and international public relations and media engagement for Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme—the world’s largest humanitarian agency. I manage every aspect of her digital voice and public narrative, ensuring each social media post, video script, media interview, public statement, and op-ed reflects geopolitical nuance, cultural fluency, and the urgency of global hunger. I’ve crafted persuasive messaging on some of the world’s most complex crises, built a strong and consistent leadership brand, and shaped op-eds—like the one co-authored with Senator Chris Coons for The Hill—as strategic tools for influence and advocacy. I’ve written or edited all of her media talking points and coordinated her international media appearances—from the New York Times to Al Jazeera—overseeing a lean team of three. Each engagement is treated as a diplomatic act: a deliberate opportunity to drive funding, spotlight frontline realities, and underscore WFP’s role as the world’s humanitarian backbone.

Policy Achievements

This post was written during the defunding of the United Nations agencies by the U.S. Government. Following this statement on X, and within 24-hours, more than a dozen cuts made by the U.S. State Department that affected the World Food Programme’s emergency operations in 13 crisis-effected countries were rescinded.

A statement I drafted for ED McCain’s social media was featured on CNN and used to press Prime Minister Netanyahu to explain the lack of humanitarian aid entering Gaza—demonstrating how strategic communications can directly shape high-level political discourse.

I wrote the talking points that landed ED McCain’s interview in Politico EU on the looming famine in Gaza—an interview that was subsequently picked up by CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC, and NPR, helping drive global media coverage and accountability around humanitarian access.

This is another example of a timely, high-impact video I led to advocate for safe, large-scale humanitarian access for people in urgent need of food. It began with my scriptwriting and a rigorous review process involving 6–12 stakeholders. From there, we scouted locations and worked cross-functionally across teams—ensuring the final product delivered a vital message to the right audiences with the power to act.

A media interview I prepared Director McCain for with RAI (Italy’s public broadcaster) at the Food Systems Summit in Ethiopia led to a phone call with Senator Mark Kelly [D-AZ]. In Sen. Kelly’s video on X, many of the talking points I wrote were reiterated, underscoring the value I brought to crafting clear, coherent narratives for Director McCain that were useful to move policy speakers to speak up on the need for global humanitarian funding.

I helped shape and amplify high-level messaging across digital and editorial channels. This included coordinating strategic op-eds—such as “We cannot settle for a world half fed and half hungry” co-authored by Director McCain and Senator Chris Coons [D-DE] for The Hill. I played a key role in crafting these pieces, aligning them with global advocacy moments, supporting their rollout across platforms, and monitoring engagement to inform future messaging.

This is just a smattering of examples of the massive real, worldwide political impact my work had while leading communications for Director McCain.

Team & Editorial Leadership

It has been a privilege to lead a high-performing team of social media content creators and strategic writers. I empower my team by swiftly identifying opportunities, removing roadblocks, and fostering an environment where creativity and innovation thrive. I believe that great work emerges when people feel safe, inspired, and supported—and I strive to create those conditions whether I’m leading or collaborating.

At our peak, I managed a team of three. But due to UN-wide funding shortfalls, our team was scaled back in August 2025. We lost our dedicated social media manager, and I became solely responsible for all content creation, scripting, social listening, and guiding our extensive internal review process. Despite the scale-back, I maintained the integrity and impact of our communications, ensuring every piece of content met our strategic objectives and reached the right audiences.

As anexecutive communications expert, I specialize in identifying and refining a CEO’s unique voice—crafting tone and style guides, aligning messaging with strategic moments across quarters, and optimizing content for the right audiences across every channel.

Video Production Team

Videographer: Julian Civiero
Director: Julian Civiero
Editor: Juilan Civiero & Brie Ripley
Scriptwriter: Brie Ripley
Producer: Brie Ripley

Director McCain, Julian and I at Dadaabe Refugee Camp, Oct. 2024.

Our Best Video WOrk

Cindy, Julian and I shooting a video from WFP’s Operations Center. May 2025.

Launching Channels

Grew a high-impact Instagram presence from the ground up—no ad budget, just strategy.
In April 2024, I launched an Instagram account that now reaches 7.5K+ engaged followers. Every milestone has been driven by creativity, consistency, and a collaborative approach to content.

  • Grew from 0 to 7.5K+ followers in under a year

  • Achieved growth with $0 in paid ads

  • Used collaborative posts to drive discovery and engagement

  • Focused on organic strategy that converts followers into loyal community

Launched a LinkedIn presence rooted in thought leadership and connection. We built a consistent longform strategy for the Executive Director’s LinkedIn presence—publishing op-ed-style posts monthly to shape narrative, show leadership, and foster trust. With 24K+ staff worldwide, we saw the need for a platform where the ED could engage more directly. The result? Our fastest-growing, highest-engagement platform.

  • Anchored the channel in original, op-ed-style thought leadership—shared monthly, regardless of external publication

  • Prioritized direct, authentic communication with WFP’s global workforce (24K+ people strong)

  • Fastest-growing and most engaged platform across all channels

  • Strengthened ED’s voice as a global leader while building internal trust and visibility