Crystal Borde

“PR and communication professionals can amplify lesser-heard voices and create space for more seats at the table where decisions about opportunity and equity are made. We have the skills and tools to expand the reach of voices shaped by race and ethnicity, gender, socio-economic levels, sexual orientation, ability, and/or experiences and create more inclusive, equitable communities.”

Memorable professional moments: 

• Counseling organizations who are engaging in social justice dialogues on how to better communicate their DEI values while taking actions within their organizations and communities to be more inclusive and equitable.
• Watching my persuasive storytelling mentee Kevin Hines — suicide prevention advocate — share his story of resilience and recovery to save lives in a BuzzFeed video viewed more than 6 million times.
• Producing a town hall-style discussion about the best approaches for addressing the opioid crisis and other prevention issues for more than 1,700 SAMHSA Prevention Day conference attendees.

People often find it interesting that …
I’m an award-winning landscape photographer. While I’m still an amateur, my photographs were featured in a magazine and auctioned off for charity. What I love most about photography is that it is another way for me to be a storyteller. Through the composition of the image, a photograph can powerfully share a story without relying on language. Photography is a universal method of human communication, and a natural extension of my career as a PR professional.

What does people-first mean to me?
To me, people-first means keeping people — their needs, their challenges, their contributions — as the center of the work we do. Being people-first means spending more time listening rather than talking — with colleagues, our clients, our audiences — and considering how we can be more inclusive in our communication approaches, strategies and tactics with specific communities. People-first is about ensuring that people —who they are and what they need — are accurately and fairly represented in our strategic communications planning.

CREDENTIALS

• Director and DEI Committee Chair, PRSA National Capital Chapter Board of Directors
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate, University of South Florida Muma College of Business, 2021
• Participant, Anti-Racism Leadership Series 101-301, Leadership of Greater Washington, 2020–2022
• Certificate of Completion, CommonHealth ACTION Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Training Institute, 2016
• B.A., California State University, Fullerton – College of Communications; concentration: Public Relations; minor: Speech Communications

AFFILIATIONS/RECOGNITION

• Diamond Award, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) National Capital Chapter, 2022
• Rising Star Award, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) National Capital Chapter, 2021
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion Honoree, Ragan’s Top Women in Communications Awards, 2021
• Changemaker Honoree, PR News’ Top Woman in PR 2021
• Director and DEI Committee Chair, PRSA National Capital Chapter Board of Director, 2021–Present