Making the Connection: The Ins and Outs of High Touch Relationship Building

This month the San Francisco Federal Executive Board Public Affairs Council will present The Public Affairs Convo. The Public Affairs Convo is a space for Communications teams to learn and grow from experts in their field.

Join us for an insightful discussion with Nicole Wood, Deputy Director of the DHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships on how to build trust as we develop relationships inside and outside of our organizations.

This event is hosted with the San Francisco Federal Executive Board Public Affairs Council and moderated by Brandi Richard Thompson.

About Our Guest

Nicole C. Wood, MPH, MA, Deputy Director

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Nicole is a compassionate voice and visionary leader with over 23 years of experience serving alongside multi-faith and culturally diverse communities in the United States and around the world. She brings expertise in responding to communities impacted by violence, neglect and exploitation, human-caused and natural disasters, disparities in health and in response to the safety and security of places of worship and community spaces.

Nicole serves as the Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (DHS Center), a center of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. In this role, she is a liaison and convener on DHS-related issues impacting faith-based and community-based organizations. She facilitates communication on protecting the safety and security of places of worship and is a communication outreach strategist for meeting the needs of survivors of natural and human-caused disasters and human trafficking, both domestically and internationally. In addition, Nicole provides training and technical assistance to the broader community on the traumatic impacts, underlying causes, and the prevention of exploitation among youth and adults.

Nicole is the lead for the dissemination of public awareness initiatives that advise, train, and identify protocols for safety and security plans for the faith-based community in concert with the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. She provides resources, training and information on how to improve facility security, preparedness, and emergency planning for nonprofits and places of worship.

Prior to federal service, Nicole served at World Relief and World Hope International, leading anti-human trafficking efforts for the faith community. She was also as a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, she served on Capitol Hill with former civil rights leader, the late Congressman John Lewis.

Nicole completed post-graduate work in inter-religious educational training with Religions for Peace USA and World Council of Churches’ Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Switzerland. She has a Master of Urban Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary, a Master of Public Health in International Community Health and Health Promotion from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Adelphi University.

Nicole resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and twin children.

About the San Francisco Executive Board

The San Francisco Federal Executive Board (SFFEB) serves as a vital link to intergovernmental coordination by building cooperative relationships across the 9-County Bay Area & Northern California.

It represents approximately 70,000 federal, postal and military employees at 461 Federal Agencies & Offices throughout the nine bay area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma) as well as the de facto support of Federal Employees throughout the other 39 counties of Northern & Central California for projects & programs including the annual Combined Federal Campaign.

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