Q+A Series - Gabrielle Gambrell

To celebrate the honorees from the DAA’s 2022 Gala, the DAA team has launched a Q + A series to highlight the meaningful work of communicators who are driving forward diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry. The interview below was conducted by Jenny Ho.

“Things that are happening in the world are uncontrollable - like the death of Tyre Nichols. When things in the world mentally impact us and are triggering, you want to know that your company hears you, and that they can do something even if it’s holding a listening session or providing mental health resources...”

-Gabrielle Gambrell, communications, branding, and media expert.

What was your first role when you were starting your career? What factors do you think enabled you to get to where you are today?

I’m grateful that I knew what I wanted to do early on, starting from high school. I’ve got the Gift of Gab, I’m a storyteller at heart and always have been. In high school, I was editor in Chief of The Tideline, Pacific Palisades Charter High School’s newspaper and journalism program. I had the responsibility of teaching the class, assigning articles, and grading other students for 2 years. Teaching journalism class in just high school is where I found my love for teaching and writing, and it solidified my interest in journalism. In terms of college, I wanted to leave California and wanted to attend an institution with an accreditation in Communications. Iona University, where I humbly serve on the board, is a phenomenal liberal arts school just 20 minutes from Manhattan. At Iona, I was president of the radio and television stations. I graduated in 2007, and was only allowed one internship, and was hired following my internship by ABC’s “Live with Regis & Kelly” which helped my career take off.

Who do you look up to for inspiration?

My grandmother Bessie Simpson is my inspiration. She was born in 1912, and was one of the first black women to attend and graduate from Smith College. She was also an alum of Eastern Michigan University and Howard University. She was a magnificent poet and writer, and she worked for the government all while balancing being a wife and a mother to five children. She was also a woman of God and I aspire to live half of the life that she lived. Like my grandma, I too aspire to continuously learn and grow. I love her legacy and it motivates me to be my best.

How have you witnessed diversity, equity, and inclusion evolve in the communications industry over the last several years? What is the biggest challenge the industry still faces as it pertains to DEI?

I led diversity communications during my time at CBS Corporation, and later during my time at Comcast NBCUniversal. Now in 2023, DEI is at the forefront of business goals and leading organizations. I also believe talent is mandatory to foster diversity. There's so much to be done, and every company is playing catch up. Things that are happening in the world are uncontrollable - like the death of Tyre Nichols. When things in the world mentally impact us and are triggering, you want to know that your company hears you, and that they can do something even if it’s holding a listening session or providing mental health resources. There are so many challenges all the time and that’s a challenge for today and the future.

Follow Gabrielle on her socials!
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