When it comes to someone’s background affecting the way that they have lived and becoming an accomplished and successful person, someone that fits this description is Gerri Gomez Howard.
Gomez Howard is the CEO of the Gomez Howard Group, an integrated marketing and communications firm that is owned and operated by women of color.
Originally born in Queens, New York, Gomez Howard’s family history — much like Queens itself — mixes many cultures from different places. Gomez Howard is a Cross Cultural Kid (CCK), since her parents are from different cultures.
Ties to Curacao
Gomez Howard’s mother is from the small island off the coast of Venezuela called Curacao. Her father’s side of the family is from Puerto Rico, but also has ties to Curacao.
Although not all people that have cross-cultural backgrounds have the same sense of belonging and an idea of home, that was not the case with her. Some people struggle to find these things because of the different factors mixing into a person’s identity.
Gomez Howard has made her mark on the media industry in many different aspects of the field. She worked for 18 years for KCNC-TV, a CBS affiliate in the United States’ 19th largest broadcast market before starting her own marketing firm in 2005.
Her professional career in the media industry started with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Syracuse University and a masters in applied communications from the University of Denver.
In her time, Gomez Howard has seen many things that have shaped the person she is today. The moment that stood out the most for her through everything was: “I had an opportunity to travel to Curacao with my cousin, Diana, in the late 80s. That trip was a fact-finding journey that gave us the opportunity to meet many different family members on the island. It really helped me to realize and appreciate the rich history of our family.”
I’ve appreciated being raised in a community that had many different people from various backgrounds.
Gerri Gomez Howard
With all her accomplishments in life, Gomez Howard has found her success from the one place that helped shape her as a person: her cultural background and heritage.
“My parents and grandparents had a very strong work ethic,” she said. “My mother’s father started his own business as a tailor and endured some challenges along the way, causing him to eventually close his business.”
“I certainly inherited his entrepreneurial spirit and the work ethic that he and my parents had,” according to Gomez Howard. “I’ve appreciated being raised in a community that had many different people from various backgrounds. My mother often talks about all the families in her neighborhood and has fond memories of the Syrian bakery down the street from their apartment.”
Gomez Howard’s success can be traced back to her strong cultural roots and her sense of belonging and home. Having this foundation has allowed her to have an illustrious professional career and start her own company. This company embodies her sense of culture and who she is as a woman of color because the company she started revolves around women with this same background.
— By Evan Grant
Evan Grant believes it is important for people from all over the world with all different stories to have a medium where their stories can be shared. His content is relevant to readers because he has experience seeing the world and the different people and cultures all over the world and he has a good voice to share different stories. Grant is passionate about sports, and travel, and religion. These are main parts to many different cultures and Grant’s knowledge on them produces pieces about many different places and people and cultures.
