Claudia Abrantes
Claudia Abrantes is a public relations and communications strategist with nearly three years of experience in the field, currently serving at The Lesniak Institute for American Leadership. She began her journey with the organization as an intern in 2023 and transitioned into a full-time role following the completion of her studies at Kean University. In her current position, she supports a wide range of communications and branding initiatives that advance the Institute’s mission of civic engagement and leadership development. Her work reflects a versatile, hands-on approach to nonprofit communications, where she contributes across digital media, storytelling, programming support, and organizational outreach.
Claudia’s path into communications was not linear. Entering college without a clear direction, she explored multiple academic paths before discovering communications, a field that aligned naturally with her strengths as a strong communicator and storyteller. She later found public relations to be the ideal intersection between communication and marketing strategy. While she initially pursued opportunities in beauty and lifestyle PR, her perspective shifted after participating in a class partnership with a local nonprofit organization. That experience sparked a strong interest in mission-driven work, where she discovered a passion for helping nonprofits strengthen their branding, messaging, and social media presence. This realization ultimately led her to pursue nonprofit communications, where she found a long-term professional fit.
In her role within the nonprofit sector, Claudia operates as a multi-disciplinary communications professional, taking on responsibilities that extend beyond traditional PR functions. Her work includes digital communications, social media management, print and newsletter writing, graphic design, video production, script writing, and on-camera content creation. She also collaborates closely with organizational partners, contributes to program development, and plays an active leadership role in managing and mentoring interns. The role varies day to day, ranging from writing-heavy content development to hands-on creative production and field-based storytelling. Claudia’s work has also been recognized through community engagement initiatives, including her involvement as a GIVE Volunteers Ambassador and her receipt of the Community Impact Award from the Inaugural Women’s Leadership Brunch hosted by The House of Hearts Network Foundation.
• Disney Behind the Scenes Development program
• Kean University -
Public Relations
• Order of Omega Honor Society
• Community Impact Award
• Nu Theta Chi
• GIVE Volunteers - Ambassador role for volunteer travel organization focused on empowering global citizens and teaching sustainable change through environmental restoration and community rebuilding
• Sierra Club - Participates in events and volunteer activities like leave cleanups for environmental justice
What do you attribute your success to?
I think a lot of my success is definitely due to the way I was raised. My parents have always pushed me to be the best version of myself I could be, whether that's giving up my spare time to volunteer in my community and give back, or making sure that I get straight A's in school. I'm always taking that next ambitious step and putting myself out there - they've definitely raised me to be a go-getter. That discipline and drive that they instilled in me is something I try to implement in everything I do now.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best guidance I've received hasn't come in the form of specific words, but rather through the way my mentors navigate things. My two co-workers right now, who I originally interned with before transitioning to full-time - my executive director and my media partner - are wonderful people who support and guide me every day. Both of them push me to be more ambitious, go that extra mile, and think outside the box a little bit more, even when I'm kind of reserved sometimes. They're great at pulling me out of my shell and encouraging me to challenge myself in ways I might not have considered otherwise.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd say be authentic. I feel like just showing up as myself and not being scared to kind of voice what I believe in and lead by my mission and my personal values - I've had a lot of success just kind of showing up as myself. So I'd say to anybody, don't be afraid to show up authentically and to show up as an authentic leader in their role. People connect most deeply with genuine voices, and showing up as who you truly are is what creates real impact.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Definitely the rise in AI is very tough to deal with right now. As great as a tool as AI can be for some people, it's definitely taking away a lot of jobs in the communications field and just the creative field in general. There's definitely a threat there that AI could do my job better than I could, which is a little bit scary to think about sometimes. I'd also say that just integrating AI into nonprofit life is tough sometimes, especially for our interns, to not rely on it. I'm pushing them out of that little bubble and getting them to be as creative as they can be, using AI as a tool and not necessarily a crutch. That balance is a big challenge right now.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity is incredibly important to me - showing up as myself and not being scared to voice what I believe in and lead by my mission and my personal values has been key to my success. Service and giving back are also central to who I am. My parents always pushed me to volunteer in my community and give back, and they raised me to be a go-getter, which I try to implement in everything I do. My passion for service extends beyond my professional role - I've had the opportunity to work alongside environmental justice organizations like the Sierra Club, and I serve as an ambassador for GIVE Volunteers, an organization focused on sustainable community development and environmental restoration. I'm also a pretty creative person, so I bounce between creative hobbies a lot. I love hiking, camping, and being outdoors. I also teach aerial yoga - I've been teaching for a little over 2 years now and practicing for about 3 to 4 years. These experiences have strengthened my belief that communications can be a powerful force for advocacy and positive social change.