Can someone’s gender or demographic identity impact their opportunity for leadership advancement in government? That’s just one of the many questions that will be answered on March 2 when John Jay’s Women in the Public Sector hosts Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, as part of its Women in the Public Sector webinar series. Her story, which encompasses immigrating to the United States, contending with undocumented status, promoting gender equality, supporting human rights, initiating environmental actions, and advancing women’s rights, speaks directly to our justice-focused mission. In anticipation of Abeywardena’s event, we sat down with her to learn more about her journey.
Tell us a little bit about your life before your appointment as Commissioner to the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs.
I was born in Sri Lanka. My parents came to the U.S. when I was about four years old and we overstayed our travel visa, so I was actually undocumented for much of my childhood. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and then moved to Los Angeles, where I was one of the few brown kids there. I got teased mercilessly for my name, and wanting to assimilate, I changed my name to Penny. Those were really my formative years. Every aspect of it has shaped me into who I am today. In 2003, I came to New York to attend grad school at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and have been here since. Much of my work, prior to becoming Commissioner in 2014, was focused on women’s rights.
“What we need to do as a society is see the immigrant experience as a strength, because immigrants and the undocumented bring so much to the table.” —Penny Abeywardena
Can you tell us how being undocumented affected your journey?
Being undocumented made me stronger. I think that being undocumented in this country gives you an extraordinary experience that can help shape the work you do and the way you do it. There is a resiliency and a survival instinct that is built in you when you’re undocumented. I believe that what we need to do as a society is see the immigrant experience as a strength, because immigrants and the undocumented bring so much to the table.
So many of our students want to work in public service. How did you come to work in public service?
I actually started my career in the nonprofit space. One of my first jobs was at the Human Rights Watch. I really admired the researchers who were working on the ground documenting human rights abuses around the world. But I knew with my experience of being undocumented and as a survivor of domestic violence, that being in the field like that, facing that trauma every day, was something I couldn’t deal with. It was clear to me that where I could make the biggest impact was behind the scenes, working on fundraising and developing policy that would help improve people’s lives. Prior to my appointment as Commissioner, I was Director of Girls and Women Integration at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The program worked to promote, empower, and advocate for girls and women. The work at CGI gave me experience in relationship-building diplomacy where you get companies to work with nonprofits and the U.S. Agency for International Development to create progress in communities around the world.
“I work for this administration because I believe government should work for the people.” —Penny Abeywardena
What is the Office for International Affairs?
The Mayor’s Office for International Affairs is the City’s global platform for promoting its goals for a more just society, sharing its policies and best practices globally, and cultivating relationships between the international community and New Yorkers. We provide guidance to the City’s diplomatic and consular community and advise the City’s agencies on diplomatic and consular matters. Prior to my appointment, the Office focused on the operational dynamics of the U.N. General Assembly or a diplomatic incident. When I came to the Office, Mayor Bill de Blasio really encouraged me to think outside the box and develop programming that would bring the best value to New Yorkers. I work for this administration because I believe government should work for the people. Over the last seven years we’ve done just that by expanding the Office’s programming to create a greater and more positive impact in our communities.
We created the New York City Junior Ambassadors, a program for seventh graders that connects young people in New York City’s five boroughs to the United Nations and the global community. We want our Junior Ambassadors to see themselves as global citizens, so they recognize that they’re part of these big movements—like gender equity, addressing poverty, or climate action—at the local level. Because involvement at the local level means everything. Local is where real change begins.
Our Connecting Local to Global program is where communities can engage with our consular corps. New York City, which is home to the largest diplomatic and consular community in the world, has 116 foreign consulates, and those consulates interact with their immigrant diaspora here in New York City. They are some of the most important bridges we have to our immigrant communities and they have become essential partners for us and other New York City agencies. Our consular corps are the ones interacting with their community on a daily basis, they’re communicating in their local language, so they’re able to share information on new programs, policies, and best practices, in a clearer, more effective way. One of the critical ways in which we partnered with our consular corps was to ensure they had the most up-to-date information on Covid-19, explaining what hospitals their constituents can go to, and where they can get vaccinated. We give that information to our consular corps and they then go to their communities and share that information.
Another program is Global Vision/Urban Action which takes the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals—such as the goals to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and climate change—and localizes the agenda here in the City. The goals also match our ONENYC strategic plan which seeks to uplift New Yorkers out of poverty and achieve equity. Our Global Vision/Urban Action program has really been an opportunity for local governments to showcase their power on these issues, they create programs and strategies to accomplish the goals, and spearhead change on the local level.
“Involvement at the local level means everything. Local is where real change begins.” —Penny Abeywardena
What are some of the accomplishments you have been most proud of during your time at the Office for International Affairs?
It’s hard to choose but there are two that really stand out. The first is the Junior Ambassadors program and the impact it has not only on the students but also the parents. At the end of the year, we bring students from the program into the Queens Museum and their art projects are on display throughout the museum’s first floor gallery. We invite the student’s parents and educators to attend the event. There was one class we had where all the parents were formerly incarcerated or currently incarcerated, and I remember talking to one of the mothers during the event. She told me how she wasn’t able to care for her child in the way she wanted to because she had been in the system, but because her daughter was in the Junior Ambassadors program, she knew her daughter was getting the attention and education she needed. That moment really made me realize I was doing good in the world.
“My best day as Commissioner was when the United Nations gave us a donation of 250,000 masks from their own stockpile. We were able to give them to hospitals in the City to protect our health care workers.” —Penny Abeywardena
A more recent accomplishment is how our Office was able to pivot and really step up when Covid-19 hit our city. With New York City being the epicenter of the crisis, our team recognized the needs of our colleagues at the Department of Health and in talking with City Hall realized we needed personal protective equipment and ventilators. We realized that we could tap into the extraordinary network and relationships we’ve built with other countries over the last five and a half years. My best day as Commissioner was when the United Nations gave us a donation of 250,000 masks from their own stockpile. We were able to give them to hospitals in the City to protect our health care workers.
Why is it important to have women and people of color represented in government leadership positions?
Having diverse government leadership is everything and can inspire others to work for their communities on the local level. I truly believe that to have the best team, you need a diverse group of people who come from different backgrounds and have varied educational and life experiences. Those different perspectives inspire innovative thinking and ideas that will create a better, more just future for our City.
“I truly believe that to have the best team, you need a diverse group of people who come from different backgrounds and have varied educational and life experiences.” —Penny Abeywardena
What advice would you give our students, especially those hoping to work in public service?
Always take the job. Even if you don’t think you can do it, you can. You have to show up, observe, learn, and pay attention. If you’re feeling uncomfortable at your job or notice that other people are feeling uncomfortable or are being inappropriate, figure out a way to address the issue. This is where diplomacy comes in. You can be doing a really good job, but if there’s an issue in the workspace, you have to figure out what’s going on and what’s causing the tension. If you’re asked to “bring it down a notch” because you’re performing at a high level and your coworkers are feeling left behind, bring them along with you. Engage them in your process, asks for their opinions and ideas. This way they’re all bought into the project. People want to feel listened to and engaged with. Show up with a positive, optimistic attitude, that’s what has always worked for me. Do what works for you.