Charlotte Masiello-Riome, Class of 87
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
Poor fishermen in India are using mobile phones from their boats to contact nearby markets to establish where their catch will fetch the highest price. Radio stations in Africa are broadcasting programmes on how to treat sick animals. In El Salvador, an Internet-based early warning information system for natural disasters has become a vital communication network between local and national sources.
These are just a few examples of how access to information and communication technologies (ICT) can improve lives in developing countries. Yet, the rural “digital divide” is isolating almost one billion of the poorest people who are unable to participate in the global information society. Most of these rural people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
As part of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN’s specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, it is Charlotte Masiello-Riome’s role to represent the Organization in UN discussions related to this important issue, working with other UN agencies, Government Ministers, and the international community-at-large with the ultimate the UN Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by the year 2015.
Charlotte serves as lead Communication Officer and spokesperson for a number of key international Summit meetings and related events, including the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In early 2006, Charlotte was appointed Global Secretariat for the WSIS Follow-up on the Action Line on E-Agriculture. In late 2006, she was appointed to the Board of Directors for the prestigious International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communications (Orbicom), in which she has served as an associate member since 2003.
In addition to being part of CBHS’ graduating class of 1987, Charlotte received her Associate in Arts from Brevard Community College in Melbourne after being the first recipient of the Cocoa Beach High School/Brevard Community College Christine Spezzano Memorial Scholarship . She received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies and Journalism from American University in Washington, DC and has a Masters in Mass Communications from Leicester University in England, United Kingdom.
Prior to her appointment at the United Nations, Charlotte was Publicity Manager and Producer for the Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network, where she was responsible for the development and execution of publicity and public relation/media relation campaigns, covering 23 nations in the Middle East and North Africa. She has also worked on the communication teams of: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT); National Public Radio affiliate WAMU radio in Washington, DC; The United States House of Representatives; Cable News Network of America (CNN); and served as Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the former US Ambassador to Honduras.