Joan Grangenois-Thomas, a member of the village of Port Chester”™s Board of Trustees and founder of the Westchester firm JGT Public Relations, has been named district director for the office of U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones.
Jones was elected in November to the seat held by Nita Lowey, who retired at the end of her term. Grangenois-Thomas will lead a team of five in the district office, some of whom formerly worked for Lowey.
Grangenois-Thomas will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of the public relations firm. A veteran of more than 20 years in digital media and marketing, Liz Johnson, has been selected as managing director of JGT Public Relations. JGT describes her as having spearheaded digital revenue growth at prominent news organizations including Tribune Media, Knight Ridder and GateHouse Media.
JGT has been operating virtually and Johnson will be working from the Washington, D.C., area. She joins current JGT staff members Bonnie McEwan, a strategist based in the Boston area and Gabriella Richards, a media coordinator who works from Ossining.
In a statement, Jones said, “Joan brings her strong record of community activism, passion for racial and economic justice and love of public service to deliver real change for the great people of Westchester and Rockland.”
Grangenois-Thomas reported on LinkedIn that she previously was a lead trainer and facilitator with the Anti-Defamation League, worked as a vice president and consultant for The Gold Standard in Katonah, was a policy consultant for PolicyLink, as well as a senior media consultant at Make Waves.
She also worked as an associate communications consultant for Douglas Gould & Company and worked in various managerial positions in the travel industry.
In a 2019 blog post on the JGT Pubic Relations website, she traced her interest in running for public office in Port Chester to her observations about children.
“My children are the inspiration for my involvement in the Port Chester community. When they were small, I went to a PTA meeting and saw many things that needed doing, so I pitched in,” Grangenois-Thomas wrote.
“I came to understand that I should be advocating for all kids in our community. Being active in the school system was a good way to do that, so I ran for school board. I didn”™t win, but I did learn a lot, and I enjoyed connecting with people from all areas of the village.”
She said she became active with area nonprofits and civic groups, starting her public relations firm in 2010 with the idea of helping nonprofit organizations and public interest groups gain attention for important issues such as child welfare and immigration.
“I know what it”™s like to have hopes for your children, while at the same time worrying about their opportunities. I”™ve experienced the stresses of finding affordable health care and struggling to save for retirement,” she wrote.
“And I”™ve seen that there are things we can do ”“ right here on the local level ”“ to make Port Chester a great place to live for everyone, from all backgrounds and all walks of life. That”™s why I ran for the Board of Trustees ”“ and was elected! It”™s not about me. It”™s about us ”“ all of us ”“ together.”
