4 Questions with Shelley V. Worrell
Head of Caribbean Partnerships at the US Census and the Founder of Caribbeing / Little Caribbean NYC
Shelley (she/her) is the Head of Caribbean Partnerships at the US Census and the Founder of Caribbeing / Little Caribbean NYC, an organization at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce.
1. Where’s your hometown?
Brooklyn, New York.
2. How did you get into STEM?
My first job in tech was at Time Warner, where I managed the entire lineup of channels. I also launched TV polling and dozens of video-on-demand / HD networks, including Local on Demand, as well as migrated analog channels to digital to reclaim bandwidth. That role taught me a lot, mostly how to work cross-functionally.
From there I went to A+E Television Networks, where I managed Digital Distribution and Global Operations — which has been one of my most rewarding jobs to date, mostly because of the people I worked with. My last role in tech was at Google/YouTube, where I worked in Strategic Partnerships and Business Development in New York City and Lagos, Nigeria.
3. What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you get through it?
My biggest challenge was taking time off from my career to look after my father whose health was rapidly declining. He went from walking, to walker, to wheelchair in less than six months. A few months later, he suffered a massive stroke and spent his last years in a nursing home.
Putting my career on hold was extremely challenging; however, I immersed myself in my culture, my heritage, and my community, which all led me to develop a number of opportunities and awards I may not have otherwise experienced. For a long time, I struggled to explain why I put my career on hold, but in the end, everything worked itself out. And today, I’m working at the intersection of a few of my passions, which include the Caribbean, partnerships, community, and data.
4. What’s something you’ve done that you are immensely proud of?
Working on the launch and development of Little Caribbean NYC, the first in New York City, the US, and the world.
Having grown up in Flatbush, Brooklyn — home to a large and diverse Caribbean community — I am humbled and privileged to work daily on centering Caribbean-American / LatinX cultural heritage in New York City (and beyond). As our communities experience gentrification and displacement, culture has never been more important to discover and express our shared humanity.
