Gabrielle Sierra is a Brooklyn girl born and raised. She started her career as an arts and culture journalist, but has found her way into international relations.

She is currently the Director of Podcasting at the Council on Foreign Relations, overseeing all of CFR’s podcasts and leading a team of producers and audio engineers. 

Gabrielle is also exceptionally proud to be the host and a co-creator of the award-winning Why It Matters podcast, building the show from the seed of an idea, to a pilot, to an award-winning produced bi-weekly podcast. Why It Matters was the first project of its kind for CFR as it is aimed at a wide and diverse general audience, and nine seasons later, it remains unique in the world of international relations. Gabrielle and the WIM team are on a mission to include more people in what can often feel like a closed-door conversation, and to lift new voices in the world of foreign policy.

As the first female and first Latina to host a show for CFR, as well as an ICAP Fellow, and co-chair for CFR’s Employee Resource Group on Diversity of Underrepresented Groups in the Workplace, a focus on creating an inclusive workplace culture has been and continues to be part of Gabrielle’s mission as a leader.