New York Women in Communications Is Shaped by Beth Feldman

May in New York is never exactly quiet. It is the month of movie premieres, Met Gala aftershocks, Kentucky Derby coverage, Memorial Day plans, and the unofficial start of summer — a blur of red carpets, power lunches, seasonal launches, and media noise. But this year, the Matrix Awards have managed to cut through.

Now in its 56th year, the signature event from New York Women in Communications is drawing fresh attention at a moment when visibility — who gets it, how it is earned, and how it is shared — feels especially urgent across the media business.

Founded 97 years ago, New York Women in Communications has long been a force for women across media, advertising, marketing, PR, and social media. This year, the organization is using the Matrix Awards not only to honor established leaders but also to spotlight its scholarship recipients as emerging voices in the industry.

Much of that sharper focus has been shaped by Beth Feldman, the organization’s president, whose publicity instincts, industry relationships, and collaborative leadership have helped give the event a more modern profile. Feldman is also quick to note that the push has been a team effort, driven by NYWICI leadership, board members, volunteers, partners, honorees, and supporters.

The campaign has included national and local television coverage, digital publicity, social media promotion, a Times Square billboard featuring scholarship recipients, and Today show host Sheinelle Jones as emcee. The message is clear: the scholarship winners are not a footnote to the gala. They are part of the story.

That approach makes sense given Feldman’s background. Currently Senior Vice President of Communications for The CW Network, where she oversees communications for Nexstar Media’s networks division, Feldman has spent decades building campaigns for television brands, major series, syndicated talk shows, and high-profile media launches.

Before joining Nexstar, Feldman spent 15 years as a partner at Beyond PR Group, where she led digital and influencer campaigns for hit series and daytime franchises including The Talk, Survivor, The Good Wife, Mom, and 48 Hours. Earlier, during her tenure at CBS, she played a key role in publicity efforts for franchises including CSI, The Amazing Race, and the final season of Everybody Loves Raymond.

She was also known for working across divisions — an instinct that made her especially valuable inside a large media company like CBS, where entertainment, news, publicity, talent, and programming often intersected.

Susan Zirinsky, president of Paramount’s See It Now Studios, a legendary CBS News producer, past Matrix Award winner, and the inspiration for Holly Hunter’s character in Broadcast News, says Feldman has always had an uncommon ability to see around corners.

“Beth has always been someone who, when she hears ‘no,’ thinks, ‘hello,’” Zirinsky said. “She has always been an innovator. Beth sees future trends and begins pushing people toward a goal line they might not understand at first. But they trust Beth, and so they follow her lead.”

Phil Keoghan, host of the Emmy-winning reality series The Amazing Race, remembers Feldman from the earliest days of the franchise, which she helped launch in 2001 while working as a publicist at CBS.

“Beth never dials it in,” Keoghan said. “Having her attached to a project lets you breathe easier, knowing everything will be handled thoughtfully and professionally. What sets Beth apart is the genuine care and personal attention she brings to every project — always making you feel like you’re her most important client.”

That blend of professional precision and personal investment is a recurring theme among those who have worked with Feldman.

Rob Shuter, the veteran entertainment journalist, author of the new book It Started with a Whisper, and former publicist to stars including Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, and Jon Bon Jovi, calls Feldman “the ultimate go-getter.”

“She’s the kind of person who walks into a room and instantly gets things moving,” Shuter said. “She’s sharp, hardworking, and always ten steps ahead when it comes to her job. But what really makes her special is that she’s just as incredible personally as she is professionally. She shows up for her friends, remembers the little things, and makes people feel supported and valued. In a world full of people who only focus on success, Beth manages to be wildly driven while still being genuinely kind. That combination is rare.”

For Feldman, that generosity extends beyond professional campaigns and into mentorship — a quality colleagues say has become central to her leadership at New York Women in Communications.

Tamsen Fadal, the New York television news anchor at PIX11, author, women’s health advocate, and a 2026 Matrix Awards honoree, first met Feldman in 2007. At the time, Fadal hired Feldman to handle publicity for her first book, Why Hasn’t He Called? How Guys Really Think and How to Get the Right One Interested in You, which also had a Lifetime Network component. The two have remained friends ever since.

“Women supporting women gets said a lot,” Fadal said. “Beth has been doing it quietly and consistently for the entire twenty-plus years I have known her. She never stopped showing up. Through every evolution, every reinvention, every moment of doubt, she was there with a belief in who you were becoming before you could see it yourself. This year’s theme of the Matrix Awards could not be more perfect, as the butterfly effect is something Beth has been doing since the day we met.”

Angelique Morelli, Vice President for Executive Programming at New York Women in Communications, says Feldman’s influence is both personal and institutional.

“Beth embodies the true meaning of the Butterfly Effect,” Morelli said. “She is a tireless champion of female empowerment who leads by example — always paying it forward, uplifting others, and celebrating every win along the way. As one of Beth’s former graduate students, I’ve carried countless lessons from her playbook on leadership, mentorship, and what it truly means to be a woman who supports other women.”

The campaign around the scholarship recipients is designed not only to celebrate achievement, but also to give emerging talent something increasingly valuable in a fractured media environment: exposure. In an era when young professionals are expected to build personal brands before landing major opportunities, visibility itself becomes part of the scholarship.

It also reflects a broader evolution underway at New York Women in Communications. Nearly a century after its founding, the organization remains a networking, mentorship, and leadership hub for women across communications industries. Under Feldman and the current leadership team, observers say the group has become more intentional in how it markets its initiatives, engages the broader media ecosystem, and spotlights the next generation.

Jeremy Murphy, a former CBS vice president who went on to found 360bespoke, a New York City PR agency, worked with Feldman at CBS and later collaborated with her on his critically praised book Fck Off, Chloe*, for which Feldman wrote the foreword. He says Feldman’s effectiveness has always been matched by an uncommon steadiness.

“Beth moves fast but she doesn’t break things,” Murphy said. “She lets other people, but then helps them put the pieces back together. She’s that polite and conscientious.”

That may explain why this year’s Matrix Awards push feels less like a one-off publicity campaign and more like a statement of intent. The event is still honoring power players, as it always has. But it is also becoming a platform for emerging women in communications — and a reminder that influence is not only about who gets the spotlight, but who knows how to share it.

The Matrix Awards are no longer just an industry luncheon. They are becoming a broader media moment.

And in a business where relevance is currency, that may be the clearest sign of the progress Feldman and the NYWICI team are making together.