Rich Flood, B.S.C. ’98, has worked with some of New York City’s finest institutions, leaving an indelible mark on the city skyline and earning international recognition in the process.
Growing up in New York City’s Westchester suburbs, Flood would often retreat to the Sunshine State with his family.
Surrounded by palm trees under a warm sun, Rich devised a plan that would enable him to live in paradise for a little longer. A longtime Hurricanes football fan, the University of Miami rose to the top of his list as his first-choice college.
He was thrilled to learn he had been accepted. What followed were, as Rich would describe, four of his happiest years.
He majored in communications and developed skills that would become invaluable in later life.
“Two practical lessons stand out in my mind: First, the science behind public speaking and audience engagement; and second, learning how to work in a team environment with different types of people who hold different opinions and perspectives, which prepared me for an environment with multiple stakeholders working towards a consensus to achieve success.”
After graduating, he moved home to New York to begin an advertising career.
But on September 11, 2001, everything changed. From the windows of his midtown office, he witnessed one of the darkest days in the city’s and the nation’s history.
“I felt this need to reassess everything I was doing. I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way. I decided to take a pause from advertising to think about how I can give back,” he said.
He saw the work that the Red Cross was doing and wanted to get involved. The only problem, he said, was that “the Red Cross had great candidates, and I didn’t have any nonprofit experience.”
He learned of a job opening at the Whitney Museum of American Art calling for someone with a background in advertising.
“It’s meant to be,” he thought at the time. “I can leverage my advertising experience to gain the nonprofit experience that I need, and then apply to the Red Cross.”
Instead, he fell in love with the organization and began a decade-long tenure with the Whitney, eventually heading their marketing and community affairs division.
“Community affairs was a brand-new role for me. At first, I didn’t really understand it, but I convinced myself that I would figure it out and I absolutely fell in love with it,” he said. “The role allowed me to really work with the city of New York, from its community members to its city council members and the mayor’s team.”
He was tasked with spearheading the physical expansion of the Whitney, ultimately resulting in its relocation from Manhattan’s Upper East Side to the Meatpacking District on the island’s west side.
The new neighborhood posed several obstacles: rezoning issues, building restrictions, wary preservationists.
But the lessons Flood learned at the University helped him find a solution:
“I just went on a listening campaign, listening to the stakeholders in the community, listening to the local elected officials, understanding what their needs were,” he said. “Winning over the confidence of the stakeholders was essential to achieving success, which meant ensuring that they knew that they had an ally in me and that I would represent their opinions and their concerns.”
In 2015, the Whitney opened its doors to visitors from its new location.
His success caught the eye of the Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation. The foundation was planning an ambitious $100 million fundraising project to build a new museum on Liberty Island. They wanted Flood to lead the campaign.
“I was really excited by the idea, but I was also kind of scratching my head, thinking, ‘How did I get into the museum building business? How did that even happen?’ I don't know, it just evolved that way,” Flood laughed.
He worked closely with fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and reached the fundraising goal ahead of schedule.
His fundraising tenets are simple: “First, you need to identify a synergy between the project and the individual—something about that project will resonate with them and you need to explain why, which requires a lot of research and a lot of preparation.”
“Second,” he continued, “you need to be trusted—trusted that you’re going to use their support wisely and that what is promised will be delivered.”
In 2019, the newly constructed Statue of Liberty Museum opened to the public. It tells the story of the Statue of Liberty, from her early beginnings in Paris to her impact on pop culture today.
“As the son of an Irish immigrant, the monument holds a special place in my heart,” Flood said. “My father came to America through Ellis Island as an infant with my grandparents.”
Next, Flood drew upon his experience at the Whitney to orchestrate a large-scale art installation. A miniature version of the Statue of Liberty was cast from the original molds and placed on a cargo ship, reenacting the original journey that Lady Liberty took from Paris to New York. The installation attracted global attention and earned Flood the recognition of the French government.
The French government made Flood a knight in the National Order of Merit. Consul General Jeremie Robert presented Flood with the award in a ceremony held at the French consulate in New York City. Surrounded by childhood friends, workplace colleagues, and former classmates from the University of Miami, Flood reflected on the impact of his accomplishments and the path his life took.
To current students looking to use their education to change the world, Flood advises this:
“Don’t be afraid to take on something that you know nothing about. Don't say no, just try it. I was intimidated. Working in an art museum was not something I thought I would do. I didn’t have a background in the arts. But it worked out. Leading a $100 million fundraising campaign isn’t something I necessarily thought I would be doing, but it worked out. Don’t be afraid of taking risks. Failure is okay. The experience is what matters.”
