Meet Brenda Ford: Building Community Through Connection and Presence

1 day ago | Jasmine Souers | @jasminesouers

For Brenda Ford, community engagement begins with listening, showing up and building trust over time. As a community relations coordinator at Mayo Clinic, Brenda helps connect community partners with cancer research information, outreach resources and opportunities to take part in conversations that matter to them.

Her path to this work began in her own community, where she saw firsthand how sustained partnership, shared information and two-way communication can help address barriers that have historically kept some communities from fully benefiting from research. In this staff feature, Brenda reflects on the importance of feedback loops, bi-directional engagement and making sure community voices are not only heard, but valued and reflected in the work.

A path rooted in advocacy

Before joining Mayo Clinic, Brenda lived in and represented a community facing deep challenges, including limited access to nearby grocery options and health resources. While advocating for change, she saw Mayo Clinic come alongside the community for several years through conversations about research, health education and community support.

Those efforts included community discussions with physicians and interns about the importance of research, the impact of differences in health outcomes, and the need for greater participation in underrepresented communities. Mayo Clinic also provided educational resources and a hosted a monthly food distribution in a community with no local grocery stores.

That experience helped shape Brenda’s understanding of what meaningful community engagement can look like. Later, Brenda was invited to join the Mayo Clinic team as a community relations coordinator.

Sharing research information where people are

Today, Brenda’s work centers on communication, connection, and presence. She and the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center share cancer research information through community groups, meetings and events. The team also aligns outreach with cancer awareness topics, offering information about disease causes, research studies and opportunities to participate virtually or in person.

For Brenda, one of the most important parts of the work is talking openly about the need for research to reflect all communities and helping people understand how they can get involved. The team in Florida currently works across nine counties: Duval, Nassau, Flagler, Clay, Brevard, Volusia, Baker, Putnam and St. Johns counties.

Keeping community voices at the center

Feedback loops and bi-directional engagement depend on more than sharing information. They require space for people to speak, ask questions, and help shape what comes next.

“Be present in the room of conversation,” Brenda says. “Understand why you are there. Bring your voice, your knowledge, advocacy, patience and prayer. Know your audience.”

Building trust through transparency

Brenda says trust-based engagement starts with enjoying the work and approaching people with transparency and care. She also encourages colleagues to ask for help, stay open to new ideas and remain grounded in the communities they serve.

Her advice reflects the heart of bi-directional engagement: relationships grow when people listen as much as they share, learn as much as they teach and build trust through consistent action over time.