Caliber Account Manager Nicole Lombardo, who is both a bread and Star Wars enthusiast, recently sat down with Kate Forster, Caliber’s culture manager, to talk about her career in fintech and financial services public relations. Read on to learn more about Nicole, who joined Caliber in 2022, in this Staff Spotlight interview.

Kate: What is your favorite nickname and how did you get it?

Nicole: At work and with my friends, I go by my Nicole, but with my family everyone calls me Coco. This is actually a nickname I started ten years ago before my oldest niece was born. It was the first time I would be an aunt and I quickly realized Aunt Nicole did not have the fun ring to it that I was looking for. As the youngest child in my family, I wanted to be seen as the forever cool, fun aunt, so I became Aunt Coco. I am proud to say that I am the coolest and most fun aunt to my three nieces and two nephews, and they all said my name first (after mama and dada, of course).

Kate: Where do you consider “home”? What is special about it?

Nicole: Long Island will always be my forever home. People who know me have heard me say this, but I always refer to living on Long Island as ‘Born, Raised, and Brainwashed’. When I was growing up, there was never a question of where I would end up, it was always going to be Long Island. I love that it has a little bit of everything, but most importantly I love that my entire family is a short distance away. I live on the south shore of Long Island (it’s the best), my parents and sister are in the middle of the island and my brother is on the north shore.

Kate: What non-work activities inspire you?

Nicole: Being a mom. It is technically work, but it is a non-Caliber activity so to me it counts! My son inspires me every day and he is my favorite little buddy. I absolutely love re-experiencing the world through his eyes, it is incredibly rewarding and motivating. Watching him interact with the giraffes at White Post Farms (shameless LI plug because it’s the greatest place to live) or just jumping with him in rain puddles has taught me to relax, unwind, and enjoy every special, little moment in life.

Kate: If you had to include one ingredient in every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

Nicole: Bread. Every meal is better when you include bread. I thank my father for this obsession. I grew up in a mixed heritage household, my father is Italian and my mother is Irish and Slovakian. My mom is an incredible cook, but without fail my father would always sit down to dinner and ask where the bread was. Now to this day it is ingrained in my mind, to such an extent that I started making my own bread so I no longer have to buy it. I can justify adding bread to nearly every meal: for any type of pasta it is great to have an italian loaf to dip in the leftover sauce; if you are enjoying a charcuterie board,  a french baguette is a wonderful accompaniment to all cheese; not sure how you want to eat your eggs in the morning, grab a bagel (preferably from LI because the bagels here are the best) and you can make a sandwich. Bread is a fool-proof ingredient. 

Kate: What’s your favorite movie and/or book?

Nicole: My all time favorite movie is To Catch a Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Traveling to France and Monaco is at the top of my bucket list. I’ve been dreaming of it since I was ten and first watched the movie.

Kate: What’s something your colleagues don’t know about you?

Nicole: I am pretty sure that all of my coworkers are aware that I love Star Wars. However, I am not sure they know that I was proposed to in full Star Wars cosplay. My husband and I have been attending New York Comic Con together for nearly 15 years. In that time I’ve cosplayed as Harley Quinn, Star Sapphire, and even Rocket Racoon–to name a few. In 2017 we finally attempted to cosplay as Star Wars characters, which is no easy feat. My husband was a Jedi and I was a Sith Lord—naturally. Little did I know, the year I decided to paint my entire face for a cosplay, was the year my husband planned to propose to me. It turned out to be an amazing proposal and it is one of my favorite stories to share. 

Kate: When you think about your time at Caliber, what career accomplishment or milestone makes you feel most proud?

Nicole: I am proud of all my accomplishments since joining Caliber, both large and small. When I joined Caliber in December 2022, I was returning to the PR agency world after being in-house at a technology startup for nearly four years. Anyone in the PR industry, understands that there is a big difference between agency and in-house work. The biggest being that you go from focusing on one company to prioritizing multiple companies all at once. I was nervous about rejoining the agency world after so many years away because of the adjustment to a faster pace work environment and relearning how to manage multiple accounts. I am happy to report that over a year has gone by and I could not be happier with my decision. Working with multiple clients across different industries inspires me to be more creative.

Kate: Name one thing that amazes you about fintech or innovation in financial services.

Nicole: The innovation and technology being developed today is incredible and improves efficiencies across the board for businesses and consumers. What truly amazes me is the future potential for fintech and the predictions thought leaders are making for five to ten years from now that have true potential. The sky’s the limit with innovation.

Kate: You’re part of Caliber’s internal content team. How is content marketing evolving?

Nicole: Content marketing is constantly evolving and is more important today than it ever has been. The way individuals consume content has drastically changed and continues to do so as technology advancements are made and new mediums are adopted. Content published today is also held to a higher standard making authenticity and transparency even more crucial to a business. Having a team in place to track these changes in the industry and evolve a business’s content strategy can make or break a company’s content engine and external messaging. Developing this content is an opportunity to be creative, which is what I find to be the most exciting as I see it continue to evolve. 

Kate: What is your favorite part of being a professor in Caliber’s College of Public Relations (CCPR) program?

Nicole: When I reflect back on my career so far, I always think about milestones, the lessons I’ve learned, and the mentors that have inspired me along the way. I would not be where I am today without learning from incredible people at different stages of my career. Participating in Calibers College of Public Relations (CCPR) program, as a professor, offers me the opportunity to become a mentor for someone and hopefully become a resource for them as they begin to build their own careers.

Kate: What’s your favorite thing about working at Caliber?

Nicole: The camaraderie throughout the entire team. Caliber’s leadership team fosters a collaborative work environment at all levels of the organization. It is empowering to work on a team that encourages individual development and prioritizes teamwork.