NAWIC Austin Chapter - April Business Meeting

Brandi Boatner is an award-winning digital communication, public relations, social media professional and prolific public speaker based in New York City. As a member of the IBMer Communications team (employee/internal communications), Boatner supports key initiatives for the Transformation and Culture function, including social media support for the SVP of Transformation and Culture and digital engagement for diversity and inclusion channels while also leading initiatives that drive employee advocacy through social activation.

Prior to this most recent newly created role, Brandi led social justice communications for Emb(race) - IBM’s response in combating implicit bias, discrimination and racial inequality. And before leading Emb(race) communications, Boatner served as the social and influencer communications lead for Global Markets in IBM corporate communications with extended responsibilities serving as the Brand Communications Manager for IBM Marketing supporting external engagements including press, events and social media for IBM's former Senior Vice President of Digital Sales and Chief Marketing Officer.

In July 2021, Boatner was recognized and named by PR News as one of the Top Women in PR as a Changemaker. Additionally, in December 2020, Boatner was named one of five finalists for Outstanding In-House PR Professional for the 2021 PRWeek Awards. In March 2021, during the virtual PRWeek Awards ceremony she was recognized as Honorable Mention in the category – an outstanding industry honor.

In late July 2020, Boatner was named by TopRank Marketing as one of the top 20 B2B Influencer Marketing experts to follow. Boatner is a two-time Hall of Famer having been inducted into the Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communications Hall of Fame known as the Den of Distinction, the youngest member ever inducted. She was also honored and inducted into the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Hall of Fame.

Brandi is a true advocate for diversity and inclusion serving as a member of IBM's Diversity and Inclusion Council and also serves as the former chair and current professional development chair of the IBM Black Network of New York business resource group. Given her efforts around diversity in the public relations industry, she is one of more than 40 PR leaders featured in the book Diverse Voices: Lessons in Leadership published by the Public Relations Society of America Foundation.

Boatner is very active in the public relations industry where she holds several leadership positions within PRSA on both the local and national level. She is the Chair of the PRSA Tri-State district, immediate past chair of PRSA Technology Section Chair, and a member of the Executive Committee for the PRSA Westchester/Fairfield chapter. Additionally, she is on the Board of Directors for New York Women in Communications (NYWICI), a member of the University of South Carolina’ Dean’s Leadership Council, and a member of the Advisory Board of Poster House, the first ever museum in the US dedicated exclusively to posters based in New York City.

She speaks all around the US and the world on a variety of industry and marketplace topics. She enjoys reading, music, traveling, shoe shopping, exploring Manhattan with friends and spending time with family in her hometown of New Orleans.