Keynote Speaker
Brandi Boatner
New York City-based Brandi Boatner (Loyola-New Orleans) is an award-winning digital communication, public relations, social media professional and prolific public speaker. She is currently a member of IBM’s newly formed corporate affairs department, where she helps with global influencer and advocacy efforts across social platforms. Her role involves facilitating and activating these efforts, both within the company and externally, to promote market education around the brand and reputation.
Boatner has been recognized and named as a Changemaker and one of the Top Women in PR by PR News and received Honorable Mention for PR Week’s Outstanding In-House PR Professional, an incredible industry honor, in 2021.
Boatner is a two-time hall of famer. She is the youngest member ever inducted into the Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communications’ Hall of Fame, known as the Den of Distinction. She was also inducted into the Public Relations Student Society of America Hall of Fame.
Brandi is a true advocate for diversity and inclusion. Because of her efforts around diversity in the public relations industry, she is one of more than 40 public relations leaders featured in the book “Diverse Voices: Lessons in Leadership” published by the Public Relations Society of America Foundation.
Boatner holds several leadership positions within the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), both at the local and national levels. She is the chair of the PRSA Tri-State District 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), serving as the chief programming officer. She’s also a member of the University of South Carolina’s Dean’s Leadership Council, a member of the board of directors for the Better Business Bureau of New York City and Hudson Valley and a member of the advisory board of Poster House, the first-ever museum in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to posters based in New York City.
She speaks all around 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.
Social Media Links:
Email: bboatner@us.ibm.com and brandi.boatner@gmail.com