New York Women In Communications Announces 2025 Board Of Directors Including Brandi Boatner of IBM as Incoming President
NEW YORK – November 13, 2024 — New York Women in Communications (NYWICI), the premier organization for female communications professionals, announced yesterday the addition of four new members to its 2025 Board of Directors, as well as incoming President Brandi Boatner Global Influencer Marketing, IBM Corporate Affairs. Board members are from top organizations including MasterCard, Korn Ferry, Uber, Publicis Groupe, and Omnicom Group.
As NYWICI’s new President, Brandi Boatner is an award-winning digital communications professional and public speaker based in New York City. Currently, she is a member of IBM’s corporate affairs function supporting global influencer marketing for IBM’s consulting business helping to drive market education and brand relevance around IBM’s AI for Business narrative. Boatner has been recognized and named by PR News as a Changemaker as one of the Top Women in PR 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 having been inducted into the Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communications Hall of Fame, known as the Den of Distinction, and was the youngest member ever inducted. She was also honored and inducted into the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Hall of Fame. Additionally, she serves as Chair of the PRSA Tri-State District. She has served on the NYWICI Board since 2020 in a variety of roles – from Co-Vice President (VP) of Student Affairs to Chief Programming Officer.
“I am so grateful to be a part of this extraordinary community of women, serving as NYWICI’s next president,” said Brandi Boatner. “The 2025 Board of Directors has a shared sense of purpose and passion for capitalizing and celebrating the collective power of every woman in communications. NYWICI has such a rich history and heritage of excellence, and I am honored to carry the torch. I plan to continue our legacy by bringing my skills, experience and perspective to inspire, empower and highlight diverse cross-industry voices. As we shape the future of this industry, I am so excited about what lies ahead for the next generation of women leaders across the communications landscape.”
“Over the past year, NYWICI has strived to both support and elevate the women in communications and celebrate our collective power to shape the future of the industry,” said Laura Brusca, President of NYWICI and Chief Communications Officer at Forbes. “This year, we launched several new events, built a founding University/College membership program, gave a total of $60,000 to 11 deserving scholarship honorees, and saw a 300% increase in our Rising Star membership. I’m so proud of the work we’ve accomplished together, and as we head into 2025, our new President Brandi Boatner’s strategic vision will continue to support the needs of the NYWICI community and ensure that women in our industry are seen, heard and recognized.”
Below is a complete list of the 2025 Board of Directors:
- President: Brandi Boatner, Global Influencer Marketing, IBM Corporate Affairs
- President-Elect: Beth Feldman, Senior Vice President Communications, The CW Network/VP Communications, Nexstar Media Inc./Networks
- Immediate Past President: Laura Brusca, Chief Communications Officer, Forbes
- Chief Financial Officer: Abi Evans, Chief Growth Officer US, Dentsu Creative
- Chief Strategy Officer: Singleton Beato, Global EVP, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, McCann Worldgroup
- Chief Communications Officer: Elizabeth Cornish
- Chief Experience Officer: Linda Gharib, Vice President Brand & Communications, Wolters Kluwer
- Chief Student & Early Career Affairs Officer: Chelsea Orcutt, Director, Strategy & Operations, Thirty Madison
- Chief Partnerships Officer: Sydney Wiliams, Senior Director, Industries Marketing, Salesforce
- Chief Matrix Officer: Erin Styles, Global Head of Internal Communications & Global Head of Advertising Business Communications & PR, Spotify
- VP, Finance: Kristin Myers, Senior Vice President, etf.com
- VP, Strategic Planning: Randi Liodice, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Kaplow Communications
- VP, Marketing Strategy: Ro Kalonaros, Global Director, Content & Culture, Omnicom Group
- VP, Content Strategy: Emily Dindoffer, Chief of Staff, Uber Advertising
- VP, Social Strategy: Lori Greene, Founder LPG Enterprises
- VP, Executive Programming: Claire Telling, EVP, Executive Recruiting, Publicis Groupe
- VP, Professional Programming: Elina Kazan, Communications & Content Consultant at The Fragrance Foundation.
- VP, Professional Programming: Joanne Trout, Chief Communications Officer, Omnicom
- VP, Rising Star Programming: Julia Chappell, Vice President, Hirsch Leatherwood
- Co-VP, Podcasts: Georgia Galanoudis, Marketing & Communications Consultant and Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Masthead
- VP, Scholarships: Maria Ungaro, Vice President, Member Engagement, Licensing International
- VP, Academic Engagement: Megan Hess, Senior Subscriptions Editor, Bloomberg
- VP, Corporate Partnerships – Matrix: Carolyn Ksiazek, Vice President of Global Digital Communications, Mastercard
- VP, Corporate Partnerships – Memberships: Beth Ellard
- VP, Corporate Partnerships – Programming: Annie Lohmeyer Riva, Principal, Global Corporate Affairs, Korn Ferry
The full 2025 Board of Directors was announced during the 2024 NYWICI Annual Meeting, which took place on November 12, 2024, at 11:30 am ET.
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About New York Women in Communications
New York Women in Communications is dedicated to promoting the highest standards throughout the industry and to providing education and leadership for the next generation. Founded in 1929, the not-for-profit association has more than 2,500 members — from senior executives to students and entrepreneurs to young professionals — representing a variety of communications disciplines. NYWICI’s mission is to support women at all levels of their communications careers, to help define the future of communications and stay ahead of the industry’s ever-changing landscape. The organization’s membership encompasses senior executives and other experienced communicators from a wide range of enterprises, as well as young professionals and students. NYWICI empowers women across communications disciplines to reach their full potential by promoting their professional growth, inspiring them to achieve and share their successes and helping them navigate the evolving and converging world of communications.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Donna-Jean Plante, CAE
Executive Director, NYWICI
Donna-Jean.Plante@NYWICI.org
T: 571-685-8011