Debra Joiner

Debra (she/her) has over twenty years of experience in the fields of communication, advertising, and marketing. Prior to joining Communities In Schools, she worked for 13 years for the Austin American-Statesman in the advertising, circulation, and audience departments. She developed original youth programs and content, including the award-winning “Hit a Home Run for Reading” summer reading program, and she served on the NAA Foundation Digital Newspapers in Education Task Force. In her role as the Statesman’s Community Development Manager, she oversaw signature community programs focused on literacy, children, and health and wellness, including Statesman Season for Caring and Swim Safe. In her role as Sr. Director of Communications at CIS, she introduced the Strong Voices public speaking training program and served two terms as a CIS National Brand Ambassador. She served as a member of the CIS Change Team which was instrumental in the creation of a plan to operationalize the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has been a volunteer CIS Reading Buddy since 2014 and is a member of Impact Austin and Women Communicators of Austin.