Bio

 
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Brandy Renia-Shenee’ Donaldson was born on July 28, 1982. From there, she proceeded to live…

Brandy was born and raised in rural northeast Arkansas. During her formative years, she developed a love for literature and writing. Brandy was around 11 years old when she decided she wanted to be a newspaper woman. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Arkansas State University and a master's degree in communications management from Webster University.

After starting her journalism career in southern Missouri, Brandy moved to western Illinois (the Quad-Cities) in 2007, then to Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by Baltimore, Maryland in 2022. Brandy was an award-winning newspaper reporter from 2005-2012. In 2012, her career transitioned into corporate communications management.

Brandy began her journey into social advocacy and activism shortly after moving to Illinois. Her volunteerism has included Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley, the Rock Island County NAACP, The African American Leadership Society (Quad Cities), Dress for Success, Young Professionals of the Quad Cities, the Q2030 Regional Action Plan, The QC Empowerment Network, The Chemo Care Package Project, which she created, the Palomares Social Justice Center and African American Lesbian Professionals Having a Say (ALPHAS), which she co-founded. Brandy also served on the first cohort of the Illinois Council on Women and Girls and previously served on the Equality Illinois Advisory Council.

Awards and Recognition:

  • 2020 YWCA Race Against Racism Honoree

  • 2018 "I Have a Dream" Award from the Martin Luther King Community Center in Rock Island, Ill.

  • 2018 Community Service Award from the Council on Community Services of the Quad Cities

  • 2018 Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza LGBTQ+ Pride Month Honoree

  • 2017 100 Years, 100 Honored Award from the YWCA of the Quad Cities

  • 2015 Rock Island Citizen of the Year – Professional Category

  • 2015 finalist for Young Professional of the Year by the Young Professionals of the Quad Cities (YPQC)

  • 2014 Outstanding Leadership Award from the Davenport, Iowa Jaycees

  • Graduate of the 2013 Quad Cities Leadership Academy

  • First-place, “Best News Story Series,” Northern Illinois Newspaper Association for a news series written on the refugee immigrant population in Rock Island, Ill.

  • First-place, “Investigative Reporting,” Suburban Newspapers of America, for a news investigative report entitled “Jobs Down, Payroll Up.”

  • Third-place, “General Feature Story,” Northern Illinois Newspaper Association for a feature on the start of civil union licenses being offered in Illinois.

  • Third-place, “Best In-Depth News Story,” Northern Illinois Newspaper Association for a political news report regarding Illinois’ gerrymandered 17th Congressional District entitled "Mapmaking headache."