Nakisha Burns graduated from Lamar with a B.S. in Political Science in 2002 and a Master of Public Administration in 2004, she was the first in her family to attend college by obtaining merit scholarships and working full-time through school. While at Lamar, she served as a Lamar University Ambassador and vice president of the Student Government Association. She is currently completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration and Supervision from Texas A&M University.

She is a strategic thought leader with over a decade of experience in crisis communications, media relations, stakeholder engagement, issues management, relationship building and education advocacy. Nakisha is known for making immediate human connections by uniting fractionalized groups, instilling a shared sense of purpose, winning support for various causes and bridging gaps across diverse social, cultural, political and economic lines. She is adept in implementing innovative solutions and strategies to proactively address stakeholder issues and concerns.

A native of Houston, Texas, Nakisha spent 17 years in public education serving under 15 superintendents in various positions ranging from special assistant to the superintendent, public information officer, director of communications and director of community relations.

In April 2019, Nakisha made the decision to transition from the public to private sector by accepting a role with ExxonMobil as the Beaumont area public and government affairs manager. Nakisha mentors and empowers her team to implement strategic communication principles and solutions to engage both internal and external stakeholders. With years of progressive experience in leadership, crisis communications, program management, government and stakeholder relations, she focuses on achieving outcomes beneficial to the organizations’ goals and core values.

She is no stranger to community involvement.  Nakisha currently serves as a board member for several non-profit organizations including Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, Lamar Institute of Technology Foundation, Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and the Beaumont Convention & Tourism Advisory Board.  In addition to her board service, Nakisha is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Rotary Club of Beaumont.

In her free time, she enjoys CrossFit, traveling, creating vegetarian dishes and spending time with her husband Horace and their son, Brock.