Vernessa Roberts

Vernessa Roberts is the Director of Marketing, Communications, and Events, responsible for overseeing the planning, execution, and evaluation of marketing, communications, and events activities that support ACEN’s accreditation efforts.

Vernessa is passionate about communications that connect communities. With a career spanning over two decades, she has a proven track record of establishing and leading brands that engage diverse audiences.

Previously, as the director of Marketing and Communications at the Atlanta Beltline Partnership, Vernessa directed multi-channel marketing strategies for the nonprofit organization supporting the largest environmental redevelopment project in the U.S.

Prior to this role, Vernessa served as the vice president of Communications at the Raleigh Chamber for more than 11 years, where she led an in-house team to create and execute marketing strategies for the largest nonprofit business membership organization in Wake County representing two-thirds of the private sector employment.

Vernessa is also dedicated to community service, having volunteered with the Atlanta Beltline Partnership Home Empowerment from 2021 through 2023, assisting homeowners with filing necessary applications for homestead exemptions and appealing property valuations. She served as a board member at CASA NC from 2014 to 2020, supporting the organization's mission of addressing homelessness by providing affordable, permanent housing solutions for individuals experiencing poverty and disability. Vernessa also co-founded "What We Do, You Can Too!" in 2015, an initiative introducing high school students from diverse backgrounds to the advertising, marketing, and communications industries.

Her accomplishments include the Diversity & Multicultural Initiatives Awards from the American Advertising Federation in 2015 and 2017, and multiple Awards of Communications Excellence from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Vernessa holds a degree from Appalachian State University and has partnered with notable organizations such as the Carolina Hurricanes, City of Atlanta, Google, and Wells Fargo, among others.