Vicky Free Sistrunk is a proven expert in brand-first marketing, and communications focused on driving long-term value and impact. For more than 25 years, Vicky has helmed teams responsible for developing purposeful, innovative, and results-driven marketing strategies for blue-chip global brands, including McDonald’s, Time Warner Media, VIACOM/BET Networks, The Walt Disney Company, Adidas, and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Currently, she is the senior vice president of marketing and communications for a place-based national non-profit organization, Purpose Built Communities^®. In this role, Vicky leads all marketing and communications to advance the organization’s mission to transform poverty-dense neighborhoods nationwide into launching pads for opportunity-rich, choice-filled experiences for all residents. This work is rooted in resident voice and power and leverages an evidence-based, holistic neighborhood transformation model to drive sustained, positive impact.

A South Carolina native, Vicky holds an executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Carolina. She has extended her leadership and business acumen through Harvard, UCLA, and Stanford certifications.

Vicky also owns a marketing advisory consulting firm, Free Your Mind Strategies, LLC, offering thought leadership to businesses seeking to elevate and extend their brand impact.

Throughout her career, Vicky has served as a mentor, sponsor, and coach to many young professionals to help nurture their careers to their full potential. She and her husband, Christopher Sistrunk, Ph.D., are the proud parents of a precocious fur-baby, Symba, and reside in Irmo, South Carolina.