Leelannee K. Malin

Associate Dean, Community Engagement & Strategic Partnerships, Howard University

Dr. Leelannee K. Malin is a savvy, sassy and smart communications practitioner with 20 years of experience in the communications industry. As the owner of Malin PR, a public relations consulting practice, she provides services in the Sports & Entertainment, Non Profit and Corporate Communications sectors while specializing in brokering community partnerships in the educational and sporting arenas. Her professional credits include managing projects with the NFL Players Association, IMPACT, The Miss USA franchise, Essence Music Festival Marketplace, MTV, professional athletes and government agencies.

Her professional efforts have garnered her the honor of being selected as Prince George’s County Maryland, Forty Under 40 and a DMV Power Woman in Sports & Entertainment. Armed with a B.A. in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University, an M.A. in Organizational Communications and Public Affairs from Bowie State University and a Ph.D. in Mass Communications Media Studies from Howard University, Malin is committed to cultivating the next generation of industry leaders by serving as Associate Dean of Community Engagement & Strategic Partnership in the Howard University Office of the Dean of the Chapel of the historic Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel.

During her tenure at Howard, she has served as Director of the Walter Annenberg Honors Program, lecturer and sequence coordinator for the public relations concentration, Director of the Capstone Lab and advisor for Adopt-A-Team Programs, brokering and supporting partnerships with NBC Universal and CBS. Malin’s research, writing and speaking agenda include gender stereotypes, television and film studies, social media, strategic communication, sport and the popular culture. Her work has been featured in the League of Women in Government, the National Black Public Relations Society, the University of Texas @ Austin, Georgetown University and published through Palgrave Macmillan. The intersection of her business and academic savvy extends beyond the classroom. 

Malin uses her professional practice to offer professional development support and advisement to her peers and emerging leaders in the industry in her role as President on the executive board of the DC Chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE). In this role, she has brokered sponsorships and partnerships with Under Armour, DC Divas, DC United and Caesar’s Entertainment. A NOLA girl at heart, Dr. Malin resides in Maryland continuing to love all things New Orleans, including black and gold, charbroiled oysters and café au lait.