Sonji Jacobs Professional Biography

Sonji Jacobs has three decades of communications and marketing experience that has taken her from the newsroom into the executive halls of city government and given her an insider’s view of a multi-billion dollar corporate C-suite. She is now co-owner and managing partner of INCISIVE, a purpose-driven communications, marketing, brand and public affairs agency that serves a wide roster of business, government and non-profit clients.

Prior to INCISIVE, she served as Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Cox Enterprises, rising through the company’s ranks for a decade to lead a 30+ member team of professionals charged with executive and employee communications, digital and social media platforms, content development, public relations, and external affairs.

Before joining Cox, she was the top communications official for the City of Atlanta from 2010-2013 and is credited for raising the city’s profile and deftly crafting effective communication strategies around challenging issues, especially those involving public safety. As Vice President, Crisis, Issues Management and Public Affairs at Edelman, she helped private companies and nonprofits navigate reputational risks, legal challenges, accidents, and employee labor issues. Earlier in her career, she was a reporter for The Miami Herald and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She cut her teeth in marketing and advertising at the Leo Burnett Company in Chicago, working on accounts such as Reebok and Walt Disney World.

Sonji is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2016, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s RLI Class of 2012 and was named to both the Atlanta Business Chronicle and Georgia Trend 40 Under 40 lists. Her teams have received numerous awards and accolades from organizations such as the International Association of Business Communicators and the Public Relations Society of America. 

She is the immediate past chair of the North Carolina Outward Bound School board of directors and is a vice chair of the Zoo Atlanta board of directors. She serves as a member of the Hope Atlanta Advisory Council. She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

A native New Yorker, Sonji earned her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in History and Literature from Harvard University and a Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University. In May 2023, she earned an executive MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University, where she was elected Class Commencement Orator and won the Marketing Faculty Honor Award. Sonji is the proud mom of Sonali, Wellesley College Class of 2026, and enjoys traveling, hiking, playing golf and reading.