Emily Wilson, Digital Content Specialist in Macon-Bibb County’s Office of Communications, has been named to PR Daily’s Top Women in Marketing Class of 2026 as a Marketer to Watch, making her one of the top marketers in the country.
“Receiving this recognition is both humbling and exciting. Every campaign, video, and post represents a team effort and a commitment to serving our community with creativity, transparency, and purpose,” says Emily. “I’m thankful to work alongside leaders who encourage innovation, and I hope this recognition helps shine a light on the impact modern government communications can have.”
In her role, Emily creates and leads engaging online campaigns for the consolidated government’s website and primary social media channels. Additionally, she is an administrator providing oversight and guidance for more than 50 other pages. When severe weather or other crises threaten our community, she becomes the lead administrator on the social media pages for our Emergency Management Agency, helping keep hundreds of thousands of people engaged with weather updates, safety information, and more, as well as gathering damage information from online posts that can be relayed to response crews.
“Emily, in just a little more than a year with us has already made a huge impact on our communication efforts. Through strategic placement, better storytelling, more creativity, and knowledge of trends, she has more than doubled our reach on social media and significantly improved engagement and better defined our voice,” says Chris Floore, Chief Communications Officer. “And it’s not just what, how, and when she posts…it’s that she uses social media for measurable results that truly help our city and community.”
“With Emily at the helm, we have been able to create an engaging and authentic voice that matches our dedication to our community, implement a strategy that is reaching more and more of the people we serve, and create content that resonates with people, helping them remember and understand our work and its impact,” says Mayor Lester Miller.
Under her leadership, Macon-Bibb’s Facebook following has increased from approximately 18,000 to 42,000, Instagram from approximately 3,500 to 7,500, and LinkedIn from about 2,000 to 2,600. Specific project cited in her recognition include her social media campaign to support the 2026 Firefighter Calendar and delivering created and earned content to support the Brookdale Resource Center Five-Year Anniversary Campaign.
To market the calendar, Emily helped take people behind the scenes with short, creative reels that got the firefighters (and the Fire Chief!) to step outside of their comfort zone. The 15 videos had 3,388,102 views with 211,574 interactions. Additionally, because of the reach, she helped convince them to do online sales, and calendars were shipped as far away as the United Kingdom. Her work was included in state media coverage of the calendar. The calendars sold out, and more than $20,000 was raise.
“Emily – with her digital skills, her eye for what is marketable, and her ability to get us to have fun – was instrumental in the success of this year’s calendar,” says Fire Chief Shane Edwards. “She truly became one of our family throughout this process, earning the trust of our firefighters and taking up our cause as her own.”
In January 2026, Macon-Bibb celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Brookdale Resource Center and the 5,000 people experiencing homelessness it has helped. Emily’s role was to deliver a wide variety of content – including videos, media coverage, written stories, graphics, and more – to encourage donations and volunteerism. The 15 videos and reels were viewed nearly 75,000 times. In the six-week campaign, Brookdale had 25 Amazon deliveries totaling an estimated $8,000, which is significant increase over the typical 1-3 deliveries per month. Also, during that time, 229 volunteers donated 495 hours of service equaling a value of more than $16,000.
In its press release announcing the winners, PR Daily wrote, “This year’s honorees represent organizations and agencies across industries, bringing fresh ideas to brand strategy, content, digital experiences, audience engagement, analytics and more. Through ambitious campaigns and inventive approaches, they are strengthening connections, delivering meaningful results and helping their organizations navigate a rapidly changing marketing landscape.”
“Beyond their professional accomplishments, these women are building stronger teams, mentoring emerging talent and creating new opportunities for others. Their leadership is influencing not only how organizations market their brands but also how the industry continues to evolve.”