Karen Boykin-Towns
Vice Chair, NAACP National Board of Directors

Karen Boykin-Towns is a distinguished strategist, accomplished executive, and committed advocate for equity and social justice. With over two decades of leadership across the corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors, she brings to her work a breadth of expertise in public affairs, policy, communications, and organizational transformation.
Ms. Boykin-Towns retired from Pfizer Inc. in 2019 after a 22-year tenure with the Fortune 50 global biopharmaceutical company, where she held senior leadership roles in government relations, policy, and human resources. In her final position as Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Pfizer's $34 billion Innovative Medicines business, she supported then-Global President Albert Bourla — now Chairman and CEO — in advancing the company's mission to deliver breakthrough therapies to patients worldwide.
She currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Encore Strategies LLC, a strategic public affairs consulting firm advising corporations, nonprofit organizations, and individual leaders. In addition, she is a Senior Advisor at FGS Global a preeminent global communications and public affairs consultancy.
Ms. Boykin-Towns is an Independent Director on the board of iFIT Health & Fitness Inc., a global leader in connected fitness, where she has played a pivotal role in guiding the company through executive transitions, corporate restructuring, and strategic realignment. She served on the American Airlines Community Council, advising the executive leadership team on diversity, customer experience, and inclusive marketing strategies.
In the nonprofit sphere, Ms. Boykin-Towns serves as Vice Chair of the National Board of Directors of the NAACP, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. She has been instrumental in driving strategic modernization, diversifying revenue streams, enhancing digital engagement, and advancing mission-driven impact. She also serves on the board of the VNS Health one of the nation's largest not-for-profit home and community-based health care organizations.
Ms. Boykin-Towns' leadership and influence have been widely recognized. She has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS, PBS, Variety, Black Enterprise, PR Week, Essence Magazine, WWD, Crain's, Black Entertainment Television, Network Journal, The On Boards Podcast, and The Cut. Savoy Magazine named her a "Top Influential Woman in Corporate America" in 2016. In 2020, she was honored as "Woman of the Year" by Seeds of Fortune and recognized by City & State as one of New York's Power Players in Politics and Government. In 2021, she was selected for Lafayette 148's Unordinary Women Campaign. In 2023, she received City & State's Above and Beyond Women award and was featured in Ebony Magazine as one of five Black female activists and trailblazers making significant strides toward equality for Black Americans and other marginalized communities.
Ms. Boykin-Towns holds a Master of Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, City University of New York, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from the University of Mount Saint Vincent.
She is married to Darryl C. Towns, former member of the New York State Assembly and currently Chairman of the New York State Parole Board. They reside in Brooklyn, NY and together are the proud parents of two daughters, Jasmine and Trinity, both engineers and graduates of North Carolina A&T State University.
In the Media

NAACP, LDF Declares Victory in Successfully Advocating for the County Commission in Fayette County, Tennessee to Draw a New, Fairer Electoral Map
Today, after succeeding in convincing county lawmakers to pass a new map that provides fair representation to Black voters, NAACP and the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) declared victory and voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit challenging the illegal and unconstitutional 2021 map of the Fayette County, Tennessee Board of County Commissioners. LDF represented NAACP Fayette-Somerville Branch, Christine Woods, Thomas Gilmore, Velisa Fitzpatrick, Willie Luellen, and Marandy Wilkerson in the now-dismissed case.

NAACP Calls Out Trump’s Distraction Tactics
In response to the Trump administration's recent escalation of military conflict with Iran, mass raids and arrests of immigrants, and the roll-out of an exorbitant military parade—all while attempting to push through a deeply harmful domestic policy bill—NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson issued the following statement:

NAACP Announces President Trump will not be invited to 116th National Convention
NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson announced that for the first time in 116 years, the sitting president of the United States will not be invited to the NAACP National Convention, coming up July 12-16 in Charlotte.