# Christine Barney

> Christine Barney is the CEO and managing partner of Miami-based rbb Communications, an independent integrated communications agency she helped re-establish in 2001 with seven employees and an intentionally big-company operating mindset. Her career spans Burson-Marsteller, agency ownership, brand and crisis counsel, and civic leadership; she currently chairs the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and is a member of the inaugural 2026 Miami Titan 100 class.

- **Role:** CEO and Managing Partner at rbb Communications; Chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council
- **Organizations:** rbb Communications, Miami-Dade Beacon Council, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, South Florida Business Council, Public Relations Society of America, Orange Bowl Committee, International Women’s Forum, Leadership Florida, Page Society, Forbes Agency Council
- **From:** Yonkers, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science, Ithaca College
- **Known for:** Built rbb Communications into a six-time national Agency of the Year., Received the 2016 Bill Adams Lifetime Achievement Award from PRSA Miami., Named an Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal in 2022.

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Earned a Bachelor of Science from Ithaca College.
- **1986–1989** — Worked at Burson-Marsteller in New York after beginning her career in radio and television in upstate New York.
- **1989** — Moved to Miami and joined Bruce Rubin Associates, the agency that later became rbb Communications.
- **1993** — Became a partner and president of Rubin Barney & Birger, formerly Bruce Rubin Associates.
- **2001** — Helped buy the agency back from Weber Shandwick and establish rbb as an independent, seven-person firm.
- **2005** — The independent agency was named Boutique PR Agency of the Year by PRWeek, four years after the buyback.
- **2015–2016** — Served as chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
- **2016** — Received PRSA Miami’s Bill Adams Lifetime Achievement Award.
- **2022** — Named an Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal.
- **2023** — rbb and Florida Power & Light won PRSA’s Best of Silver Anvil for Hurricane Ian response communications.
- **2025–2026** — Appointed chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council for the first two-year term under its new leadership structure.
- **2026** — Selected for the inaugural Miami Titan 100 class.

## Achievements

- Built rbb Communications into a six-time national Agency of the Year.
- Received the 2016 Bill Adams Lifetime Achievement Award from PRSA Miami.
- Named an Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal in 2022.
- Recognized repeatedly in Florida Trend’s Florida 500.
- Served as chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the South Florida Business Council.
- Appointed chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council for 2025–2026.
- Selected for the inaugural 2026 Miami Titan 100 class.
- Authored The Breakout Brand Strategy: An Evolutionary Approach to Creating Customer Passion.
- Led an agency whose work with Florida Power & Light received PRSA’s 2023 Best of Silver Anvil.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Appointed chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council’s 2025–2026 board, the first two-year chair term under its new leadership structure.
- **2026-03** — rbb promoted four longtime partners to senior vice president as part of an internal leadership pipeline Barney described as central to the agency’s long-term vision.
- **2026-07** — As Beacon Council chair, commented on the 2026 Beacon Awards and the role of stewardship in strengthening Miami’s business community.
- **2026-09** — Named to the inaugural 2026 Miami Titan 100 class of South Florida executives.

## Links

- Website: https://rbbcommunications.com/christine-barney/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmbarney

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/christine-barney
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-22