The MBRMs Leading the Way in 2025
Few milestones in Business Relationship Management carry the weight, dedication, and prestige of earning the Master of Business Relationship Management (MBRM) designation. It’s not just a credential—it’s the culmination of years of learning, leading, and living the BRM philosophy.
As we step into 2025, we celebrate the remarkable professionals who have achieved this pinnacle of excellence. These MBRMs stand as examples of what’s possible when curiosity meets discipline, when strategy is paired with empathy, and when value is relentlessly pursued and delivered. Their journeys inspire, their leadership transforms, and their impact ripples far beyond their organizations.
This year, we proudly spotlight the individuals who have reached the summit—recognizing not just their accomplishment, but the passion and perseverance it took to get here. We had the opportunity to sit down with three newly named MBRMs to hear their stories, lessons, and insights—and we’re excited to share them with you below.
About Dr. Shellie M. Bowman
Dr. Shellie M. Bowman, Sr. is a strategist and advisor who focuses on public sector transformation through Business Relationship Management (BRM). With more than twenty years of leadership experience in various sectors, including U.S. Naval service, federal agency advisory roles, and executive coaching, Dr. Bowman aligns IT strategy with organizational goals.
As a Master Business Relationship Manager (MBRM) and Doctor of Public Administration, he has worked with organizations to connect governance and innovation, frequently acting as a fractional CIO in settings that face digital challenges, compliance requirements, and cultural transitions. His doctoral research examined employee commitment and strategic retention in federal workplaces, providing a foundation for his leadership development work in nonprofits, government, and related fields.
Dr. Bowman is currently the Co-Chair of the BRM Institute’s Mid-Atlantic BRM Community, where he supports collaboration across BRM disciplines. While he specializes in the public sector, his community engagement includes participants from multiple industries to foster shared capacity and trust. He established eLEADt™ Coaching & Consulting and has authored works such as the forthcoming Public Value Playbook: Architecting Ethical Digital Transformation through Strategic IT Business Partnership.
Dr. Bowman’s activities are centered on helping organizations align strategy, improve governance, and deliver value to stakeholders.
Q: What does achieving your MBRM mean to you personally and professionally?
A: Earning the Master Business Relationship Manager (MBRM) designation is a significant personal and professional milestone. It demonstrates my dedication to strategic partnerships and value creation within complex, mission-driven organizations. This achievement reflects decades of leadership across military, public, and civic sectors, and further equips me to align IT investments with meaningful strategic outcomes for stakeholders, donors, and the public.
Q: How has the MBRM elevated the way you deliver value through relationships in your role?
A: The MBRM has set a clear standard of accountability, helping me build trust, align strategic goals, and connect across silos. It guides me to promote relationship-focused leadership and, in my work with public sector and nonprofit groups, enables me to turn complex problems into collaborative solutions. As a result, I’ve moved from focusing on deliverables to achieving lasting, mission-driven outcomes based on trust and strategy.
Q:In what ways do you hope to apply your MBRM knowledge to influence your organization or the BRM community?
A: I strive to exemplify Public Value BRM by treating relationship management as a leadership philosophy focused on accountability, ethics, and purpose. I use MBRM principles to align technology, ensure compliance, and drive culture change internally. I also mentor new BRMs, especially in government and nonprofits, and, as Co-Chair of the BRM Institute’s Mid-Atlantic Community, foster spaces for BRMs to connect and develop together.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing the MBRM?
A: The MBRM is more than a credential, it’s a commitment to elevating how you lead, influence, and serve. If you’re ready to move from tactical execution to strategic impact, this designation will stretch and sharpen your capabilities. But come to it ready: ready to deepen your self-awareness, challenge your assumptions, and embrace the weight of trusted leadership. My advice is to approach the MBRM journey not just as a professional milestone, but as a calling, to become the kind of BRM who shapes not just solutions, but systems, cultures, and legacies.
While each MBRM journey is unique, a common thread runs through them all—commitment to growth, a passion for building meaningful relationships, and a determination to deliver value that lasts. As we move from one story to the next, we see how different paths, industries, and challenges all lead to the same pinnacle of mastery in BRM.
About Brandon Reese
As a BRM in Purdue’s College of Agriculture, I connect people, ideas, and technology to support teaching, research, and extension. My days are a mix of listening, translating needs, coaching other BRM teams, listening to frustrations, standing in blazing hot cornfields, researching new technologies, and aligning solutions so that they deliver real value to my business partners, the faculty. No two days look the same, and that’s one of the best parts. All of those things have a singular core: relationships. Building and using reputation, momentum, trust, and the occasional well-timed joke help me keep moving the needle for my stakeholders and the university.
Q: What does achieving your MBRM mean to you personally and professionally?
A: Personally, it’s a pretty meaningful milestone. It represents years of growth, reflection, and a profound commitment to building meaningful relationships. It’s a reminder that while the work we do may be behind the scenes, listening, connecting, building trust and momentum is not only valuable, but vital. I had no background in technology, agriculture or relationships when I took this role way back in 2020, so this is also some validation for me that I am doing something right.
Professionally, it’s a designation that reflects years of listening, connecting, translating (and re-translating), and building trust across every level of the organization. The MBRM doesn’t just validate the effort; I see it as a reminder that relationships are the work. That the work is strategic, and that true impact can, and does, come from meaningful relationships. Plus, you get a new pin.
Q: How has the MBRM elevated the way you deliver value through relationships in your role?
Q: In what ways do you hope to apply your MBRM knowledge to influence your organization or the BRM community?
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing the MBRM?
“If you’re considering the MBRM, I would encourage you to go for it, but go with intention. It’s not just about checking a box; it’s about deepening your understanding of how relationships create the sustain value.”
– James Box, MBRM
Director of Commerce IT, Information Technology
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
About James Box
James Box is the Director of Commerce IT for Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, where he leads strategic initiatives that align business priorities with technology solutions across a diverse enterprise portfolio, including hospitality, gaming, and retail. With over a decade of experience in Business Relationship Management, James has played a key role in maturing BRM capabilities within the organization and mentoring the next generation of BRM professionals. His leadership style emphasizes collaboration, shared ownership, and long-term value delivery through strong business partnerships.
Q: What does achieving your MBRM mean to you personally and professionally?
A: Achieving the MBRM is deeply meaningful to me on both a personal and professional level. Personally, it represents the culmination of years of dedication to relationship-centered leadership and continuous growth in the BRM discipline. Professionally, it reinforces the impact that strategic relationship management has across organizations, and it validates the work I’ve done to elevate the role of BRM within a large and complex environment. The MBRM is more than a credential, it’s a commitment to driving real value through purposeful connections and shared ownership.
Q: How has the MBRM elevated the way you deliver value through relationships in your role?
Q: In what ways do you hope to apply your MBRM knowledge to influence your organization or the BRM community?
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing the MBRM?
Earning the MBRM is stepping into a space where your expertise, leadership, and ability to create lasting value are recognized at the highest level. The stories shared here show that the journey is demanding, but also deeply rewarding, shaping not just careers, but the very way we lead and connect.
If you’ve ever wondered whether to take that next step, let these MBRMs be your proof that it’s worth it. The view from the top is unforgettable.
Learn more about the MBRM and how you can pursue this achievement.