Brianna Gianti, vice president of membership at the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) has been recognized with the 2025 Association Trailblazer award. The award is part of the Salute to Association Excellence from Association TRENDS and CEO Update, which honors the achievements within the association community, spotlighting those individuals who have made significant contributions across five key categories.
The Association Trailblazers Award celebrates senior association professionals who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to leadership, innovation, excellence, and organizational growth within their respective associations.
According to Gianti this award is likely the biggest honor that she’s received in her career.
“In the association space there are many awards that honor CEOs, CFOs, lobbyists, etc. but this award is unique for recognizing the unsung heroes that power the membership and lifeblood of most associations,” Gianti said. “The fact that this is also a brand-new award makes it even more special.”
At ReMA, Gianti has been instrumental in transforming the membership program and revenue since she came onboard in late 2019. During her tenure at the association, Gianti has increased membership by 39%, departmental revenue by 62%, and new membership by over 200%. In addition, her membership program averages a renewal rate between 87-90% annually including through the pandemic.
“Throughout my career, I’ve considered myself an entrepreneurial leader and out of the box thinker. To be honest that’s not always the right fit for some associations. The internal and external leadership of ReMA has always trusted in me to take my ideas and make them into realities,” Gianti said.
These idea-turned-realities range from simple changes like moving ReMA’s application online and making the turnaround time from application to member shorter to bigger accomplishments like “entry level” or “brands leadership council” membership and allowing the membership team to travel around the country meeting and learning from members in their local communities in a new program called “ReMA on the Road.”
“For ‘ReMA on the Road’ my team often travels to locations outside of major cities and off the beaten path to meet many of the faces of our industry that may not come to our events but are so important to the recycled materials industry,” Gianti said. “This program not only increases our engagement and relationships with our members, but also gives staff first-hand experience about our members’ important work and contributions to the industry.”
Prior to ReMA, Gianti led membership programs at several leading associations including National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Solar Energy Association (SEIA), National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA), Sourcing Interest Group (SIG), National Association of EHS Management (NAEM), and many more. She holds a B.A. in Communications-Public Relations from Susquehanna University.
When thinking about what she’d like to accomplish for the association in the coming years Gianti is interested in enhancing the technology ReMA uses to make the member experience stronger and to help membership and ReMA continue to grow.
“I want to thank ReMA membership and leadership for always believing in me and supporting me, even through difficult times like a global pandemic,” Gianti said. “A successful membership program at any association needs more than just one leader. I could not have accomplished even a portion of what I’ve done without my incredible team, supporting and inspiring leadership, our devoted and amazing members, and all the ReMA staff for always putting our members first and working together to build and accomplish the incredible things we’ve done so far. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
The award will be presented to Gianti on March 13, 2025, at the Salute to Association Excellence event in Washington, D.C.
