SUSAN TAYLOR

FOUNDER & CEO NATIONAL CARES  MENTORING MOVEMENT
FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS

As the editor-in-chief of Essence, Taylor set the magazine’s editorial direction for celebrating the beauty and potential of African American women, growing its readership to 8 million during her 37-year tenure. Her motivational “In the Spirit” column was pioneering in its focus on black women’s emotional health and wellness. In fact, she is the first and only African American woman to have been awarded the Magazine Publisher Association’s highest honor, the Henry Johnson Fisher Award. As SVP and a shareholder of Essence Communications, she was critical in the expansion of the brand into book publishing, broadcasting, licensing, and its highly successful annual music festival. Since her departure in 2008, she continues to engage in nurturing young talent through the National CARES Mentoring Movement, one of the largest such organizations in the country.

BACK TO 50 MOST IMPACTFUL WOMEN LISTING