Johnson Publishing Co. announced last week that Amy DuBois Barnett will become the new editor-in-chief of Ebony magazine.
Barnett was most recently the deputy editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Prior to that, Barnett helped run Teen People and was the first African-American woman in the country to head a major mainstream consumer magazine; she was also at the helm at Honey Magazine, where she doubled the circulation.
“I am extremely pleased to bring Amy DuBois Barnett on as part of the new leadership team,†said Linda Johnson Rice, chairman & CEO of Johnson Publishing (No. 22 on the BE Industrial Service Companies list with $200 million in revenues). “She brings with her a wealth of experience, a keen journalistic eye and solid editorial judgment, which will serve well to help redefine the Ebony brand within the ever-changing marketplace.â€
Barnett will be responsible for both the print and digital side of the magazine, and will replace Harriette Cole as the acting editor-in-chief and creative director.
“It has been an incredible journey and privilege to help build the Ebony brand during my tenure as acting editor-in-chief and creative director,†said Cole. “I am excited about Ebony‘s bright future.â€
Barnett is a Brown University graduate and also has a M.F.A degree in creative writing from Columbia University. She is the author of Get Yours: How to Have Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More, an NAACP Image Award-nominated book for black women.
Also last week Johnson Publishing, which owns Ebony and Jet magazines, said it had hired former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers a consultant to work on corporate strategy. Rogers served as the White House social secretary under President Barack Obama, making her the first-ever African American in that role. However, after a few missteps, she announced her resignation February 2010 and was replaced by Julianna Smoot.