October 7, 2014
Susan L. Taylor to be Honored at Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit
Award-winning journalist and author Susan L. Taylor has a legacy that reads class, grace, power, and leadership.
As the former editor-in-chief of Essence from 1981 through 2000, Taylor was responsible for calling the shots at a publication which many consider to be the bible for black women.
Starting her career at Essence in 1970, the year the magazine was founded, Taylor worked her way up to the leading role of editor-in-chief while also earning her Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University.
In 2000, Taylor was promoted from editor-in-chief to publications director, and in 2008 she left Essence to dedicate more time to her philanthropic calling.
Taylor founded Essence CARES in 2006, now one of the largest mentoring organizations in the nation known as the National CARES Mentoring Movement. Using the 2005 devastation of Hurricane Katrina as her vision and reason for starting the program, Taylor called on her celebrity friends and prominent community leaders for support in answering the youth’s cry for mentoring and commitment. She refers to her involvement with the program as a “way of giving back to [a] community that has given [her] so much,” making her a philanthropic leader in the black community.
Still known to many as the face of Essence, Taylor has accumulated several awards for her influence in media, including a 1998 Magazine Publishers of America Henry Johnson Fisher Award, which made her the first African American woman to receive this honor; a 2002 induction into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame; and a 2006 NAACP President’s award, just to name a few.
With Taylor’s commitment to making a difference in our community and her prominent role in affirming the beauty and presence of black women, it is an honor to have Susan L. Taylor as a Legacy Award recipient at the 2015 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit.
Celebrating 10 Years of POWER! Join Black Enterprise at the Women of Power Summit hosted by State Farm, March 2 – March 5, 2015, at Fort Lauderdale Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This exciting executive leadership summit is designed to train, equip, and encourage women to become industry leaders, learn career strategies, and discover proven work—life balance techniques. Register now for an Early Bird Discount https://blackenterprise.com/wps. It’s time to Embrace your POWER. The Moment is Now!