Susan L. Taylor
Essence Magazine

Susan L. Taylor is editorial director of ESSENCE magazine. Taylor has been the driving force behind one of the most celebrated African American owned business success stories of the past three decades. She oversees the editorial operations of the magazine and writes the popular In the Spirit column each month.

A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Taylor was the founder of her own company, Nequai Cosmetics, before becoming ESSENCE’s fashion and beauty editor and, in 1981, its editor-in-chief. She is the author of three books: In the Spirit: The Inspirational Writings of Susan L. Taylor, Lessons in Living and Confirmation: The Spiritual Wisdom That Has Shaped Our Lives, the latter co-authored with her husband, Khephra Burns. She is also a greatly sought-after speaker, delivering inspiring messages of hope and possibility. In 1999 Taylor became the first African-American woman to receive The Henry Johnson Fisher Award from the Magazine Publishers of America, the magazine industry’s highest honor. In 2002, Taylor was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ (ASME) Hall of Fame, which celebrates the career-long records of excellence, creativity and impact of a select group of highly influential magazine journalists. Taylor is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the American Society of Magazine Editors. She is also an avid supporter of a host of organizations dedicated to moving the Black community forward, serving as a member of the Commission on Research in Black Education, among others. She is personally committed to serving and empowering the poor and to working with disadvantaged.

Taylor has received honorary degrees from numerous colleges and universities, including Lincoln University, Spelman College, Dillard University, Bennett College for Women, the University of Delaware and her alma mater, Fordham University.

Taylor is currently co-chair of a capital campaign with Danny Glover to raise money to build housing in the rural areas of South Africa. She serves on the board of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. In addition, she serves on the Louisiana Recovery Authority at the request of Governor Kathleen Blanco to aid in the state’s post-Katrina rebuilding.