Johnson Publishing President and COO Ward Resigns
June produced significant personnel changes for Johnson Publishing Co., publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. The first major announcement was the hiring of Amy DuBois Barnett in the role of editor-in-chief. And in a surprising move Chicago socialite and philanthropist Desiree Rogers was hired as a consultant for the company.
The former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers has signed on to work on the corporate strategy while president and COO, Anne Sempowski Ward was away on maternity leave.
Today, Johnson Publishing announced that Ward had resigned and would be joining her husband in his consulting practice.
Mediabistro.com reports,
Category: Digital Media, Featured | Tags: Amy DuBois Barnett, Anne Sempowski Ward, Desiree Rogers, Johnson Publishing Co.Ward was made president and COO of Johnson Publishing in October 2008, after a year with Johnson subsidiary Fashion Fair Cosmetics. She is the first person outside the Johnson family to serve as president and COO of both the publishing and cosmetics divisions of the company.
“Anne has been a significant asset to our company and led key, corporate-wide initiatives for EBONY, JET and Fashion Fair,” said Johnson Publishing chairman and CEO Linda Johnson Rice. “During Anne’s tenure, we underwent significant restructuring and reorganization of the company,” Johnson Rice added. “Her contributions have helped to position the company for the future.”
About the Author Managing Editor. Blogger. Consultant. Nerd who likes it behind the scenes.
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In order to survive, I hope that Johnson Publishing has beginning new media strategies for their publications. I would hate to see them go completely out of business, but their outdated tactics aren't being embraced by a younger audience.