Hodges-Dunivan received her bachelor’s degree from Hunter College – The City University of New York. Caroline Wanga, Chief Executive Officer, ESSENCE (& Chief Growth Officer, Essence Ventures) – Wanga, who has served as Interim CEO of ESSENCE for seven months, has been officially appointed as Chief Executive Officer. - Investment in Continuing to Serve Black Women Deeply, Bridge Black Culture Globally via Appointment of New Leadership Roles –NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, today announced updates to its executive leadership team. She previously served on the Intersectionality, Culture, and Diversity Advisory Board for Twitter and as co-chair of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. It is what we do, and for the past 50 years, the evolution of Black women’s history — and thus, the evolution of the Black woman – has been captured and curated in one place and one place only – ESSENCE. See the full leadership team at Craft. Black women are speaking. While there, she also produced the first-ever live game show in a mobile app. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and received her double-major bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and her Master’s Degree from New York University. In a press release posted to the company’s corporate website, ESSENCE has announced that Wanga (Chief Executive Officer), Latraviette D. Smith-Wilson (Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer), Avani Patel (Chief Operating Officer), Cori Murray (Deputy Editor), and Stephanie Hodges-Dunivan (Vice President, Experiential, Branded Content & Video) will lead the rebranding efforts. Wanga said, “Since the beginning of time, Black women have been changing lives, changing communities, and changing the world – and most often have not been recognized for it. ERIN ZOLNA is a member of the firm’s Leadership and Succession team. View Profile. Latraviette D. Smith-Wilson, Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer – Smith-Wilson, who also serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Essence Ventures (parent company of ESSENCE), has joined ESSENCE as Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer. Patel previously led technology at Sundial Brands/Unilever, as well as professional services at Verizon / Totality Corp. She has PMP and Six Sigma Black Belt certifications and received her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University. The same year, Essence is one of only 4 agencies in the world given access to the Facebook ads API in a global alpha test and is awarded Media Agency of the Year in the NMA Awards. Corey White was an amazing guest speaker on my call about the marketing plan and how to structure your day. Ojuolape Stephen. Meet Our Executive Team. Among other accolades, Wanga has been named Top Executive in Corporate Diversity by Black Enterprise and recognized at Savoy Most Powerful Women in Corporate America, as well as is a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the Talladega College Board of Trustees and the American Airlines Community Council. SONG OF THE WEEK - GROOVE IS THERAPY - AL-E, Golden Brooks Media Roundtable Hosted by Southern Laced, Sevyn Streeter Media Roundtable Hosted by Southern Laced, GET LACED LETS TALK! She has previously worked at Inside Edition and BET, where she was Senior Producer at 106 & Park and produced Red Carpet Specials for the BET Awards and Soul Train Awards. With nearly 20 years’ experience in television and digital production, she joined ESSENCE in 2017 to lead video production for ESSENCE Festival and events and took over ESSENCE Video in 2018, leading the team to develop programming that has since catapulted video performance to record-breaking levels in the company’s 50-year history, including a 145% increase in video views in 2020. The Essence of Leadership approach aims at physiological commitment in accordance with values, vision in action.