A List
2/10/03

EDITOR OF 'ESSENCE' TO GIVE TALK AT SLU

CANTON - Susan L. Taylor, the editorial director of Essence 
magazine, as well as an author and entrepreneur, will give the 
John F. O'Loughlin Leadership Series Endowment lecture at 
St. Lawrence University on Tuesday, February 18, at 8 p.m. 
in Gulick Theatre. 
	"Creative Leadership: From the Inside Out" is the title 
of Taylor's talk, which is open to the public, free of charge.
	The driving force behind one of the most celebrated, 
award-winning, black-owned magazines, Taylor is an inspiration 
to millions of people who see her as a living symbol of the positive 
aspects of the African-American community that Essence promotes. 
This personal presentation will include Taylor's advice on 
finding balance and meaning in life, and on taking control of 
your own destiny.
	Editor-in-chief of Essence from 1981 through 2000, Taylor 
writes the popular "In the Spirit" column each month. As editorial 
director, she is in charge of all editorial operations of the 
magazine, oversees the content of all divisions of the multimedia 
organization and works with the chairman to develop new businesses 
and expand Essence's global reach.
	She is a fourth-generation entrepreneur, researching and 
developing her own successful business, a line of customized 
cosmetics and natural skin-care products, in 1970, the same year 
that Essence debuted. Within weeks of its introduction, Nequai 
Cosmetics came to the attention of Essence editors and Taylor was 
recruited to help the fledgling publication shape its beauty pages. 
She was named beauty editor in 1971 and a year later, her position 
expanded to include fashion.
	In her leadership role, Taylor has guided the magazine through 
a period of phenomenal growth, making it the largest and most highly 
regarded magazine for black women in the world. She has also been 
instrumental in the launch of the first nationally syndicated 
black-oriented magazine-format television show, also called Essence. 
In addition, Taylor is executive producer of the annually televised 
"Essence Awards," on Fox Television, and serves in a similar 
capacity for the annual Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. 
She is the author of three books.
	For more information, contact the Leadership Academy and David 
Garner Center for Collegiate Volunteerism, 315-229-5652.

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