Lauren W. Wilson
Born
Chesterfield, Missouri
NationalityAmerican
Known forColorComm

Lauren Wesley Wilson is an American entrepreneur and communicator. She is the founder and President of ColorComm.[1][2]

Early life and education

Wilson was born in Chesterfield, Missouri. She grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri.[3] Wilson is a graduate of Spelman College. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. While at Spelman, she studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. She continued her studies in Washington, D.C, where she earned a master's degree in Communications from Georgetown University.[4][5] Wilson interned at D.C. agencies, Edelman and Ketchum.[6][7]

Career

Wilson started working at the age of 16, as a hostess at Chevy's Mexican Grill in St. Louis.[8] Later, she worked at Hill & Knowlton, a P.R. firm,[9] where she started ColorComm, in 2011, after seeing no diversity in leadership.[10] Wilson went on to work at Qorvis/MSLGROUP, where she served as a Communications Strategist for several years. She left Qorvis/MSLGROUP in 2015 to lead ColorComm, Inc as CEO.[6][5][11]

She also worked on Capitol Hill, serving as the Communications Director for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and in the 2012 re-election campaign of Barack Obama at the Florida Campaign Headquarters as a Media Booker.[12][5] Wilson is also a Contributor at Forbes and has a column that covers women of color in business. She also served as a juror on the Cannes Lions Jury in 2017.[4]

ColorComm

In 2011, Wilson launched ColorComm, a national platform to advance women of color in business. She originally envisioned ColorComm as an informal group that would help each other and connect over lunches.[13] The first-ever ColorComm Luncheon brought in 34 media professionals, all women of color, to a restaurant in Washington, D.C.[14][15][16][17]

As president, Wilson oversees more than 50 partners, including The Coca-Cola Company, Toyota, AT&T, Facebook and ColorComm Media Group, the DivergeNow.com online communications industry magazine, and offices in Washington, D.C., and New York.[1] As of 2020, ColorComm has a community of more than 40,000 professionals.[18]

Awards and recognitions

Wilson has been listed in PR Week 40 Under 40, 93.9 WKYS 30 under 30, and P.R. Week as one of the 50 Most Powerful in P.R,[5] Ad Age ‘Women to Watch’, The Root 100 and more.[19] She has also featured in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Girlboss, Black Enterprise, EBONY, and more.[4][5] Wilson has also been recognized by the Washington Women in P.R.’s Emerging Leader Award.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Lauren Wesley Wilson". C2 Montréal. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  2. ↑ "How One Founder Made Advancing Women Of Color A Full-Time Job". Girlboss. December 4, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ American, Pat Matreci for the St Louis. "STL native expands ColorComm into multimillion dollar corporation". St. Louis American. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Lauren Wesley Wilson". The Female Quotient. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lauren Wesley Wilson – SheSource Expert – Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Mowatt, Robyn (July 2, 2016). "SHE'S THE CONNECT: ColorComm Founder Lauren Wesley Wilson". EBONY. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  7. ↑ Rudulph, Heather Wood (April 2, 2016). "Get That Life: How I Started a Networking Organization for Women". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  8. ↑ "ColorComm's Lauren Wesley Wilson: Your Approval of Yourself Outweighs Anyone's Opinion". Black Enterprise. May 4, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  9. ↑ "ColorComm's Young, Fabulous and Fly Creator Lauren Wesley Wilson Shares Her Goals for Black Women in Business". The Root. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  10. ↑ "A spokeswoman for change: Lauren Wesley Wilson's vision for ColorComm". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Lauren | 3 Percent Movement". www.3percentmovement.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ "ColorComm Offers Something New for Women of Color". Black Enterprise. October 2, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ Weldon, Michele (August 1, 2017). "What Color Is Your Messaging? Why It's A Must to Include Women Leaders of Color". Take The Lead. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  14. ↑ "With ColorComm, Women Of Color Experience The True Power Of Networking". Essence. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ McDuffie, Candace. "How This Millennial Is Leveling The Professional Playing Field For Women Of Color". Forbes. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  16. ↑ Moss, E. B. (March 1, 2020). "Lauren Wesley Wilson on Creating Colorcomm — and Community". MediaVillage. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Lauren Wesley Wilson". www.provokemedia.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Interview: Lauren Wesley Wilson on Building Meaningful Business Relationships". Glitter Magazine. February 1, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  19. ↑ "The Root 100 – The Most Influential African Americans In 2019". The Root. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
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