Lauren W. Wilson

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

Lauren W. Wilson
Born
Chesterfield, Missouri
NationalityAmerican
Known forColorComm

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. "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. "Lauren Wesley Wilson". The Female Quotient. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  5. "Lauren Wesley Wilson – SheSource Expert – Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  6. 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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