Cheryl Mayberry McKissack

Johnson Publishing Company, LLC (JPC) announced recently that it has named Cheryl Mayberry McKissack as Chief Operating Officer, a newly created position at the company. In her role, McKissack will be responsible for media sales, marketing, production, operations, and research; she will also assume the role of president of the company’s digital business unit which houses properties including the EBONY Collection, EBONY.com and JET.com. She joins JPC after serving as a digital strategy consultant for the company for the past 18 months. “We are so pleased that Cheryl has joined Johnson Publishing as COO,” said Desiree Rogers, CEO, Johnson Publishing Company, LLC. “She has a proven track record in transforming companies through strategic innovation and in using technology to help create growth opportunities. Cheryl’s expertise in digital, sales, marketing, and operations will make her a valuable addition to JPC.”

  Mayberry McKissack is the Found- er, President, and CEO of Nia Enterprises, LLC, a Chicago-based online research, marketing, and digital consulting firm she has operated for the past 12 years. Prior, she served as the Worldwide Senior Vice President and General Manager for Open Port Technology and was Vice President for the Americas and a founding member of the Network Systems Division for 3Com (formerly U.S. Robotics). Mayberry McKissack started her technology career with the IBM Corporation where she enjoyed a 14-year career in sales, marketing, and management positions.

  McKissack received her B.S. from Seattle University and her MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she has also served as an adjunct professor since 2005.

  She currently serves on several non-profit and corporate boards including the Deluxe Corporation, Private Bancorp, the University of Chicago Hospital, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Chicago Library Foundation, and the Shedd Aquarium, as well as a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.