Vanessa De Luca
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Vanessa K. De Luca is Editor-in-Chief of ESSENCE magazine, the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women. As the brand’s editorial leader, she oversees the content and vision of the core magazine as well as ESSENCE.com, the daily online destination for African-American women. Her influence extends across ESSENCE’s various brand extensions—including top-tier events such as the internationally renowned ESSENCE Festival (held annually during Fourth of July weekend), the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon and ESSENCE Black Women in Music. De Luca was named to the post in July 2013.
De Luca first joined ESSENCE more than a decade ago as Beauty and Fashion Features Editor, where she directed all style and beauty sections. In 2003, she was named Lifestyle Director, responsible for coverage including food, home, parenting and technology. Additionally, De Luca was a member of the editorial features team, writing and editing numerous impactful stories on subjects ranging from teen dating violence to childhood obesity. In 2005, she was named Executive Editor, managing the editorial team to implement the brand’s creative vision, as well as overseeing staffing, systems, operations and the magazine’s operating budget.
Prior to joining ESSENCE, she served in a variety of editorial capacities at publications such as Life and Glamour. An award-winning journalist and coauthor of the bestselling beauty and empowerment book, Tyra Banks Beauty Inside & Out, De Luca has been a featured guest on several national television networks, including NBC’s TODAY Show; MSNBC’s Morning Joe and Melissa Harris Perry; CNN; HLN; HuffPost Live and more.
De Luca received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in English and American Literature from Harvard University, and her Master of Science in Magazine Concentration from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She sits on the board of ColorComm, a networking organization for women of color in communications. Her recent honors include recognition among The Grio 100 honorees for 2014, a distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and an American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Award nomination for General Excellence in the Service and Lifestyle category. She also made Fortune Magazine’s 2014 List of the 55 Most Powerful Women on Twitter.
De Luca has also successfully fostered strong ties with key civic and political leaders. She was personally invited to the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama to moderate a panel of intergenerational women who have played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement—both past and present—during their honoring Black History Month event entitled, Celebrating Women of the Movement.
De Luca resides with her family in North Plainfield, New Jersey.