Vanessa De Luca

Vanessa K. De Luca is editor in chief of ESSENCE magazine. In this role, she serves as the brand’s editorial leader and oversees magazine and website content and vision.

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, she 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 ESSENCE, she served in a variety of editorial capacities at 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; and HuffPost Live.

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 being featured on FOLIO's 2015 Top Women In Media, Fortune’s 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter, The Grio 100 honorees for 2014, a distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, a “W” award from the YWCA of New York for visionary leadership and an American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Award nomination for General Excellence in the Service and Lifestyle category.