Mikki Taylor

Servant Leader

 

Author, Empowerment Speaker, Media Personality

 

Mikki Taylor was baptized into Christ in 1984 at the Newark Church of Christ, under the

direction of the late Dr. Eugene Lawton. Highlights of her current work in the Lord's

Vineyard include the following:

• A featured speaker at "Ladies Day" programs and conferences across the country, advising sisters on "mastering their purpose with distinction" through every aspect of their lives -- from inner and outer beauty and physical and spiritual wellness to interpersonal relationships, empowered living, and success in the workplace.

• Ladies Bible Class Teacher at the Newark Church. Taylor teaches a monthly class entitled “A Woman of Substance: Real Life, Real Talk, His Word” that offers success strategies, creates measurable spiritual strengths, and builds conquerors in modern-day times.

• Chairperson of The Ladies Planning Committee - a ministry that’s designed to edify, inspire, and strengthen the sisters of the Newark congregation, create connection, opportunities to serve, and save souls through impactful programing throughout the year.

• Co-Chair of The New Member Connect Ministry - a ministry dedicated to retaining, educating, and adapting new members of the Newark Church of Christ.

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Taylor is an advocate for inner and outer beauty for women of color. An effective communicator, she empowers multigenerational women from the main stages of the world, sharing insights and solutions about that which can impact their divine purpose and ultimately compromise their leadership.

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She came of age in Newark, New Jersey watching Black women as standard bearers in the community go largely unrecognized for their contributions to the nation, and be invisible to the beauty industry, and decided that this would no longer be true on her watch. She turned her passion into purpose and became ESSENCE Magazine’s groundbreaking Beauty & Cover Director where for over 30 years, she casted and produced over 500 covers as well as its signature beauty pages to affirm and inspire the culture’s definition of beauty. Her work gave birth to product lines, industry studies, the realization of diversity and inclusion in advertising and retail initiatives. In 2010 Taylor. became Editor-at-Large for the publication contributing to various reader-driven platforms and stories about the magazine’s history.

 

As a Media Personality Taylor’s keen insights concerning Black women is what makes her an industry MVP. She has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC Today, The View, and such networks as OWN and BET. She’s currently featured in such groundbreaking docu-  series as Netflix’s Black Beauty Effect, HBO Max’ Time of ESSENCE (which chronicles ESSENCE Magazine’s rise to prominence), and A & E Network’s James Brown: Say it Loud, executive produced by Mick Jagger and Questlove.

 

Taylor has authored such critically acclaimed books as Commander in Chic, and Editor-in-Chic (Simon and Schuster) and her latest, Force of Beauty: A Newark Family Memoir, an Audible Original, co-authored with filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper. Taylor is also the President of Satin Doll Productions, Inc., a strategic branding, consulting, and communications company she founded that empowers individuals to identify their purpose, grow opportunities and understand what’s key to Brand engagement and companies to move from brand awareness to brand engagement among Black women.