Desiree Rogers is a leader, communicator, strategist and connector.
Rogers has redefined every leadership position she has held while playing a major philanthropic role in her communities. Consistently acknowledged as an innovative leader with a proven track record, her expertise includes building stellar teams, delivering positive financial results and repositioning iconic brands.
She is currently the co-owner and CEO of Black Opal LLC which owns Fashion Fair and Black Opal Beauty which markets cosmetics and skin care to multicultural audiences. The brands are distributed widely in the United States including Sephora and ULTA. These brands are more than makeup companies, they are part of history with Fashion Fair redefining what it means to celebrate Black beauty. Their combined experience in the beauty space spans 80 years.
Her career milestones include positioning Chicago as a tourist destination as well as convention mecca through a world-wide digital campaign. In 2018, Chicago was named the number one “Big City Destination” by Conde Nast Traveler. As the CEO of Johnson Publishing, she spearheaded the digital transformation of Ebony (2M unique visitors) and Jet magazines setting the stage for the sale of the assets in 2016. As the first Social Secretary for the Obama Presidency, Desiree’s grasp of experiential marketing and brand positioning ensured Americans were able to visualize the values they voted for—inclusion, transparency, and diversity. Her team oversaw 350 White House events and created a template for entertaining for this administration.
Prior to these positions, Rogers professional roles include serving as President of Peoples Energy now Integrys, the 2B dollar natural gas utility in Chicago as well as leading executive teams at Allstate and the Illinois Lottery where she doubled instant ticket sales to 600M in 3 years.
Desiree graduated from Wellesley College and Harvard Business School. She currently serves in two corporate boards— Stagwell and Inspired Entertainment and the non-for-profit board of the American Cancer Society.
