Carole Black Speaking Fee: $30,000 to $50,000

Carole Black grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a passion for leadership that showed early—she was the first female student body president at Withrow High School. After earning her degree in English from The Ohio State University in 1965, she started her career as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble. Her sharp instincts for marketing led her to senior roles at DDB Needham and The Walt Disney Company, where she drove home-video growth and marketed top TV programs to working mothers. In 1994, Carole broke new ground as President and General Manager of NBC4 Los Angeles, becoming the first woman to lead a major-market commercial television station. She steered the station to its most profitable era and elevated its news leadership. In 1999, she joined Lifetime Entertainment as President and CEO. During her six-year tenure, she transformed Lifetime into a multimedia powerhouse—launching new channels, expanding online content, growing Lifetime magazine, and leading the network to top ratings in its core demographic. Under Carole’s guidance, Lifetime championed advocacy and social impact. She spearheaded campaigns around women’s health, breast cancer awareness, violence prevention and DNA testing backlog reform. She earned numerous accolades for her work, including a Governor’s Emmy Award and recognition as one of Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women,” BusinessWeek’s “Top 25 Managers,” and inductees into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. She also received honors from YWCA, National Breast Cancer Coalition, and WICT. Today, Carole serves on the board of Time Warner Cable and has been active in a host of nonprofit and arts organizations, including Columbia University’s School of the Arts and USC’s Annenberg School. She divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles. As a speaker, she brings candid stories from her trailblazing career in media and business, and offers practical insights on leadership, growth strategy, brand-building and championing women in the workplace.