Teneshia Jackson Warner

Age: 33, Chief Executive Officer
Egami Consulting Group, New York City

Teneshia Jackson Warner’s career in marketing evolved through what she calls L-I-F-E bulb moments, when she made calculated but risky decisions about her career. Today, she is the founder and CEO of Egami Consulting Group, a multicultural marketing firm that, in partnership with Publicis Groupe’s MS&L Worldwide, has produced award-winning diversity work for Fortune 500 clients such as Hennessy, Dasani, KFC and Procter & Gamble.

With a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Alabama A&M University and project management certification from the Project Management Institute, Warner began her career at IBM Global Services as project manager for the Best Buy maintenance account. Her love for hip-hop led her to New York, where she offered to work for hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, in exchange for an opportunity to learn the business side of the industry. Her IBM experience proved invaluable at HSAN, where she spearheaded such urban community programs as the 2004 “Get Out the Vote” campaign, and in entrepreneurship.

She chose the name Egami (image spelled backward) for her company, based on an introspective process to determine true passion. “Looking at myself from the inside out, I realized my passion should align with who I am and what I love to do,” she says. Egami’s brand marketing campaigns and community partnerships have netted more than a million dollars in grants and scholarships for diverse communities over the past two years.

“It is our role and responsibility to contribute our gifts to the world and the universe,” Warner says. “It is something I feel strongly about in terms of Egami and the services we deliver. I want to deliver urban cause-related marketing campaigns to not only engage the urban culture, but impact their communities and their lives.”

Fun Facts
Favorite charity: Hip-Hop Action Summit
What artist would you go on tour with: Beyoncé
First job: Waitress
Dish you cook best: Vegetarian chili
Favorite book: The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
What actress should play you in a movie: Taraji P. Henson