Cheryl Mayberry McKissack is the founder, President and CEO of Nia Enterprises, LLC – a Chicago-based research and marketing services fi rm founded in January 2000. Nia Enterprises, LLC provides opt-in, permission-based marketing data solutions for the growing and specialized area of ethnic markets. As a result of its activities, the company provides the largest Multi-Cultural Consumer Advisory Panel. This opt-in, permission-based panel offers companies a direct link into the buying habits and consumer preferences of the rapidly growing U.S. ethnic population.
Mayberry McKissack is well recognized as an entrepreneur and has been featured in articles of several publications including: BusinessWeek.com, Fortune.com, Crain’s, Ebony, Black Enterprises, Today’s Chicago Women, Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Ms. Mayberry McKissack recently co-edited The Nia Guide series of books for Black Women including: Achieving Career Success on Your Terms, Balancing Work & Life and Choosing Health and Wellness (Agate Publishing).
Prior to founding Nia Enterprises, Ms. Mayberry McKissack enjoyed a successful 23-year corporate career in technology, which included serving as the Worldwide Senior Vice President and General Manager Open Port Technology. She was also Vice President for the Americas and a founding member of the Network Systems Division for 3Com (formerly U.S. Robotics). Ms. Mayberry McKissack started her technology career with the IBM Corporation where she enjoyed a 14-year career in sales, marketing and management positions. In 2005, Ms. Mayberry McKissack was named an Associate Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.
Ms. Mayberry McKissack, a native of Seattle, Washington, received her B.S. from Seattle University the four-year program in two-and-one-half years and her MBA from Northwestern’s J.L. Kellogg School of Management. Ms. Mayberry McKissack serves on the Board of Directors of The PrivateBanCorp (NASDAQ: PVTB), and as a Director of the Deluxe Corporation (NYSE: DLX) where she is the chair of the Corporate Governance Committee. She is also a Board member and education sponsor for Chicago’s LINK Unlimited organization, Board member for the University of Chicago Hospital, Board member of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Board member of the Chicago Library Foundation, Board member of the Shedd Aquarium, member of the Corporate Board Diversity Council, member of Outstanding Directors Advisory Board and a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. Ms. Mayberry McKissack has received several acknowledgements for her leadership endeavors including recognition as one of the 25 Infl uential Black Women in Business by the Network Journal Magazine (2006), one of the 2005 Business Leaders of Color by the Chicago United Organization and the 2006 Leader Entrepreneurship award from the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. She recently received the 2007 Kellogg Alumni “Rising Entrepreneur of the Year” award, recognized as a 2008 “History Maker” and the 2009 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Women of Achievement award.
Ms. Mayberry McKissack resides in Chicago with her husband Eric.