Global Head of Inclusion ViacomCBS
First African American Woman, Chief of Staff to a southern member of Congress
Marva A. Smalls is one of the most powerful executives in American business and the fact that she represents not one but two minorities—women and African Americans—make her success even more resounding. Her springboard was a superior education that would eventually vault her to the position of Executive Vice President of Viacom, Inc.
Marva received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Carolina where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and earned two doctoral degrees, one from Coker College and the other from Francis Marion University. She has been Executive Vice President and Global Head-Inclusion for ViacoCBS Inc. Broadcasting since 2019. Prior to that she was Executive Vice President of Viacom, Inc. and before then, Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at Nickelodeon Global Network Ventures. A member of the NAACP, she is a trustee for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York and the Ron Brown Scholar Program, and a director of the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing, the National Council for Families and Television, the South Carolina State University Foundation, the James Beard Foundation, among many others, and Vice Chairman of the Trustees Board of the American Theatre Wing, Inc. “Diversity and inclusion are as essential as creativity and innovation for success in a global marketplace,” she says. And when she speaks about empowerment and mentoring, her achievements alone speak volumes.
For Dr. Marva Small’s full interview click here.