Kay Wilson Stallings
As previous Vice President of Development and Production for Nickelodeon Preschool, Kay Wilson Stallings served as a major contributor to the creation of award-winning shows such as Backyardigans, Yo Gabba Gabba!, and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!. It was this success that eventually led to Stallings’ promotion to Senior Vice President of Development and Production in 2013.
Stallings’ new position includes the responsibility of recruiting new animationators, designers, writers and musicians for Nickelodeon Preschool’s team. She is also responsible for developing relationships with educators and keeping up to date in today’s curriculum trends for young children (which is where her degree in Higher Education Administration plays in).
Executive Vice President for Nickelodeon Preschool, Teri Weiss, commented, “Kay is a tremendous asset to the Nickelodeon Preschool team, developing various hit series…In her new role, Kay will continue to develop funny and innovative content for kids and cultivate creative talent to elevate the Nickelodeon Preschool series slate.”
With television being a major influence in today’s time, Stallings plays an important role in content that children are exposed to at an early age.
Ursula Burns
Last but definitely not least is Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO of Xerox. Starting as a Mechanical Engineering summer intern at age 20, Burns has spent her entire career with Xerox. After several years with the company, Burns gradually began climbing the ladder from senior vice president in 2000, to president in 2007, and then onward to CEO and chairman in 2009 and 2010. All the while, Burns never once received any pressure to do something about her hair.
During an interview with Marketplace, Burns shared:
“When I walked in…I had a huge afro. I dressed the times and looked the times…I didn’t quite dress in business attire, because I grew up on the lower East side of Manhattan. The closest thing I saw to business attire was the guy who ran Safeway…So all this stuff was new to me…They said nothing about it. It was kind of stunning.”
Today, Burns continues to rock her fro, and she continues to progress Xerox as a company.
