7781: Johnson Publishing President Edits Out.

From The Chicago Sun-Times…

Johnson Publishing president resigns
To join husband in family consulting biz

By Sandra Guy

The president and chief operating officer of Johnson Publishing Co., the Chicago-based company that publishes Ebony and JET magazines, has resigned.

Anne Sempowski Ward will be joining her husband, Kevin, in the couple’s business-consulting firm, according to a statement Monday from Johnson Publishing Co.

Ward was initially hired in 2007 as president and COO of Fashion Fair, the cosmetics division.

She was appointed president and COO of Johnson Publishing Company Inc. in 2008. She served in both roles for the last two years. Ward said in a statement, “It has been a phenomenal privilege to be the first member from outside of the Johnson family to serve as president and COO of both the publishing and cosmetics divisions of Johnson Publishing Co.”

Said Chairman and CEO Linda Johnson Rice, daughter of the company’s founder, “Her [Ward’s] contributions have helped to position the company for the future.”

Johnson Publishing, beset by falling advertising revenues, recently started a management reshuffling, beginning with the June 3 announcement that the company is no longer for sale and the hiring that same day of Amy DuBois Barnett as the new editor in chief of Ebony magazine.

On June 5, Johnson Publishing said it had hired former White House social secretary and Illinois Lottery director Desiree Rogers as a consultant.

Speculation immediately started that Rogers might take Ward’s place. Johnson Publishing issued a statement saying that Rogers is not being considered for the role of president and COO because her role remains as a strategic consultant.

“We are continuing to assess our current internal staffing needs to enhance our senior-level management positions; and as such, we will determine our next steps following our evaluation,” said Johnson Publishing spokeswoman Wendy Parks.