2013 Conference Speakers

Traci Lynn Blackwell, C'90

Vice President of Current Programs

The CW Network

As Vice President of Current Programs at The CW Network, rising executive star Traci Lynn Blackwell is among the top African American programming executives in broadcast television and definitely one to watch. Traci oversees the day-to-day production of some of the most buzzed-about shows on television, including breakout hit dramas Hart of Dixie, 90210 and Vampire Diaries. Not only have the series helped to improve the network’s ratings by double-digits in key demos, but the premiere of Diaries was the highest-rated debut in the network’s history. In addition, Blackwell oversees popular primetime shows One Tree Hill and Supernatural. Attracting awards recognition in such a crowded TV landscape is no easy task, but on Blackwell’s watch Diaries and Supernatural earned People’s Choice Awards in 2010 and 2011, as well as several Teen Choice Awards. She has been profiled in magazines such as Essence, Jet, Upscale, Black Enterprise, Sister 2 Sister, Rolling Out, Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business, and was featured on Ebony magazine’s 2010 Power 100 list. She was most recently named as one of the top 10 industry impact players by the NAACP in 2011 and in March 2012, Blackwell was honored by The Black Women Film Network with their prestigious Pinnacle Award for her work in television.