THE TEAM
The team of Cole Media Inc. is comprised of English and Spanish speaking writers, designers, and communications experts with a wealth of experience in marketing and communications.
Sakina Cole
The team assembled at Cole Media Inc. is led by award winning journalist Sakina Spruell Cole. She is a communications professional specializing in major market print and broadcast. With more than 15 years of communications experience, Ms. Cole has honed her skills in a broad range of media outlets. She has contributed to many publications to include Black Enterprise, Essence, Money and Fortune Small Business. In addition, Ms. Cole is a former reporter/producer for CNBC and CNN. She has a B.A. from Rutgers University and a M.S in Journalism from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she also completed the Knight Bagehot fellowship in business and economics.
Ms. Cole is constantly increasing her knowledge of the industry and her contacts as she is very active in business communications and journalism organizations such as the Association of Women in Communications, and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which recently honored Ms. Cole with an award for best business story.
Mary Brown
Her professional experiences include serving as an adjunct lecturer of Adobe Photoshop and the Foundations of Graphic Design at New York City College of Technology, and as associate art director at Black Enterprise magazine. Some of the photo shoots that Mary Brown has organized include cover shoots of Oprah Winfrey and Venus Williams. Through her own lens she has captured model Eva Pigford and entrepreneur Russell Simmons on the red carpet.
Renau Daniels
She has served in development roles at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the Earl Graves Ltd., parent company of Black Enterprise magazine and Olmec Toys. She has managed relationships with key executives from firms such as IBM, Coca-Cola, WalMart, Siemans and JP Morgan Chase.
Arrie Ledley
Arrie Ledley is a seasoned publicist and communications strategist. With more than a decade of experience, her passion has led her to create, manage and execute public relations, marketing, and editorial work across multiple sectors, including non-profit, private and entertainment. Ledley implements strategic communications plans complete with media coordination, targeted outreach initiatives, digital marketing, and on-site media relations. She has authored numerous cover stories and has served as a managing editor for Destination Newark, a custom publication by Cole Media Inc to market the City of Newark’s economic development, retail, tourism, and social scene. Ledley is an alumna of Seton Hall University, and holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and journalism, with a minor in Spanish.
Areaka McFadden
She has been a public relations and event executive for nearly two decades. She has coordinated joint press conferences, photo-ops and press gaggles between presidential cabinet members and heads of state to include the King of Jordan, President of Afghanistan and the Premier of the People’s Republic of China. Her tenacity has afforded her the opportunity to work with three presidential administrations—Clinton, Bush and Obama—on promoting initiatives at the U.S. Commerce Department to increase U.S. exports in foreign markets. Her expertise has taken her around the world to implement communication strategies for U.S. business development missions to Argentina, Brazil, China, France and South Africa.
Roberto J. Bustamante
Roberto Bustamante ensures that the Hispanic media, both print and broadcast are fully aware of the activities of Cole Media Inc.’s clients. He spent many years as a reporter at El Diario/La Prensa, Noticias del Mundo, and other news media organizations informing his community and benefiting his readers with news to improve their lives. Bustamante has also worked as a consultant in news-media for the United Nations, lending his considerable expertise to the Institute of Training and Research for Women in the Dominican Republic. In 2007, Bustamante was named press advisor for the Peruvian-American National Roundtable (PANR). Bustamante holds bachelors’ degrees from Peru’s National Universities and Higher Journalism Institute and a Master’s degree in Social Science from Long Island University in New York, and a Master degree in Global Affairs from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Kimberly Prime
A communications and public relations professional who has worked with companies including Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc., Benjamin Moore, Realogy (formerly Cendant), NJ TRANSIT, and Prudential. She began her career as a journalist with The Bergen Record. Member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
De Lacy D. Davis, Ed.D.
Dr. De Lacy Davis, a former sergeant, is a community policing educator and consultant. He founded Black Cops Against Police Brutality in 1991 and is the author of Black Cops Against Police Brutality: A Crisis Action Plan. Most recently, Dr. Davis completed his doctoral degree examining the factors relating to police officers shooting unarmed black males. He is a retired New Jersey police sergeant who served for 20 years in the East Orange police department and commanded the Community Services Unit. Dr. Davis has received 12 Police Department Commendations and an “Expert Firearms” award. Dr. Davis is also the East Coast Representative for the National Coalition of Law Enforcement Officers for Justice, Reform and Accountability (NCLEOJ).