Carolyn Bivens

Carolyn Vesper Bivens has been a media professional since 1982, when she worked as a member of USA TODAY’s original launch team. As Vice President of National Circulation Sales, she established an amenity program for airline and hotel newspaper sales at was adopted by the other major, national newspapers. After a decade, she spearheaded USA TODAY’s international advertising, and one year later in 1993, Gannett Co., Inc. honored Carolyn Bivens as “Manager of the Year.” Carolyn Bivens was promoted to Senior Vice President and Associate Publisher. In the space of 5 years, she significantly improved margins and expanded revenue by 100%. Carolyn Bivens spent 18 years with USA TODAY, until Initiative Media North America, the largest media buying agency in the US, hired her as its President and Chief Operating Officer. Her five years of running Initiative Media North America prompted Electronic Media magazine to designate Carolyn Bivens as “One of the Most Powerful Women in Television.” For her next challenge, in 2005, Carolyn Bivens became Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She set records for growing revenues, prize money, establishing partnerships, and audience attendance. Within four years, Carolyn Bivens also managed to take the LPGA from an American to an international women’s professional sports association consisting of 1,700 members in 37 countries. Due in part to her efforts, golf will be included as part of the Olympic competition starting in 2016. Carolyn Bivens is the first woman to become one of the seven members of the Board of the World Golf Foundation and Audit Committee. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and a Leadership Facilitator for Eagle’s Flight, a Canadian education firm that strengthens global workforces with practical training programs that implement experiential learning techniques. Recently, Carolyn Bivens became a Leadership Circle Member for the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment, a community of media and entertainment industry professionals seeking to elevate content to affect a beneficial paradigm shift at this crucial stage of world affairs.