Martha Nelson

Editorial Director, Time Inc.
Bio

MARTHA NELSON was named Editorial Director of Time Inc. — the No. 2 editorial executive position in the company — in December 2010. In this role she oversees 16 brands and all print and digital editors in both the Style & Entertainment Group and Lifestyle Group.

Prior positions held by Nelson include editor of Time Inc.’s Style & Entertainment Group, group editor of Time Inc., editor of the PEOPLE Group, and founding editor of InStyle. She is credited with reinvigorating the PEOPLE brand and expanding its portfolio of editorial extensions including PEOPLE.com, the No. 1 celebrity magazine web site with 13 million monthly unique visitors, PEOPLE StyleWatch, which broke records by increasing ad pages for 30 consecutive issues from 2009-2012, and PEOPLE Country, dedicated to the popular country music scene and lifestyle. Prior to launching InStyle, Nelson had been an assistant managing editor at PEOPLE, responsible for the human-interest segment of the magazine. Previously, she was a consulting editor at PEOPLE’s sister publication in Australia, Who Weekly, which began publication in March 1992. Before coming to Time Inc., she was editor-in-chief of Savvy magazine and of Women’s Sports & Fitness; staff editor at Ms. magazine and managing editor of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society.

Nelson has been honored by many organizations for her philanthropic and professional achievements. In July 2012, Adweek named her one of the top 10 “Givers” in its portfolio of people applauded for giving back and “doing good.” She was also recognized in April 2012 for her commitment to Women In Need, an organization that provides supportive housing and counseling to homeless and disadvantaged New York City women and their families. Nelson was invited to speak at the White House Conference on Missing and Exploited Children and was honored at the second annual Hope Awards by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for increasing awareness on issues surrounding missing children.

Nelson is the president of the board of the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), serves on the Board of Directors for The Actors Fund, and is a member of the NYU Board of Advisors at the Center for Publishing.

She received her B.A. in art history from Barnard College and resides in New York City.