Claire R. McIntosh Claire McIntosh is an award-winning writer and editor in the print and digital space who

recently added digital video production to her creative pursuits. Formerly, she was the Deputy Editor of Essence, the premier magazine for African American women. At Essence, she planned editorial strategy with an eye toward reaching aggregate readership, focusing on core content such as careers, health, money/investing and personal growth. She managed quality control and packaging of personal service articles in the magazine and contributed online. Claire played a key role in developing cover lines, a driver of newsstand sales. During her tenure, the magazine garnered more than 20 industry awards for editorial excellence, feature writing and reporting.

Known for her intimate and reader-friendly style, Claire has written features for Essence and essence.com on wealth building, family secrets, career planning, parapsychology, relationships, parenting and travel. Her work has also appeared in Black Enterprise, Crain's New York Business, Working Mother and Working Woman. She wrote monthly columns for McCall's and Heart & Soul magazines, where she also held senior-level positions. Claire contributed several chapters to Health & Healing for African Americans (Rodale Press).

A sought-after speaker and engaging media presence, Claire has appeared on several local morning shows including Good Day New York and Weekend Today in New York; on various programs on the Food Network, Black Entertainment Television, CNBC, BBC America and other cable networks, and on numerous radio programs.

Claire is a former board member of The Big Sisters (now Partnership With Children). She frequently serves as a student mentor and is an enthusiastic supporter of several organizations focused on health care in the Third World; conservation of natural resources; disaster relief; youth recreation; animal rescue; aid to victims of AIDS; global and local hunger relief.

Claire enjoys running, cycling, swimming, tennis, cooking and entertaining, fiction, digital photography, film and music. She has a special passion for adventure travel and ecotourism, and has enjoyed horseback riding in the Argentine Patagonia; bullfighting in Andalusia; Cave tubing in the jungles of Belize; white-water rafting in Maine; skiing and snowmobiling in the Rocky Mountains; swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas, reef snorkeling in Mexico; sailing in Brazil; exploring pre-Columbian ruins in Honduras; hiking in the U.S. Virgin Islands and touring New York City waterways by kayak.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Claire has also studied publishing at Radcliffe College, broadcasting at The New School University, and digital video production at The Travel Channel Academy. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband and twin sons.