Caroline A. Wanga is currently the President & CEO of Essence Ventures. She joined as Chief Growth Officer in 2020 after a 15-year career at the Target Corporation, where she started as an intern and held a number of transformational leadership roles eventually serving as Target’ s Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Culture Officer. Prior to Target she spent almost a decade in youth and community development at several non-profit organizations in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area.
She co-founded WangaWoman LLC. in 2020 whose mission is to "Democratize Authenticity," through discovery of purpose. A self-proclaimed cultural architect who refers to her personal style as armor, Caroline's "real-talk" delivery and unmitigated perspective make her a highly sought-after keynote speaker, equity strategist, thought leader, and community advisor/influencer.
Caroline serves on several corporate advisory boards and has received numerous awards, accolades, and honors including the National Action Network’ s “ Keepers of The Dream” Award and two honorary doctorate degrees from her alma mater, Texas College and Dillard University. She is a Kenyan citizen and her greatest life’ s accomplishment is her daughter, Cadence.
