Meet Mona Lisa Faris
Mona Lisa Faris
President, Founder, Publishser – DiversityComm, Inc.
As the President and Founder of DiversityComm, Inc., the proud publisher of Black EOE Journal, DIVERSEability Magazine, Diversity in STEAM Magazine, Hispanic Network Magazine, Professional Woman’s Magazine, and U.S. Veterans Magazine, Mona Lisa Faris is not your everyday kind of woman. Unforgettable name, creative thinker, entrepreneur, sales and marketing expert, and mentor all aptly describe Mona Lisa. She has been nationally recognized with many accolades and awards, including the Disabled Veteran Media Achievement Award from the California Disabled Veteran Business Alliance, Top Champion of Diversity by DiversityBusiness.com, Remarkable Woman and Champion for Diversity by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Best Microsite Content in recognition of Professional WOMAN’s Magazine’s award-winning E-newsletter by the Internet Marketing Association (IMA), Continuous Outstanding Support from the Federally Employed Women (FEW), OC Metro’s Orange County California’s Women Making a Difference, as well as the magazine’s Ten Most Influential Women. Mona Lisa is a frequent keynote speaker, serves as a panelist, moderator or participant at diversity conferences nationwide, and is often quoted in publications and newspapers for her insight on issues of diversity and equal employment opportunity.
Originally from Houston, Texas, and a first-generation Arab American, Mona Lisa founded her company to help foster employment and business opportunities for small business owners and minorities. Mona Lisa’s innate understanding of diversity issues was gleaned from her years of travel—she has lived in many countries, including Spain, Iran, Venezuela, South Africa, and Puerto Rico. Her father, a U.S. Army veteran and pioneer in diversity recruitment with a Fortune 200 company, fostered in her the importance of equal opportunity. Living in so many diverse cultures and communities and witnessing her father’s strong work ethic and sincere appreciation for being a U.S. citizen, Mona Lisa’s passion for global diversity was fueled at a young age. Mona Lisa Faris currently resides in Laguna Niguel, California, with her husband and two young children.
Diversitycomm, Inc. launched and first published Black EOE Journal in 1991. Witnessing the unfair treatment and segregation in South Africa under apartheid strengthened Mona Lisa’s commitment to equal opportunity. Her dynamic leadership and sales abilities soon attracted strong nationally Fortune 500 advertisers, including top-ranking Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and U.S. Government entities. Hispanic Network Magazine was launched in 1992, Professional Woman’s Magazine was launched in 2000, U.S. Veterans Magazine was launched in 2012, Diversity in STEAM Magazine was launched in 2015, and DIVERSEability Magazine was launched in 2016. Cover stories have featured well-known figures, such as former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela, Sonia Sotomayer, Shakira, Cristina Saralegui, Gary Sinise, Soledad O’Brien, Will Smith, Andy Garcia, Jennifer Lopez, and many more.