Greely, M(argaret) Gasby 1946–

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M(argaret) Gasby Greely 1946–

Arts executive

Prominent Post in Reputable Organization

In the spring of 2000, M. Gasby Greely became American opera’s highest-ranking African-American executive when she was appointed vice president and director of strategic resource planning for the Washington Opera. Greely was a veteran of the public-relations and fundraising worlds, having held executive posts with both Greenpeace and the National Urban League prior to this career achievement.

Greely was born on October 23, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Wesley and Stella Gasby. She attended the city’s Central High School, where her music teacher took the unusual step of staging Giuseppe Verdi’s 1871 opera, Aida, for the school musical. A mezzo-soprano, Gasby was cast as the title character’s rival, the Egyptian princess Amneris. After high school, she enrolled in Wayne County Community College, from which she earned an associate’s degree in 1971, and then went on to study psychology at Wayne State University, which granted her a B.A. in 1973. By the early 1980s, Gasby was living on the East Coast and attending the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After further study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gasby earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard in 1982.

Television Reporter

Gasby was hired at WNET-TV/Channel 13 in New York City, the largest public television station in the United States, in 1983. For the next four years, she served as director of program marketing and corporate communications, which put her in charge of all fundraising for the station. During this time, she also began teaching courses at Manhattan Community College. In 1987, Gasby was hired by the fledgling Fox television network, also based in New York City, as a general assignment reporter on its “Ten O’Clock News.” Two years later, she became the financial correspondent for the network as a reporter for The McCreary Report and host of Money Matters. During this time, she also worked for Black Entertainment Television (BET) as its New York correspondent for This Week in Entertainment, and taught at the City College of the City University of New York.

For a time, Gasby owned her own public-relations firm, Gasby Greely Enterprises, whose clients included American Express and Coca-Cola. In 1993, she was hired as the national communications director for the American operations of Greenpeace, the international environmental organization. Founded in 1971 and best

At a Glance…

Born October 23, 1946, in Detroit, MI; daughter of Wesley and Stella Gasby; children: Janine. Education: Wayne County Community College, A.A., 1971; Wayne State University, B.A., 1973; attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982; Harvard University, M.P.A., 1982.

Career: WNET-TV/Channel 13, New York, NY, marketing director, 1983-87; Fox Television, New York, NY, general assignment reporter, 1987-89, financial correspondent, 1989-93; Black Entertainment Television (BET), New York correspondent for This Week in Entertainment; Gasby Greely Enterprises (marketing/communications firm), president; Greenpeace, national communications director, 1993-95; National Urban League, New York City, vice president of development and communications, 1995-2000; Washington Opera Company, Washington, D.C, executive vice president and director of strategic resource planning, 2000–

Awards: National Association of Community Colleges, Alumni of the Year, 1991; named a Legacy Messenger by the Association of Black Career Women, 1997; Women of Industry Award, National Council of Negro Women.

Member: Public Relations Society of America; National Press Club; National Society of Fundraising Executives; National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, New York chapter; National Association of Black Journalists; National Children’s Film Festival, board of directors, 1996–; The Brooklyn Tabernacle.

Addresses: Office —Washington Opera Company, 2600 Virginia Ave., Suite 104, Washington, DC 20037.

known for their radical, but nonviolent, protest actions, Greenpeace was also one of the first such groups to effectively use the power of the media to call attention to its program. Greely’s tasks were to reorganize and consolidate the public-relations department at Greenpeace headquarters; she also created a national news bureau and increased the organization’s presence in minority media outlets. The job made her one of the most prominent African Americans in the environmental movement. Under her watch, Greenpeace also began a television show, Making Waves Close to Home, the first of its kind for the organization; she served as its executive producer.

Prominent Post in Reputable Organization

Greely gained additional recognition in her next job. In 1995, she was hired to serve as vice president of development and communications for the National Urban League (NUL) in New York City. Here, Greely was responsible for a successful multimillion-dollar endowment campaign, which helped launch the venerable civil-rights organization into a new era. Greely was also in charge of communications, and oversaw a ten million dollar press-relations budget. She revived the NUL’s Opportunity Journal, and served as the media spokesperson during the NUL’s historic rapprochement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Historically, the two groups often furthered differing agendas, but its leaders met and agreed a program centering around the idea of economic empowerment for African Americans. The new agenda also involved a political-action campaign that included registering more African-American voters, and supporting affirmative action legislation.

The NUL’s new program, with Greely leading the public-relations effort, was called “Economic Power: The Next Civil Rights Frontier.” As Black Enterprise writer Roz Ayres-Williams explained, the “plan exhorts African Americans to demonstrate the same entrepreneurial zest that existed for blacks from the end of the Civil War through the 1920s. It urges African Americans to lessen their dependence on a weekly paycheck by saving and pooling their individual and collective resources and investing them wisely.” Much of the work was to be done at the local level among the 115 influential chapters of the Urban League.

A New Era for NUL

During her five years at the NUL, Greely initiated Urban Policy Forums in several cities, which brought together local activists, elected officials, and academic opinion to discuss the future of American cities. These conferences were well received and even televised on C-Span. She also launched a fundraising campaign, “Welcome Back to the Urban League,” aimed at returning lapsed members. “Our objective also is to reach the largely untapped black middle class and encourage people to share resources, volunteer and become board members,” Greely told Ayres-Williams in Black Enterprise.

Greely’s dual duties as a vice-president of communications at the NUL also meant that she was expected to step forward and explain NUL policies to the media. One such moment came not long after she took the job, when the U.S. Census Bureau was considering adding a “multiracial” classification to its Census 2000 forms. “Because the apportionment to Congress and the allocation of federal funds are dependent on population distribution by race,” Greely explained to Ebony writer Lynn Norment, “the creation of additional categories could diminish the count for African Americans. While we totally recognize and respect the right of individual choice in the classification, the potential to dilute the impact of federal funding and Congressional apportionment represents a serious concern for us.”

Leading the Minoritiy Presence in Opera

In the spring of 2000, the Washington Opera Company announced that it had chosen Greely as its new executive vice president and director of strategic resource planning. The company, founded in 1956, is one of the top opera companies in the country. Internationally renowned tenor Placido Domingo is its artistic director. In her new job, Greely is be responsible for the Washington Opera’s marketing department and all public relations, but she is also charged with implementing an unprecedented national fundraising campaign aimed at elevating its profile as one of the United States’ leading opera companies. Greely’s office is in charge of luring corporate sponsors and attracting new subscribers through direct mail campaigns. She is also responsible for the success of its annual black-tie fundraiser, the Opera Ball, and for the company’s education and community outreach programs.

Greely has written articles for Savvy and Amsterdam News, and has won awards from the National Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Black Career Women for her achievements. She belongs to several professional organizations, including the National Press Club and the National Association of Black Journalists; she also sits on the board of the National Children’s Film Festival. She has a daughter, Janine.