Barkue Tubman Zawolo

Barkue Tubman Zawolo is a serial entrepreneur and entertainment executive focused on bridging the gap between sub-saharan Africa and the United States. Now in her current role, she serves as the Chief of Staff, Diasporic Engagement and Talent Relations at Essence Ventures, a portfolio of brands that aims to activate a boundary-less and frictionless global Black economic ecosystem.  Acknowledged by Fast Company as a “Brands That Matter” 2023  Honoree, Essence Ventures brands include ESSENCE, the number one  media, technology and commerce company dedicated to Black women and communities; Afropunk, the multi-medium platform that uplifts and unleashes Black expression and individuality now  and in the future; Beautycon™, the experiential and content focused platform that aims to transcend the aesthetic of  attraction and enable an individualized empowered existence and experience on what beauty is; and Essence Studios, a production studio and original content hub focused on authentic Black storytelling, story-making, story-sharing, and story-doing. 

Between 1997 and 2007, Barkue built a very successful career in the male dominated U.S. music industry,  including the management, and working on the management teams of some of the most successful international artists of the 1990’s and 2000’s including Outkast, Usher, NEXT, Donell Jones – to name a few. An entrepreneur to the core, Barkue is also the founder and owner of Peace Cafe, an Incubator, Accelerator,  Co-working space and cafe providing an enabling environment for entrepreneurs, professionals and creatives to eat, work, meet and grow in Liberia. She proudly serves on the Board of The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Center for the development or women and Girls and is currently in production of the Documentary “Ma Ellen” which tells the much-needed story of women in leadership, legacy building and the woman that is Liberia’s Iron Lady. Barkue is a wife, a proud mom of triplets Piper, Skylar & Karton; who loves traveling, exploring,  learning and promoting the African Continent and linking the world to all its greatness. As the granddaughter of the late President Williams V.S Tubman of Liberia, she firmly believes legacy building is very important to one’s choices in their journey.