Marva Smalls is Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Chief of Staff of Nickelodeon, the #1 kids’ entertainment brand, TV Land, the highest rated cable network to launch within the past five years, and TNN, which has been newly repositioned as The National Network.
In her Public Affairs role, Smalls oversees Nickelodeon’s pro-social and corporate responsibility initiatives and the company’s relationships with child advocates, government officials, educators and non-profit organizations. She also chairs The Big Help, Nickelodeon’s award-winning national campaign that encourages kids to volunteer in their communities.
As Chief of Staff, Smalls is the chief administrative officer for all three networks and their ancillary businesses, coordinating and directing financial resources, personnel, and facilities for their New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and international offices. Smalls also manages and oversees meetings of the company’s Executive Team, a strategic planning group comprised of the senior executives in charge of each network and line of business.
Honored with the prestigious Peabody and Golden CableAce awards, The Big Help is a national grassroots campaign designed to encourage and empower kids to volunteer in their communities. The campaign – which has garnered the support of President Clinton, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, and other top celebrities – provides the tools and motivation to link kids to their communities and empowers them to make a difference in their world. Under Smalls, The Big Help has become universally recognized among kids in the U.S. and continues to grow in Nickelodeon’s international markets.
Smalls serves on several boards that are active in causes that improve the quality of life for children including the National Democratic Institute, Brookgreen Gardens, the largest permanent outdoor exhibition of American sculpture in the world based in South Carolina, Northside Center for Child Development in New York City, and Big Brothers - Big Sisters of America, for which she serves as Board National Vice President. Most recently, she was elected to serve on the board of the National Bank of South Carolina and the South Carolina Educational Television Endowment Commission. She was also named to the University of South Carolina’s Education Foundation and National Alumni Council and serves on the board of Noggin, a joint-venture educational channel between Nickelodeon and the Sesame Workshop. In addition, Smalls is an active member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization representing the top African-Americans in corporate America.
Prior to joining Nickelodeon in 1993, Smalls’ career in the public sector included serving first as staff director of South Carolina’s Private Industry Council for Governor Richard Riley and later as Chief of Staff for Congressman Robin Tallon for 10 years. She has a long history of political activism and public service in South Carolina, and across the United States having served in a variety of positions in government on the state and national level and the NAACP.Smalls has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Carolina. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Trinity Baptist Church in Florence, SC.
