Marva Smalls is Executive Vice President, Global Inclusion Strategy, VIACOM and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Chief of Staff, VIACOM Kids & Family Group. Smalls is the chief administrative officer of the networks and their ancillary businesses, directing financial resources, personnel and facilities for their New York, Los Angeles and international offices. Smalls also manages and oversees meetings of the company’s Executive Management Team, a strategic planning group comprised of the senior executives in charge of each network and line of business.
An established veteran in the public sector, Smalls oversees all of the pro-social and corporate responsibility initiatives for Nickelodeon, MTVN Kids and Family Group, and their relationships with advocates, government officials, educators, non-profit organizations and trade associations. She has longstanding relationships with public affairs, government, communications and philanthropic organizations on both the state and national level. Smalls is a leader in developing strategies to combat the growing obesity epidemic with kids by testifying and speaking at governmental and industry forums on the topic.
Under Smalls’ leadership, Nickelodeon’s pro-social campaigns have been recognized by presidential administrations and have garnered the support of top names in the entertainment industry. She brought Nickelodeon’s Let’s Just Play, an award-winning, national multi-media campaign and grassroots effort to encourage more positive, healthy and playful lifestyles, together with The William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to help reduce childhood obesity. Smalls spearheaded The Big Help, which empowered 40 million kids to pledge 380 million hours of volunteer service, and was honored with the George C. Peabody and Golden CableAce awards.
Smalls has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Carolina. She serves on numerous boards of directors including the National Council for Families and Television, the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Big Brothers – Big Sisters of America, the National Bank of South Carolina, the South Carolina Educational Television Endowment Commission, Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina’s Education Foundation and American Theater Wing. Smalls is a recent recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Francis Marion University and Coker College.
