Roda Ward Carter, President and CEO of Universal Colors Cosmetics, Inc., is a beauty expert with a diverse background in cosmetics and fashion. Her experience in cosmetics, retailing and modeling contributes to her unique ability to own, operate and be a spokes-model for her company. Roda has over fifteen years of international experience in the cosmetics industry with various roles from Beauty Advisor, Account Executive, Make-up Artist, National Training Director, International Spokesperson and finally, to Vice President of Product Development for Naomi Sims Cosmetics. Overall, she has over twenty years of experience in the beauty industry. Her very first job (at the impressionable age of 15) was with the country’s largest beauty products distributor, Beauty Enterprises located in Hartford, CT.
During her world travels, she learned the best techniques for treating all skin colors and paid particular attention to how treatments affect skin with various levels of melanin content. She has been a Counter Manager for Prescriptives and has many years of sales and management experience with some of the world’s most successful retailers such as Ann Taylor and Coach. Roda’s professional modeling and acting career has landed her national print jobs for Disney, Weight Watchers and Tupperware, along with runway jobs for Nicole Miller, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue to name a few. She has also appeared in numerous principal roles in commercials and industrial films. Taking all of her positions as seriously as the one before, she studied every aspect of each “venture”, treating all as stepping-stones. Relying on various aspects of her past positions enables Roda to be creative, resourceful and in tune to what her customers want. Roda has had the creative bug since childhood and focused on the arts at The Watkinson School, an independent school in CT, and graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City with a degree in Fashion Design.
Roda is a member of NAFE, Teaching Tolerance and is a supporter of Canine Companions. Community Service includes The Boys & Girls Club and she is a contributor to the United Way. She was featured in the August 2001 issue of the Pittsburgh Magazine (inside back cover) in an article entitled “Beauty Queen” and was a guest on the WPIX, Channel Eleven talk show, Impact. On September 8, 2001, Roda was awarded The Pillar Award for Up and Coming Entrepreneur of the Year. Roda is has been a guest columnist for Upscale Magazine all of which can be viewed by visiting In The Media located in the left navigation of our website.
Rodney E. Carter, husband of Roda Ward Carter, serves as Vice President of the company. In 1990 he earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. While attending Vanderbilt, he became President of the National Society of Black Engineers and was selected National Member of the Year. He was also elected president of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha.
