CHICAGO, IL -  Johnson Publishing which is located in Chicago, Illinois and known for its Ebony and Jet magazines has named a new editor-in-chief, Kierna Mayo and Kyra Kyles as its new head of digital editorial, promoting two employees to fill a gap left after exits since 2014 according to source.

FAMU alumna and former Ebony Editor Mitzi Miller, who also was editor of the company's weekly Jet magazine, made an exit in February which was months after her predecessor, Amy DuBois Barnett, left in 2014.

Kierna Mayo, 45,  is a graduate of Hampton University, a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia. She is planed to work out of the company's New York office. She was hired at the magazine in 2011 as its editorial director and has been leading the magazine since Miller's departure. There have been three issues produced under her leadership, including covers that featured hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, talk show host Wendy Williams, and its current issue featuring Beyonce Knowles' mother, Tina Knowles Lawson.

Mayo was also co-creator and founding editor-in-chief of Honey Magazine and says that she aims to revive a "maverick spirit" at Ebony that the magazine had in the 20th century, using a probing and provocative approach that tackles topics from celebrities to race relations. She has written for Essence, Vibe and Marie Claire magazine as well as other publications, the company stated in a statement.

Kyles, 39, joined Johnson Publishing also in 2011 and as a senior editor of Jet and most recently was the editorial director of that publication. In the past, she had produced a pop culture column called the "Kyles Files," which had a weekly broadcast segment on WGN-TV.

Johnson Publishing has been trying to steady itself amid financial challenges and editorial exits according to source. and the private company has been navigating efforts to boost profits, including the end of print production for Jet magazine and the proposed sale of its historic photo archive

"Both women have strong print as well as digital backgrounds," Desiree Rogers (CEO of Johnson Publishing) said in an interview. "We want them to always be thinking across platforms."