Roberta ‘Robbie’ Myers was the editor-in-chief of American Elle magazine, which has one of the largest readerships in the country in the women’s magazines category, for 17 years. Her tenure, which began in 2000, was marked by a rise in ad pages and the introduction of digital content and platforms for the brand.
In September 2017, it was announced Myers would be stepping down from her role as editor-in-chief. She remained at American Elle-owner Hearst, consulting for David Carey , president of Hearst Magazines. In 2018, she was named editor-in-chief of Shonda Rhimes’ media website, Shondaland.com.
Myers grew up in Florida, where she was co-captain of the swim team at Plantation High School, and attended Colorado State University on a diving scholarship. She moved to New York City shortly after and started her career as an assistant for Rolling Stone magazine. Subsequently, she worked under artist Andy Warhol at Interview magazine and then moved onto Seventeen and InStyle, but it was her work with a little-known venture called Tell, done between the publishing company Hachette-Filipacchi and broadcast network NBC, that landed her the job at Elle.
Initially, she was Elle’s articles editor in 1995 before decamping for Mirabella, an upmarket women’s magazine created by former Vogue editor Grace Mirabella. Although the publication suffered from a number of financial problems, she stayed with the company until Hachette purchased it and then shuttered it in 2000.
She is known for championing serious journalism in women’s magazines, famously taking The New Republic to task for asking, "Can Women’s Magazines Do Serious Journalism?" She has been the vice president of the American Society of Magazine Editors and has received multiple awards for her contributions to journalism over her career. She resides in New York with her husband, Frank Michielli, a partner at architectural firm Michielli + Wyetzner, and their two children.
