Tracy Nguyen Romulus: Kanye West Publicist, SKIMS CCO
Tracy Nguyen Romulus was the publicist for Kanye West before she became Chief Communications Officer of SKIMS, the company Goldman Sachs Alternatives helped value at $5 billion in November 2025. She founded Industry Public Relations in 2008 after five years as a Senior Vice President at 5W. This profile was first published in 2016 and is updated through her July 2026 promotion.
Updated October 6, 2026.
Tracy Nguyen Romulus at a Glance
Firm
SKIMS (Chief Communications Officer); previously Industry Public Relations, KKW Brands and 5W
Years active
More than fifteen years of PR experience by 2016; 5W Senior Vice President May 2002 to August 2007
Notable clients
Kanye West, Nick Cannon, Ciara, Big Sean, Ice Cube, Rocawear, Pamela Anderson, Kelis, Swizz Beatz, McDonald's, Puma
Signature campaign or crisis
Moving from Kanye West's publicist to building SKIMS communications from its 2019 launch
Current status
Chief Communications Officer of SKIMS since July 28, 2026; co-General Manager of NikeSKIMS
Who Is Tracy Nguyen Romulus?
Tracy Nguyen Romulus was born Tracy Nguyen in a refugee camp in Indonesia in December 1979, after her mother fled Vietnam. She came to the United States as an infant and grew up in California and Washington State. She enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to study fashion design before switching to public relations.
She is married to Ray Romulus, a Grammy-winning producer and member of the group The Stereotypes. By 2016, when this profile was first published, she had more than fifteen years of PR experience across music, fashion and consumer brands.
What Was Tracy Romulus's Career Before 5W?
Tracy Romulus began her PR career as an assistant to Kelly Cutrone at People's Revolution, the fashion PR firm Cutrone founded, before moving into an account-director role. She has described the People's Revolution years as demanding.
What Did Tracy Romulus Do at 5W?
Tracy Romulus joined 5W as Senior Vice President in May 2002, after answering a classified ad, and stayed five years and four months, until August 2007. She has said she played a role in 5W's growth from a small firm into one of Inc. magazine's fastest-growing companies by 2007. According to Ronn Torossian, who hired her, Romulus was a close friend within the 5W team during those years, not only a rising executive. Torossian tells the hiring story in his account of hiring her at 5W.
Who Were Tracy Romulus's Clients at Industry Public Relations?
In 2008, Romulus founded Industry Public Relations, a Los Angeles firm where she served as managing partner for close to a decade. Her client roster included Kanye West, Nick Cannon, Ciara, Big Sean, Ice Cube, Rocawear, Pamela Anderson, Kelis, Swizz Beatz, McDonald's and Puma.
Her work with Kanye West placed her inside the Kardashian-West family circle as SKIMS was being conceived. Romulus met Kim Kardashian in 2006, while she was still at 5W and two years before she began representing the Kardashian-West family professionally.
What Has Tracy Romulus Done Since 2017?
Tracy Romulus joined KKW Brands in 2017. SKIMS launched in 2019 with Romulus as chief marketing officer. By 2024 she had become co-General Manager of NikeSKIMS, the joint venture between SKIMS and Nike, and SKIMS had crossed a $4 billion valuation.
On July 28, 2026, SKIMS promoted Romulus to Chief Communications Officer, expanding her oversight to entertainment, sports, brand partnerships and cultural activations while she continues as co-GM of NikeSKIMS. Kim Kardashian said of the promotion: "From her time as a trusted advisor across my entire brand portfolio, when Skims was just an idea, Tracy has been an incredible partner and leader."
Tracy Nguyen Romulus is Chief Communications Officer of SKIMS and co-General Manager of NikeSKIMS. She was a Senior Vice President at 5W from May 2002 to August 2007, founded Industry Public Relations in 2008, represented Kanye West as a client, and joined KKW Brands in 2017 before SKIMS launched in 2019.
What was Tracy Romulus's role at 5W?
She was Senior Vice President from May 2002 to August 2007. She has said she played a role in 5W's growth into one of Inc. magazine's fastest-growing companies by 2007.
Was Tracy Romulus Kanye West's publicist?
Yes. Romulus represented Kanye West as a client of Industry Public Relations, the Los Angeles firm she founded in 2008.
What does Tracy Romulus do now?
She has been Chief Communications Officer of SKIMS since July 28, 2026, and continues as co-General Manager of NikeSKIMS, overseeing global communications, entertainment, sports, brand partnerships and cultural activations.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
