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 14, 2026.
Tracy Nguyen Romulus at a Glance
| Firm | SKIMS (Chief Communications Officer); previously Industry Public Relations, KKW Brands and 5W |
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| Years active | More than fifteen years of PR experience by 2016; 5W Senior Vice President May 2002 to August 2007 |
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| Notable clients | Kanye West, Nick Cannon, Ciara, Big Sean, Ice Cube, Rocawear, Pamela Anderson, Kelis, Swizz Beatz, McDonald's, Puma |
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| Signature campaign or crisis | Moving from Kanye West's publicist to building SKIMS communications from its 2019 launch |
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| Current status | Chief Communications Officer of SKIMS since July 28, 2026; co-General Manager of NikeSKIMS |
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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."
EPR has covered the later stages of her career in three additional pieces: an analysis of what the PR industry has misread about her trajectory, a framework piece on the in-house operator model she represents, and coverage of the July 2026 promotion. This 2016 profile is where EPR's coverage of her began.
Who Are Comparable Operators in Celebrity PR?
- Snoop Dogg, whose ventures span Casa Verde Capital and Death Row Records.
- Ryan Seacrest, who built media infrastructure around his own on-air career.
- Kim Kardashian, the founder side of Romulus's operator partnership.
- Rihanna, whose pivot from performer to founder parallels Kardashian's.
More Publicist Profiles
Tracy Nguyen Romulus's profile is part of The Publicist Behind, Everything-PR's series on the publicists who run Hollywood's biggest campaigns.
