Throughout the history books and in the media, the portrayal of an educated Black woman or man seems to be scarce. It is not because we don’t exist, but because recognition is not given to people that break the barriers of stereotypes. There are plenty of Black men and women that have paved the way for humanity; however, they are not present in our history books, nor in our media, or in our minds. Here are five Black CEOs you may not know of:
Ursula Burns is the first African American woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Growing up, Burns lived with her single mother in New York. After high school, she attended New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering and obtained her post graduate in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University. After her undergraduate, Burns became an intern at Xerox and worked her way up to become CEO of the company. Besides working at Xerox, Burns sits on the board of other companies such as: American Express, Exxon Mobil, and Datto Inc. President Obama even appointed her to be vice chair of the President’s Export Council. Her phenomenal work has paved the way for many Black engineers.
2. Rosalind Brewer: President and CEO, Sam’s Club, Wal-mart Stores
Rosalind Brewer is the first woman and first African American to become the CEO of a Walmart Division. Brewer grew up in Detroit and attended Spelman College, where she obtained a degree in Chemistry. Continuing her education, Brewer graduated from the Director’s College at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business/Stanford Law School. She also attended The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After working for Kimberly-Clark Corporation for 22 years, she decided to join Walmart in 2006 as a Regional Vice President. In 2012, Brewer became the CEO of Sam’s Club and has made many improvements to the company and the communities it affects. Besides being the CEO of Sam’s Club, Brewer is a chair on the Board of Trustees for Spelman College.
3. Kenneth Chenault: CEO of American Express
Kenneth Chenault is the third Black person to be CEO of a fortune 500 company. Chenault has been the CEO of American Express since 2001. As a young boy, Chenault grew up in New York with his parents. He completed his undergrad at Bowdoin College and got his B.A. in history. Chenault also received his J.D. from Harvard Law. In 1981, he started working at American Express in the Strategic Planning Group and worked his way to the top. Besides being the CEO of American Express, Chenault sits on the board of organizations like the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation.
4. Richard D. Parsons: Former CEO of Time Warner and Current CEO of L.A. Clippers
Richard D. Parsons is the former CEO of Time Warner and former chairman of Citigroup. He is currently the CEO of the NBA team the Los Angeles Clippers. In his early life Parsons lived in Hawaii and skipped two grades. He entered the University of Hawaii at the age of 16, after being wait listed at Princeton University. After attending the University of Hawaii, he went to Albany Law School. His professional career started when Parsons started working as a counsel to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. In 1988, Parsons was recruited to Dime Savings Bank as the chief operation officer. Two years later he took over as CEO of the bank. In 2001, Parsons was named CEO and chairman of Time Warner following the merger with AOL. Parsons even received the title of the industry’s top CEO of 2005. In 2009, Parsons joined Citigroup as chairman to bring the company back from a financial crisis. After leaving the company in 2012, to focus on Jazz, Parsons became the CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers. His ambition, determination, and drive has served as inspiration to those who look up to him.
5. Daymond John: CEO and Founder of FUBU
Daymond John is the founder and CEO of the clothing brand FUBU. He is also an investor on the TV show Shark Tank. Growing up, John lived in New York with his mother. In his early years he would sell things ranging from pencils to reconditioned cars. After graduating high school, John started to make clothing while working at Red Lobster. He would sell his tie-top hats on the streets near the New York Coliseum. After convincing LL Cool J to wear his brand in a 30 second Gap commercial, the FUBU brand took off. It is said that FUBU stands as the acronym “for us, by us”, a line incorporated in one of LL Cool J’s songs. Today, the FUBU brand is worth $6 billion dollars. Daymond John has used his knowledge and experience to help others in building their own brands and businesses. As an investor on Shark Tank, he has aided many others in fulfilling their dreams.
As these CEOs have climbed to the top of their companies, fields, and quite frankly the business world, these five amazing people are definitely inspiring. Hopefully they can be a source of inspiration for all Black girls and boys, proving to them that they can do anything they set their minds to.
