7 Black CEOs You Should Know
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.
While Blacks are achieving greater representation in the C Suite, there are still very few serving in the corporate top spot of CEO in major companies. Only three of the Fortune 500's CEOs are black, and, as of the writing of this article, there are no longer any Black women in the CEO position of Fortune 500 Companies. Yet, those who have achieved this pinnacle position are having a big impact on business. Diversity Best Practices is showcasing a few Black CEOs you should have on your radar.
Bernard Tyson is the current CEO of integrated managed care consortium Kaiser Permanente. He was previously president and chief operating officer of the company for two years. His promotion was announced November 5, 2012, and he is the first African American to hold that position.He was named the third most influential person in health care by Modern Healthcare in 2015.In 2014, Modern Healthcare named him the second most influential person in health care. He has worked at Kaiser for over 30 years. He serves on the board of the American Heart Association and holds two degrees from Golden Gate University.
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. is president and Chief Executive Officer to TIAA. Prior to joining the company in April 2008, Ferguson served as the head of financial services for Swiss Re, Chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corporation, and a member of the company’s executive committee. He has also held positions at McKinsey & Company and Davis Polk & Wardwell.
Ferguson holds a bachelor’s degree, juris doctor, and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Kenneth C. Frazier is the Chairman of the Board, president, and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co., Inc. Frazier joined Merck in 1992 as vice president, general counsel and secretary of the Astra Merck Group and has held several senior management roles during his tenure with the company, including vice president of public affairs; assistant general counsel, corporate staff; senior vice president and general counsel; and executive vice president and president, Global Human Health.
Prior to joining Merck, Frazier was a partner with Philadelphia law firm Drinker Biddle & Reath. Frazier received a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and holds a juris doctor from Harvard Law
Jo Ann Jenkins leads the world’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization, harnessing the power and passion of almost 2,000 staff members, 60,000 volunteers and numerous strategic partners. Since joining the organization in 2010 and heading it since 2014, she has transformed AARP into a leader in social change, dedicated to empowering people to choose how they live and age.
Arnold W. Donald is Chief Executive Officer President of Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc since 2013. Previously, Donald was a Senior Executive at Monsanto where he held various positions in his 23 years there. He also led Merisante, a Chicago-based company. Mr. Donald received an M.B.A. from the University Of Chicago Graduate School Of Business in 1980, a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 1977, and a B.A. Degree in Economics from Carleton College in 1976.
Mr. Marvin R. Ellison has been the Chief Executive Officer of J. C. Penney Company, Inc. since August 1, 2015 and has been its Chairman since August 1, 2016. Mr. Ellison served as President of J. C. Penney Company, Inc. since November 1, 2014. He served as an Executive Vice President of U.S. Stores at The Home Depot, Inc. from August 25, 2008 to October 31, 2014 and wais responsible for the operations of the nearly 2,000 stores. With an extensive background in Operations, Loss Prevention and Process Improvement, Mr. Ellison has over 23 years of retail experience.