Women At The Top In Corporate America - Brief Article

Ebony, March, 2001

THE face of leadership in corporate America is changing. African-American women are making their way up the ladder of power to the top tier of the most successful companies in the United States. In positions such as CEO and corporate president, from the fields of finance, law and human resources, Sisters are occupying prestigious upper-management positions at some of the highest-revenue corporations in the country.

While Black women are making strides, it should be noted that they still have a long way to go in the quest for equality and power in corporate America. From Allstate to Xerox, the following pages include a representative group of Black women who are making decisions and making names for themselves in the corporate executive suites.

DEBORAH STEWART COLEMAN is president, CEO and chief operating officer of AutoAlliance International, a manufacturing venture owned by Ford Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Crop. Coleman was appointed to this position in September 1999 after serving as Ford's quality director for vehicle operations. The company, headquartered in Flat Rock, Mich., has roughly 3,000 employees and builds the Mazda 626 and Mercury Cougar.

PAULA A. SNEED is president of the e-commerce and consumer insights and communication divisions for Kraft Foods. Sneed, named to that position in August 1999, also is executive vice president of this giant in the packaged foods industry. Prior to her latest promotion, Sneed rose through the ranks of the company, which she joined in 1977.

MARIE C. JOHNS is Verizon president, Washington, D.C. She is responsible for all operations, external affairs, regulatory and financial matters in the District. Formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, Verizon is a $60 billion wireless communications company with more than 260,000 employees and more than 26 million customers.

BRENDA J. GAINES is president of Citicorp Diners Club North America, a division of Citigroup and a crucial franchise in the global $33 billion Citigroup Diners Club International. Gaines was recently appointed to the Citibank Canadian Board of Directors, and also serves on the Diners Club International Global Board. She was the deputy chief of staff for Chicago's former mayor, Harold Washington.

GABRIELLA E. MORRIS is president of the Prudential Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Prudential Insurance Company of America. She also serves as the corporate vice president of the Community Resources Unit of the insurance company. Morris, who joined Prudential in 1985, previously worked as an attorney in corporate and private practice.

MAXINE B. BAKER is president and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation. She also is vice president of community relations for Freddie Mac, a $24 billion corporation that supports home ownership and rental housing. Before running Freddie Mac's philanthropic program, Baker served in various leadership capacities since joining the company in 1982. The program has donated $95 million since 1991.

INGRID SAUNDERS JONES is chairwoman of The Coca-Cola Foundation, the charitable branch of The Coca-Cola Co. Jones also is senior vice president of corporate external affairs for the Atlanta-based beverage giant. In this post, she directs the vision and involvement of the company in community, philanthropic and civic affairs. Under her leadership, the foundation raised more than $100 million for education during the 1990s.

PAMELA THOMAS-GRAHAM is president and CEO of CNBC.com and executive vice president of NBC. Prior to joining CNBC.com in September 1999, Thomas-Graham worked for 10 years at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. She also is a best-selling mystery author.

RHONDA WOODARD is vice president and product manager, product operations, for the Allstate Insurance Company. The $27 billion company provides insurance for more than 14 million households.

GLENDA MCNEAL is vice president and general manager, new industries development in global establishment services at American Express. She develops and implements the company's strategy to increase charge volume, market share and profitability in emerging industries.

MIRIAN GRADDICK-WEIR is vice president, human resources, at AT&T, and a member of the company's senior leadership team. She oversees the design, planning and administration of the company's human resources programs for more than 160,000 employees.

GWENDOLYN GARNETT THOMAS is a senior vice president at Bank of America. A consumer real estate loan fulfillment executive, Thomas manages 1,000 associates in the Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Central regions of the United States.

BOBBIE GREGG is Bank One's director of compliance and a senior vice president. Prior to joining the Chicago-based corporation, she was an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois-Criminal Division.

VALENCIA I. ADAMS is chief operating officer of consumer services at Atlanta-based BellSouth. Adams plans, develops and implements strategies to service the residential market for the company's nine-state territory.