From the deep South to the vineyard

Integration, journalism, law, and an MBA in Bordeaux

I was part of a group of young African American kids who integrated Ramsay High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Surprisingly I adjusted to these new surroundings and even became Features Editor of our high school newspaper.

After graduating I attended Colorado Women’s College where I majored in French, studied journalism and was Editor in Chief of our campus newspaper, the Western Graphic. I graduated with a BA degree. Next I received a JD degree from Boston University School of Law, and years later I added an MBA from the Bordeaux School of Management — now Kedge Business School — in France.

From the embassy to the boardroom

My career began as a diplomat at the US State Department in Washington DC, where my law background came in handy in my embassy assignments abroad. I then served as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate, working on international trade policy.

My career blossomed when I took my skill set into the private sector, extending my experience into corporate public affairs, environmental sustainability, public relations, and communications. I have held leadership positions in top tier organizations, including The Eastman Kodak Company as vice president, where I led global public affairs, and Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle, as senior vice president over global Corporate Responsibility, ethical procurement, and the Starbucks Foundation.

Not a response to a crisis — the way a business runs

When companies thought of social responsibility it was in the context of doing something after a crisis… So social responsibility was basically making restitution for bad things you have done. But if you haven’t done anything wrong, you had nothing to worry about. And that was pretty much my mindset too.

The evolution of CSR today requires a company to make a top-level commitment to the principles of treating the people and the planet well and then integrating these principles across the entire supply chain into everything you do. It’s not about responding to a crisis. It’s way more than installing energy-efficient lightbulbs in headquarters.

I believe that if every company assessed its entire chain from the raw materials through to the end of life of the product… if companies just did that and never gave a dime in terms of philanthropy, they could make a huge difference in the world.