Chief Executive Officers

A Chief Executive Officer is tasked with implementing the strategic goals and objectives of the organization, provide direction and leadership toward the achievement of the organization's philosophy, mission, strategy, and its annual goals and objectives. This is achieved through creating culture, governance and accountability and overall transparency.

• Ronald A. Williams Profile
  
  Ronald A. Williams is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna. In 2002, Mr. Williams was named President and joined Aetna's Board. He was named CEO in February 2006 and Chairman of the Board in October 2006. Throughout his Aetna career, Mr. Williams has been outspoken in making the business case for quality in health care.
• Richard D. Parsons Profile
  
  Richard D. Parsons is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner. Before becoming CEO, Mr. Parsons served as the company's Co-Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Parsons joined Time Warner as its President in February 1995, and has been a member of the company's Board of Directors since January 1991. Before joining Time Warner, Mr. Parsons was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dime Bancorp, one of the largest thrift institutions in the United States.
• Kenneth I. Chenault Profile
  
  Kenneth I. Chenault is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company. Mr. Chenault joined American Express in 1981 as Director of Strategic Planning. In 1989, he was named President of the Consumer Card Group. In 1993, Mr. Chenault was promoted to President of American Express Travel Related Services (TRS) in the United States, with responsibility for the Consumer Card Group, Consumer Financial Services, Travel Services Group and Establishment Services.
• John W. Thompson Profile
  
  John W. Thompson is chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Symantec Corporation. Under Thompson’s leadership, Symantec has grown from a small consumer software publisher to a global leader in infrastructure software. Prior to joining Symantec, Thompson had a distinguished career with the IBM Corporation where he held senior executive positions in sales, marketing and software development.
• Clarence Otis Jr. Profile
  
  Clarence Otis Jr. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Darden Restaurants. Darden Restaurants is the largest publicly traded casual dining restaurant company in the world, based on market share and revenues from company-owned restaurants. They serve more than 300 million meals annually at 1,427 restaurants in 49 states and Canada. Otis joined Darden as vice president and treasurer, and was soon named chief financial officer.
• Ann M. Fudge Profile
  
  Ann M. Fudge is former Chairwoman and CEO of Young & Rubicam. Prior to joining Young & Rubicam, Ms. Fudge worked at General Mills and at General Foods, where she served in a number of positions including president of Kraft General Foods' Maxwell House Coffee Company and president of Kraft's Beverages, Desserts and Post Divisions.
• Aylwin Lewis Profile
  
  Aylwin Lewis is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sears Holding Corporation. Sears Holdings was created in connection with the merger of Kmart Holding Corporation and Sears, Roebuck and Co, which was completed on March 24, 2005. The company generates $55 billion in annual revenues and includes 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores and related service businesses in the United States and Canada.
• Colette Phillips Profile
  
  Colette Phillips is president and CEO, Colette Phillips Communications, Boston's first successful PR and marketing firm owned by a person of color. She has succeeded in her business for nearly twenty years by building alliances that help clients meet their goals and objectives, as well as by leading successful communications programs that reach all target audiences.
• Stanley O'Neal Profile
  
  Mr. E. Stanley O'Neal is the former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President at Merrill Lynch. He became Chief Executive Officer of the company in December 2002 and was elected Chairman in April 2003. Mr. O'Neal has held a series of increasingly responsible positions since joining the company in 1986 as vice president of investment banking. He was named President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2001 and served as President of Merrill Lynch's U.S. Private Client group
• Steven A. Davis Profile
  
  Steven A. Davis serves as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Bob Evans Farms. Before joining the company in 2006, Davis worked at Yum Brands, where he had been president of Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food Restaurants since 2002. Previously, Davis served in a variety of operations management and other executive positions in Yum Brands' Pizza Hut division...
• John Muleta Profile
  
  John Muleta is Co-founder and CEO of M2Z Networks. Previously he was the co-chair of the Communications Group of Venable LLC. Prior to Venable, Mr. Muleta was chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Prior to his most recent appointment at the FCC, Mr. Muleta was the president and CEO of Source 1 Technologies...
• Catherine L. Hughes Profile
  
  Catherine L. Hughes is the founder and chairperson of Radio One, the largest African American owned and operated broadcast company in the nation. Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1947, Catherine Hughes attended Creighton University and University of Nebraska. Around 1969 she began working at KOWH, a black radio station in Omaha.
• James Bruce Llewellyn Profile
  
  James Bruce Llewellyn is Chairman of the Board and CEO of The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Llewellyn was born in Harlem, his parents having immigrated to America from Jamaica. After serving in the United States Army, at age 21 he opened a retail store in Harlem and attended college at the same time, earning a Bachelor’s degree from The City University of New York. Llewellyn received his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 1960 and also earned an M.B.A. degree at Columbia University...
• John W. Rogers Profile
  
  John W. Rogers is Founder and CEO of Ariel Capital Management, a money management firm that has grown from 2 to 100 employees with more than $19 billion in assets under management. Prior to founding Ariel Capital Management, John W. Rogers, Jr. worked for the investment banking firm of William Blair & Company. Mr. Rogers investment expertise has brought him to the forefront of media attention in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, USA Today, and Barron’s.
• Rodney O'Neal Profile
  
  Rodney O'Neal is chief executive officer and president of Delphi Corporation. He was previously president and chief operating officer. He is responsible for all Delphi operating units, its three regional operations, Sales & Marketing, Global Purchasing and Logistics, and the company's business support and service staffs. O'Neal began his automotive career at General Motors in 1971 as a student at GMI (currently Kettering University).
• Lloyd H. Dean Profile
  
  Lloyd H. Dean is president and chief executive officer of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW). With over 20 years in healthcare operations and leadership experience, Mr. Dean is responsible for overall management, strategy and direction of CHW’s integrated health care system of 42 acute care hospitals, ancillary services, home health care and medical group foundations in California, Arizona and Nevada.
• Scott Syphax Profile
  
  Scott Syphax is the President and CEO of Nehemiah Corporation of America, a Sacramento based non-profit founded in 1997. NCC is one of the largest non-profit community development corporations in the country with over $187 million in annual revenues. Previously, Mr. Syphax was Manager of Public Affairs for Eli Lilly & Company.
• Monica Reed Profile
  
  Monica Reed, M.D. is CEO of Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Dr. Monica Reed is a graduate of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, she is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who has dedicated her medical career to promoting health, healing and wellness. In 1992, with a passion to reach a broader audience than her patients in the examination room, Dr. Reed became the Associate Director of Florida Hospital’s Family Practice Residency Program helping to train physicians in all aspects of female health.
• Robert L. Johnson Profile
  
  Mr. Robert L. Johnson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Companies, where he owns or holds interests in companies operating in the professional sports, hospitality, real estate, gaming, banking and financial services, and film production industries. Mr. Johnson is the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom and the leading African-American operated media and entertainment company in the United States, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until January 2006.
• Delano E. Lewis Profile
  
  Delano E. Lewis is a former CEO of Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) . He was born on November 12, 1938, in Arkansas City, Kansas, and was raised in Kansas City, Kansas. He received a B.A. degree in Political Science and History from the University of Kansas in 1960. He was awarded the Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1963 from Washburn University School of Law. In 1963, he was appointed as a staff attorney for the US Department of Justice.
• Bradley T. Sheares Profile
  
  Dr. Bradley T. Sheares is Chief Executive Officer of Reliant Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Sheares joined Reliant Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company with integrated sales, marketing and development expertise that markets a portfolio of branded cardiovascular pharmaceutical products, as Chief Executive Officer in January 2007. Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Sheares served as President of U.S. Human Health, Merck & Co. from March of 2001 until July 2006.
• Cleve L. Killingsworth Profile
  
  Cleve L. Killingsworth, Jr. became President and Chief Executive Officer of Health Alliance Plan in January 1998. He also served as Executive Vice President of Insurance and Managed Care for the Henry Ford Health System until joining the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Plan in Massachusetts late last year. Killingsworth has devoted his career to health care management, previously serving as President of three separate regional divisions for Kaiser Permanente...
• Floretta Dukes McKenzie Profile
  
  Floretta Dukes McKenzie is chair and CEO of The McKenzie Group, a comprehensive education consulting firm to both public and private organizations. Dr. McKenzie has a distinguished 40-year record of service to K through 12 and higher education, including significant experience in educational research, planning, and policy analysis.
• Don Barden Profile
  
  Don Barden is chairman and CEO of Barden Companies, the Majestic Star Casino, Waycor Development Company and Namibia, Africa-based Barden International. His Detroit-based conglomerate operates in the casino, real estate development and entertainment industries. In 1994, Barden sold his successfully built, owned and operated cable television system, Barden cablevision, to Comcast Cable in excess of $100 million...
• Don King Profile
  
  Donald "Don" King is CEO of Don King Production. He is best known for his hairstyle and flamboyant personality. King entered the boxing world in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. After convincing Muhammad Ali to box a charity exhibition for a local hospital, with the help of singer Lloyd Price, King began one of history's most successful careers in boxing promotion.
• Ernest A. Bates Profile
  
  Dr. Ernest A. Bates is Founder and CEO of American SharedHospital Services. The company is a publicly traded healthcare company with corporate offices in San Francisco that provides services to hospitals in 22 states. Dr. Bates is currently Emeritus Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Johns Hopkins University and a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Rochester...
• Maurice B. Tose Profile
  
  Maurice B. Tose is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of TeleCommunication Systems. He founded the company in 1987 and has been a director and Chairman of the Board since then. Prior to founding TeleCommunication Systems, Mr. Tose was the Director of Department of Defense Programs for Techmatics, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
• W. Don Cornwell Profile
  
  W. Don Cornwell is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Granite Broadcasting Corporation. Mr. Cornwell's career spans over 30 years. He previously served as Vice President Investment Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. While at Goldman Sachs, Cornwell was engaged in public and private financing of publicly traded and privately owned companies, with a primary focus on consumer product and media companies.
• Donald V. Watkins Profile
  
  Donald V. Watkins is president of Donald V. Watkins PC and is the founder & chairman of Alamerica Bank. Watkins entered the entrepreneurial world with his purchase of a major equity stake in 1998 in Masada Oxynol, a privately-held waste-to-ethanol energy technology and development company based in Birmingham, Alabama. The Masada family of six companies is also managed by Watkins.
• Earvin Johnson Profile
  
  Earvin "Magic" Johnson is chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Development Corporation and Magic Johnson Enterprises. Johnson Development Corporation is dedicated to urban revitalization by providing entertainment complexes, restaurants and retail centers in underserved communities nationwide. The company operates 103 Starbucks nationwide, and has also opened six AMC Magic Johnson Theater complexes across the United States.
• Jame E. Nevels Profile
  
  Jame E. Nevels is the founder and chairman of The Swarthmore Group. He has more than twenty-four years experience in the securities and investment industry. He is an honors (cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) graduate of Bucknell University, and holds an A.B. degree in Political Science and Philosophy, and a M.B.A. degree from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
• Kelvin R. Westbrook Profile
  
  Kelvin R. Westbrook is the President, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Millennium Digital Media, which is a privately held company in the business of providing cable television, high-speed Internet access, and other broadband telecommunications services. Prior to founding Millennium Digital Media in 1997, Mr. Westbrook founded and served as the President and Chairman of LEB Communications...
• Robin C. Brooks Profile
  
  Robin C. Brooks is the Chairman, CEO and majority owner of Brooks Food Group, which operates two food processing plants. Both plants process and market poultry, appetizers and specialty frozen foods that are sold to the foodservice industry with emphasis on restaurant chains. Prior to pursuing the acquisition of the Brooks’ family-owned companies, Ms. Brooks provided strategic business planning and transaction advisory services for numerous Fortune 1000 clients...
• Arnold Donald Profile
  
  Arnold Donald is the former chairman and CEO of Merisant Company, producer of the leading tabletop sweetener Equal and Nutra Sweet. Prior to assuming leadership of Merisant, Donald was a senior executive at Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Mo. He joined Monsanto in industrial chemical sales in 1977 and worked in increasingly challenging roles in his 20 plus years with the company.
• Pamela Thomas Graham Profile
  
  Pamela Thomas-Graham is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of CNBC. She was responsible for CNBC's operations worldwide, including programming, business development and the brand synergy across CNBC's television and Internet platforms. Prior to assuming this role, Thomas-Graham served as President and Chief Operating Officer of CNBC.
• Ted W. Love Profile
  
  Ted W. Love is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nuvelo. Dr. Love was appointed president and chief executive officer of Nuvelo, Inc. in March 2001, having been appointed president and chief operating officer of the company in January 2001. He has served as a director of the company since February 2001 and became chairman of the board in September 2005.
• Kevin Cohee Profile
  
  Kevin Cohee is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OneUnited Bank. It is currently the largest Black-owned bank, first Black-owned internet bank and first Black-owned interstate bank in America with over $550 million in assets. The Bank's mission is to be the premier bank serving urban communities by offering affordable financial services and promoting financial literacy and wealth building.
• Ernie Adair Profile
  
  Ernie Adair is Chairman and CEO of the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association (NBMOA) which was founded in 1972 as a self-help organization for African American Owners of McDonald’s restaurants. Today, NBMOA boast a membership of more than 340 Owners operating nearly 1,300 restaurants throughout the United States, South Africa and the Caribbean.
• Patricia Winans Profile
  
  Patricia Winans is the Chairwoman and CEO of Magna Securities, a full service brokerage institution. Prior to forming MAGNA Securities Corp., she held a number of prominent industry positions including serving as Vice President at Rauscher Pierce Refnes, Greenwich Partners and M. R. Beal & Company. From 1996 to 1997 she served as talk show host of Wall Street 101, a national Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) program covering various Wall Street topics from an educational point of view.
• Glenn Edward Best Profile
  
  Glenn Edward Best received his B.A. in Economics from Colgate University, Hamilton, NY in 1973, and was admitted as one of eighteen minority students. As a young man from Brooklyn, NY, he was awarded the prestigious National Achievement Scholarship and the New York State Regents Scholarship. Mr. Best began his career as a broker and analyst at Weinberg Bros. /American Futures, one of Wall Street’s oldest commodity firms and the founder of the International Monetary Market.
• Quintin E. Primo III Profile
  
  Mr. Primo has an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and B.S. degree in Finance with Honors from Indiana University. Capri was founded as a real estate investment firm in 1992, with financial backing from the respected international property consultancy, Chesterton International plc. The original firm, Carter Primo Chesterton, L.P., was formed to capitalize on investment opportunities that were being missed by the broader institutional investor market. In December 1997, the financial partner was bought out, and the firm's name was changed to Capri Capital.