Rosalind ‘Roz’ Brewer: Black Woman CEO in Fortune 500

Hold on to your hats, because we’re about to embark on a journey, following in the remarkable footsteps of none other than Rosalind “Roz” Brewer. She’s a powerhouse, a dynamite, a real-life titan disrupting the corporate world. Her success is no accident, it’s the legacy of her hardworking parents who set the bar high, achieving impressive careers at General Motors. Especially noteworthy is Brewer’s father, who, lacking the luxury to get his high school diploma, still carved out a respectable managerial role for himself in the auto industry. This, my friends, is where our Roz’s story begins.

Her parents’ emphasis on hard work and achieving goals, despite the hurdles, fuelled her ambition. She set out, winning one milestone after another, starting with her studies at Spelman College and coming out with a degree in chemistry in 1984. But Brewer was far from done. She took her academic journey further at the Director’s College at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

What makes Brewer’s journey truly inspirational, however, is not just her corporate accolades. Sure, she disrupted the norms, rose above the ranks, and shattered glass ceilings. But more importantly, it’s about how she exemplified resilience and arms her audience – particularly the underrepresented communities – with the lessons and takeaways from her own life. After all, every success story, including Brewer’s, starts with a dream, a dedication to pursuing that dream, and, most fundamentally, the grit to handle setbacks along the way. So here’s to you, Roz Brewer, keep inspiring us, and we’ll keep following your lead.