Running The Show: Get To Know These Top Black CEOs
In 2025, the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and attacks on Civil Rights-era policies were unprecedented, as chains like Target and Walmart quickly scaled back initiatives meant to diversify their workforce and connect to their consumers.
Corporate America quietly dissembled their diversity office; it erased language from websites, and treated inclusion like a PR risk instead of a business mandate. That backlash sits atop other recent rollbacks—like the gutting of the Voting Rights Act’s protections—that have already weakened the civil rights infrastructure meant to shield Black political and economic power.
According to a 2021 McKinsey study, only 7% of managers are Black, and that representation dips to between 4% to 5% when it comes to senior roles like VPs and SVPs.
So for many, these years of corporate support (see 2020’s Black boxes on Instagram) felt phony as companies chose to respond to a political climate that continues to reveal itself as anti-Black.
So when a Black CEO takes the reins of a Fortune 500 company or any major institution, it’s more than a flex for LinkedIn.
While the leaders in this list manage billions of dollars in revenue, as the McKinsey study above points out, they still occupy a tiny fraction of corner offices, a reminder that there’s still work to be done.
However, when done correctly, who says representation can’t be a strategy? For countless numbers of young Black workers climbing the corporate rungs, visibility is a powerful reminder of what’s possible.
These 16 Black leaders are doing double duty: running companies and holding the line on the idea that corporate America should look like the country it profits from.
Their leadership signals something simple but radical: we’re still here, still leading—and still not asking for permission.
Peter Akwaboah, Fannie Mae
Peter Akwaboah leads Fannie Mae, helping steer one of the country’s most influential housing finance giants as acting CEO.
Craig Arnold, Eaton
Craig Arnold chairs and leads Eaton, a power management company where decisions touch everything from EVs to industrial infrastructure.
Michael Bender, Kohl’s
At Kohl’s, Michael Bender leads the efforts to make a legacy retailer relevant in a brutal, rapidly changing shopping landscape.
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David P. Bozeman, C.H. Robinson Worldwide
As CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, David P. Bozeman is responsible for moving goods around the globe through one of the largest logistics networks in the game.
Rosalind "Roz" Brewer, Walgreens Boots Alliance
Rosalind “Roz” Brewer, former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO, remains one of the most visible Black women to have led a Fortune 500 company, setting a precedent for who belongs in the C-suite.
Calvin Butler, Exelon
Calvin Butler heads Exelon, overseeing a massive power provider at the center of the clean-energy transition.
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Thasunda Brown Duckett, TIAA
Thasunda Brown Duckett leads TIAA, one of the only Black women running a Fortune 500 firm and responsible for safeguarding millions of people’s retirement futures.
Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s
Marvin Ellison runs Lowe’s, making history as the only person to serve as CEO of two different Fortune 500 companies.
Joi Harris, DTE Energy
Joi Harris is CEO of DTE Energy, one of just a handful of Black women to helm a Fortune 500 company.
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Janice Bryant Howroyd, ActOne
Janice Bryant Howroyd built and leads ActOne, a global staffing firm she grew as the first Black woman to own a billion-dollar business.
Paul Mola, Roswell Biotechnologies
As the founder, CEO, and President of Roswell Biotechnologies, Paul Mola is in charge of pushing forward DNA-based tech in an industry where Black leadership is still rare.
Toni Newman, Black AIDS Institute
Toni Newman, former CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, has led with a focus on racial justice and health equity in HIV advocacy.
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David L. Rawlinson II, QVC Group
David L. Rawlinson II leads QVC Group, overseeing a global retail and media brand that reaches millions of households.
Robert F. Smith, Vista Equity
Robert F. Smith leads Vista Equity Partners, a private equity powerhouse focused on software and tech investments.
Christopher C. Womack, Southern
As the CEO, chairman, and president of Southern, Christopher C. Womack guides one of the nation's leading energy providers serving 9 million customers and businesses nationwide.
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