Historically black colleges and universities are known as the dominant institutes that educate leaders in our community. From producing some of the most successful doctors, lawyers, politicians, entertainment leaders and entrepreneurs, HBCUs have a long history of educating some of our nation’s brightest professionals. Yet, many of these institutions rarely get recognition for their contribution to America’s workforce, as schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton are always mentioned. In response, we’ve rounded up a list of prominent black executives whose HBCU education surely shaped them to be the business leaders they are today.
John W. Thompson
As a graduate of Florida A&M University, John W. Thompson currently serves as the first black chairman of Microsoft Corporation and is the CEO of Virtual Instruments. Before joining the board at Microsoft, he was the vice president at IBM and the CEO of Symantec Corporation.
Rosalind Brewer
Serving as the first woman and African American to hold a CEO position at one of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. business units, Rosalind Brewer is the president and CEO of Sam’s Club and a proud Spelman College alum.
Earl G. Graves, Sr.
Known as the founder of Black Enterprise magazine and the chairman of Earl G. Graves, Ltd. media company, Mr. Graves is a proud graduate of Morgan State University.
He also serves as the director of Aetna and an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America.
Oprah Winfrey
An alum of Tennessee State University, Oprah Winfrey is the chairman and CEO of Harpo Productions and the CEO of Oprah Winfrey Network.
Nicole Bernard
Serving as the executive vice president of Fox Audience Strategy, Nicole Bernard is a proud Howard University graduate. She is tasked with improving the company’s diversity efforts across all platforms and is even responsible for launching the Fox-HBCU alliance, which works to recruit more diverse talent in entertainment.
Joyce M. Roché
Working as a director of AT&T Inc. and the president and CEO of Girls Incorporated, Joyce M. Roché is a graduate of Dillard University.
Will Packer
As a magna cum laude graduate of Florida A&M University, Will Packer is a filmmaker and producer, and the founder of his self-titled million dollar production company.
His awards and career accolades landed him on Black Enterprise’s September 2014 cover, solidifying his status as a force to be reckoned with in the film industry.
Janice Bryant Howroyd
As the founder and CEO of ACT-1 Group, which is the largest minority-owned employment agency in the U.S., Janice Bryant Howroyd is a proud alum of North Carolina A&T University.
Sean Combs
Sean Combs, popularly known as Diddy, is the CEO of Bad Boy Records and the founder of Revolt TV. He is also a proud former student of Howard University.