Black Business News

Spelman’s New Interim President Has Vast Fortune 500 Experience

Spelman alumna Rosalind Brewer, a Fortune 500 executive, steps in as interim president following Dr. Helene Gayle’s departure, bringing transformative leadership to the esteemed HBCU.
#SpelmanCollege #RosalindBrewer #HBCULeadership #BlackWomenLeaders #Fortune500 #HigherEducation #BlackExcellence #Trailblazer

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Rosalind “Roz” Brewer, who has headed several Fortune 500 companies, is serving as interim president at Atlanta’s Spelman College, now that Dr. Helene Gayle has said she does not plan to return to the presidency when her leave of absence ends.

Gayle’s presidency at Spelman dates back to 2022. According to news reports, Gayle did not explain why she initially left or why she won’t return. Now, Brewer occupies Spelman’s presidential suite, while its leaders work to elect the college’s next president.

“I join the trustees in extending my gratitude to Dr. Gayle for her service to this amazing institution,” Brewer said in a recent video announcement. “I’m also excited to continue my service as your interim president,” said Brewer, a Detroit native and Stanford Law School graduate.

“As I reflect on my first 30 days as your Interim President, I am filled with gratitude for the warm welcome and the opportunity to once again give back to this institution a modicum of what it has given to me over the years,” Brewer added.

The school’s new interim president is a 1984 Spelman graduate. Brewer has also held trailblazing executive positions at Kimberly-Clark, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Starbucks, and Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Brewer served as COO and group president of Starbucks. In 2015, Brewer served as CEO of Sam’s Club.

She made history when she was elected as the only Black member of the board of directors at Amazon in 2019. In September 2023, Brewer received a $9 million severance package and remained as a special adviser through February 2024, which pays her a monthly consulting fee of $375,000, Walgreens told Reuters when Brewer left her post.

Brewer is a former board of trustees chair at Spelman. She is also a part-owner of the Atlanta Falcons football team. She is married to John Brewer, a former investment banker. They have two adult children.

Gayle, Spelman’s outgoing president, succeeded the school’s former president, Mary Schmidt Campbell, who retired.