After Rosalind Brewer’s Walgreens exit, Thasunda Brown Duckett of TIAA is the only Black female CEO on the Fortune 500

Following Roz Brewer’s departure from Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., the S&P 500 is now without any Black female chief executives. It also means, Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), is the singular Black female CEO on the Fortune 500 roll.

Roz Brewer has served as WBA’s chief executive officer since March 2021. Walgreens named lead independent director Ginger Graham as interim chief while it searches for a permanent replacement. The company said, “The Board of Directors and Rosalind Brewer have mutually agreed that Ms. Brewer will step down as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as a member of the Board, as of 31 August 2023.”

“I am confident that WBA is on track to be a leading consumer-centric healthcare company, serving thousands of communities across the country, especially those that need access to healthcare the most,” Brewer said in a prepared statement.

She added: “This is perhaps one of the most difficult notes I have ever written over the course of my career,” Brewer wrote on LinkedIn, announcing the move. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead Walgreens Boots Alliance and to work alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues.”

Thasunda Brown Duckett, the only Black female CEO on the Fortune 500, is the President and CEO of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). Duckett joined the Jacksonville, Florida-based retirement provider and investment firm in 2021 after a 17-year career at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she ran the company’s consumer banking division. She is TIAA’s first female chief, and its third Black CEO ever.

In total, 7 Black CEOs helm companies on Fortune’s ranking—the highest since the 500’s debut in 1955. Below are the Black CEOs on the 2023 Fortune 500 list:

1. Marvin R. Ellison, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
   Tenure as CEO: Since July 2018
2. Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA
   Tenure as CEO: Since May 2021
3. Christopher C. Womack, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Company
   Tenure as CEO: Since May 2023
4. Calvin G. Butler Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Exelon Corporation
   Tenure as CEO: Since December 2022
5. Frank K. Clyburn, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
   Tenure as CEO: Since February 2022
6. David Rawlinson II., President & CEO of Qurate Retail, Inc.
   Tenure as CEO: Since October 2021
7. René F. Jones, chief executive officer of M&T Bank
   Tenure as CEO: Since December 2017

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