A revealing look at who leads—and who still doesn’t—at publicly traded U.S. companies
As we observe Juneteenth—America’s true Independence Day for all—we’re reminded that freedom delayed is freedom denied. June 19th marks the day in 1865 when news of emancipation finally reached the enslaved people of Texas, more than two full years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is a day of celebration, but also of reckoning—with history, inequality, and the unfinished work of justice.
Today, Juneteenth is a stock market holiday, yet the corporate world it momentarily pauses remains far from equal. black Americans—who helped build the foundations of American capitalism—remain deeply underrepresented in corporate leadership, especially at the highest levels of publicly traded companies that us traders analyze every single day. In honor of Juneteenth, we’ve compiled a list of current black C‑level executives at NASDAQ- and NYSE-listed companies, to both spotlight progress and underscore how far we still must go.
This is not just a tally—it is a reflection of who gets to lead in America, whose voices shape our economy, and what true equity will require.
Despite some gains—like the doubling of Black-led Fortune 500 CEOs from four to eight since 2020—progress is painfully slow and inconsistent. As of 2025, just about 4% of C‑suite roles at Top‑100 public companies are held by black executives—down from nearly 6% in 2020. Black men hold 2.5% and black women just 1.6% of those roles currently. Across all senior management at Fortune 500 firms, black leaders occupy only 5% of the positions, significantly below their 13% share of the U.S. workforce. Finally, only 1% of Fortune 500 CIOs are black and overall black C‑suite executive representation sits around 8%—well short of parity.
🏢 Black C‑Suite Leadership Across U.S. Public Companies
🔹 Chief Executive Officers (CEO)
Thasunda Brown Duckett – President & CEO, TIAA (NYSE: TIAA)
Marvin R. Ellison – President & CEO, Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW)
Frank Clyburn – CEO, International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE: IFF)
David Rawlinson II – President & CEO, Qurate Retail Group (NASDAQ: QRTEA)
René F. Jones – Chairman & CEO, M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB)
Toni Townes‑Whitley – CEO, SAIC (NYSE: SAIC)
Calvin Butler Jr. – CEO, Exelon (NASDAQ: EXC)
💼 Chief Financial Officers (CFO)
Mark Mason – CFO, Citigroup (NYSE: C)
Patrick Villanova – CFO, BlackLine (NASDAQ: BL)
🧑💻 Chief Technology or Data Officers (CTO or CDO)
Jeff C. Jensen – CTO, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK)
Aaron LaBerge – CTO, Penn Entertainment (NASDAQ: PENN)
Arun Raghupathy, Ph.D. – Co‑Founder & CTO, NextNav (NASDAQ: NN)
Ime Archibong – VP Product & Head of Messenger, Meta (NASDAQ: META)
Anita Lynch – Chief Data Officer, Nasdaq‑traded firm
Patrick Terry – Chief Data Officer, PRA Group (NASDAQ: PRAA)
Nate Murray – Chief Data Officer, Fifth Third Bank (NASDAQ‑listed)
✉️ Chief Marketing Officers (CMO)
Dara Treseder – CMO, Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK)
Frank Cooper III – CMO, Visa (NYSE: V)
Kenny Mitchell – CMO, Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI)
Sadé Muhammad – CMO, TIME (via public operating partnership)
⚖️ Chief Legal Officers (CLO)
Carlos Brown – EVP & CLO, Dominion Energy (NYSE: D)
April Miller Boise – EVP, CLO & Secretary, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC)
Jamal Haughton – EVP, General Counsel, Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR)
Christopher J. Meade – GC & CLO, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK)
Angelique Strong Marks – CLO & Secretary, Cars.com (NASDAQ: CARS)
Diego A. Rotsztain – Chief Governance & Legal Officer, StoneX (NASDAQ: SNEX)
👥 Chief Human Resources Officers (CHRO)
Lucien Alziari – EVP & CHRO, Prudential (NYSE: PRU)
Rhonda Morris – VP & CHRO, Chevron (NYSE: CVX)
Malaika Myers – CHRO, Hyatt Hotels (NYSE: H)
Ola Snow – CHRO, Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH)
Ty Breland – EVP & CHRO, Marriott (NASDAQ: MAR)
Jacqueline M. Welch – EVP & CHRO, New York Times (NYSE: NYT)
Frank Lopez – EVP & CHRO, Ryder (NYSE: R)
Ann A. Adams – CHRO, Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC)
⚙️ Chief Operating Officers (COO)
Stuart Williams – COO, Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE)
Jonathan Ginsberg – COO, Black Hawk Acquisition (NASDAQ: BKHAU)
Yvonne Greenstreet – Former COO & now CEO, Alnylam (NASDAQ: ALNY)
🛡️ Chief Risk Officers (CRO)
Mark Maurer – CRO, StoneX Group (NASDAQ: SNEX)
Richard Blackburn – Group CRO & Compliance, HSBC (NYSE: HSBC)
As we commemorate Juneteenth—a day that represents long-overdue freedom for some and a call to conscience for all—we must confront the reality that true corporate emancipation has yet to arrive. Despite inspiring leaders now holding C-suite positions, black professionals continue to face systemic barriers to top leadership at publicly traded companies.
We’ve seen progress, but it’s uneven. Representation is rising, but only slowly. Eight black CEOs in the Fortune 500 is better than four—but far from enough. Equity cannot be a side initiative; it must be a strategic imperative. Symbolic gestures must give way to sustained, measurable action: leadership pipelines, accountability structures, and inclusive capital access.
As investors, stakeholders, and citizens, we have a role to play. Every vote cast for a board member, every ESG screen applied, every shareholder resolution supported is a chance to push the market closer to reflecting the diverse society it serves. On this Juneteenth, let’s reaffirm our commitment to an economy—and a corporate leadership structure—that reflects independence for all, not just for some.