If You Can See It, You Can Be It - Why We're Starting 'Leading in the B-Suite'

For two decades, my grandfather (pictured here) was a laborer at Exxon’s Baton Rouge, La., refinery, cleaning chemical storage tanks with his Black colleagues, who were segregated from the White work crews. My grandfather and I never met – he died before I was born – but he instilled in my father the importance of hard work and a belief that being employed by an oil company was a good thing. My father passed those values on to me, and I have worked hard to live up to them, becoming the first Black female corporate officer in the 140-year history of Chevron Corporation.  

My 26 years with Chevron have been exhilarating and, at times, excruciatingly lonely. I’ve been able to learn, grow and make a difference in each role I’ve had. However, in virtually every business unit I’ve worked in, there were few people who looked like me. There were certainly no Black female leaders, which has made me an “only” or a “double only” most of my career. Unfortunately, this a common experience for many employees who are part of underrepresented groups. 

The energy industry has changed significantly since my grandfather’s day – the percentage of women and ethnically diverse employees is increasing. But we still have work to do. Companies like mine recognize and champion the value of a diverse and inclusive workforce. 

That’s why I believe mentors and role models are vitally important. The old saying, “If you can see it, you can be it,” is true. Because Black women leaders were non-existent in my immediate circle, I looked for role models outside my company and in other industries. I followed the careers of inspirational leaders like Ann Fudge, a Kraft Foods EVP who ultimately became the CEO of Young and Rubicam Brands. On occasion, I would reach out to Black women profiled in magazines like Black Enterprise, Essence and Ebony and, without fail, they always responded.  

I also read the Sunday NY Times Corner Office column as a source of leadership inspiration and was struck by the number of Black CEOs and executives who were profiled, including the late Bernard Tyson, the former Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente; Robert Johnson, the co-founder of BET; and Ursula Burns, the former Xerox CEO. Sometimes I would write to them, as well, and thank them for their insightful comments and for sharing their stories.

In 2019, to my surprise, I started getting some media attention. I was extremely flattered to be featured in Black Enterprise’s “Women of Power” and Savoy’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America,” and to be interviewed by former New York Times Corner Office columnist, Adam Bryant, for his CHRO series on LinkedIn. I never imagined that the granddaughter of a laborer and daughter of an auto mechanic and school teacher would be profiled like the people I read about throughout my career.  

After that first interview, Adam and I had many more conversations, and we became fast friends. We had discussions about leadership, race and gender inequality, and many more issues. Following the horrible events of this year, Adam and I asked ourselves what, if anything, we could do to advance the conversation about race in America, particularly in corporate America.  

Our answer was to hear directly from Black executives in a new interview series called “Leading in the B-Suite," and yes, that’s “B” as in Black. Adam was kind enough to invite me to join him as a guest interviewer in speaking with accomplished Black executives about the headwinds they have faced in their careers, as well as the tailwinds they relied on to help navigate them. We will also explore what they think can and should be done to increase the ranks of Black executives in the C-Suite.  

Conversations about race and racism, especially in business, are uncomfortable for a lot of people. Our goal is to help make those conversations less uncomfortable by simply having the conversations, perhaps making it easier for others to start them, as well.  

While these discussions will focus on Black business leaders and their experiences, it is my hope that they will inspire and educate readers, of all races, genders and backgrounds. Overcoming adversity and achieving success are experiences that all of us can relate to, learn from and strive for.  

I’m looking forward to joining Adam for these discussions and to sharing the stories and perspectives of these inspiring leaders with you. We will all learn a lot through the course of this project.