Thasunda Brown Duckett says she learned everything she needed to know about being a CEO at a young age.
The 52-year-old TIAA CEO told Wharton School graduates in 2023 that from early childhood, she honed one of her most crucial skills as a leader: her character.
“What I know today, as a leader, is that I rent my title, I own my character,” she said.
Duckett is the first woman to lead the $51 billion insurance company after taking the reins in 2021, and is one of only two Black women currently serving as Fortune 500 chief executives. In 1987, Duckett’s predecessor, Clifton Wharton made history as the first Black CEO of a major U.S. corporation when he took leadership of TIAA. However, despite the company’s substantial size, it was omitted from the Fortune 500 at the time.
The famed annual Fortune 500 list ranks the largest U.S. companies by revenue, representing approximately two-thirds of U.S. GDP. Since its debut in 1955, the Fortune 500 has tracked more than 2,000 CEO arrivals and departures.
However, underrepresented groups constitute a small percentage of leadership. Women hold 11% of CEO positions on the Fortune 500 list, accounting for some 55 companies, and a total 28 chief executives have been Black.
Among the current Fortune 500 cohort, only 11 companies are currently led by Black CEOs, representing just 2% of the largest U.S. corporations. It’s a record high, and has doubled since 2021. Fortune 500 companies led by Black CEOs collectively generated $427 billion in total revenues and had a combined market value of $405 billion.
Today, leaders of Fortune 500 companies control $21 trillion in revenues and oversee 30.5 million employees, and while 11 Black CEOs at the top is a new record, it remains a strikingly small share of corporate leadership. In contrast, the number of Black people living in the U.S. rose to 48.3 million in 2023, up 33% from 2000, according to Pew Research Center.
A 2021 McKinsey study that analyzed data from 24 companies covering approximately 3.7 million employees, found Black employees are represented in entry-level positions, but there is a significant underrepresentation at the managerial level. The study revealed Black employees make up 14% of the overall workforce, but only 7% of managers—half of their entry-level representation. At the VP, SVP, and senior manager levels, Black representation drops even further to between 4% to 5%, according to the report.
But who are the executives behind the desk? Meet the Black CEOs running the country’s largest companies.
Company: Fannie Mae
Years as CEO: 0.7
University attended: bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, University of Birmingham, England
Peter Akwaboah is serving as the acting chief executive officer of Fannie Mae after former CEO Priscilla Almodovar stepped down in late 2025. Fannie Mae ranked No. 26 on the Fortune 500 list.
Company: Lowe’s
Years as CEO: 8.0
University attended: bachelor’s degree in business administration, University of Memphis; MBA, Emory University
Marvin R. Ellison is the president, chief executive officer, and chairman of home improvement giant Lowe’s, which ranks No. 52 on the Fortune 500 list and generated $84 billion in revenue in 2025. Ellison became CEO of the home improvement company in 2018, following his stint as CEO of J.C. Penney, making him the first ever Black CEO to lead two different Fortune 500 companies.
A graduate of the University of Memphis, Ellison began his career earning just $4.35 per hour as a part-time employee at Target.
“I didn’t have great pedigree, I didn’t have an Ivy League education. I didn’t have any stellar international opportunities or stints on my résumé,” Ellison told FUBU founder and Shark Tank star Daymond John in a 2022 interview. “I’m competing against all of these exceptionally talented people on paper; I had to find a way to differentiate myself.”
Company: TIAA
Years as CEO: 5.1
University attended: bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing, University of Houston; MBA, Baylor University
Thasunda Brown Duckett is the president and chief executive officer of TIAA, which ranks No. 94 on the Fortune 500 and reported a revenue of $51 billion in 2025. Duckett was appointed CEO in 2021 and remains one of two Black women leading a Fortune 500 company.
In reflecting on her role as the first woman to lead TIAA in its over 100-year history, Duckett highlighted the rarity of her position as one of only four Black female CEOs in the history of the Fortune 500. She called it a “sisterhood” that includes executives like former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns (the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company), former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Roz Brewer, and current SAIC CEO Toni Townes-Whitley. Duckett acknowledged that progress is far from complete.
Company: Southern Company
Years as CEO: 3.1
University attended: bachelor of science in political science, Western Michigan University; masters in public administration; American University
Christopher C. Womack is the president, chairman, and CEO of Southern Company, an energy provider that ranks No. 152 on the Fortune 500 list. Womack was appointed CEO in 2023.
“I’ve always felt that if I want to see something change, if I want to make progress and make a difference, there are some things I have to do,” Womack told Tech Talk Business in an October 2024 interview. “I just can’t point to others. I have a personal responsibility to do that.”
Company: Exelon
Years as CEO: 3.5
University attended: bachelor of science in public relations and political science, Bradley University; J.D. in corporate and environmental, Washington University School of Law
Calvin Butler is the president and chief executive officer of Exelon, a company that ranks No. 189 on the Fortune 500 list. Butler was appointed CEO in 2023 and has been with Exelon since 2008.
In an October 2024 interview at the Fortune Impact Initiative, Butler shared his advice for the next generation of leaders: “Surround yourself with people who are more talented and smarter than you, and learn from them.”
Company: C.H. Robinson Worldwide
Years as CEO: 3.0
University attended: bachelor of science in manufacturing design, Bradley University; master of science in engineering management, Milwaukee School of Engineering
David P. Bozeman is the president and CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, a transportation and logistics company. He was appointed CEO in 2023 after joining the company from Ford Motor, where he served as vice president of customer service, and from Amazon, where he was vice president of transportation services. C.H. Robinson ranks No. 277 on the Fortune 500.
Company: DTE Energy
Years as CEO: 0.8
University attended: bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering; MBA, Wayne State University
Joi Harris serves as president and CEO of DTE Energy, assuming the role in September 2025 after serving as chief operating officer. DTE Energy ranks No. 285 on the Fortune 500.
“I don’t serve nameless, faceless people. I’m serving my family, my friends, my neighbors, and a community that helped shape me. And so that makes my job even more important. It really is more than just a job for me,” Harris said in an interview during the 2026 Detroit Policy Conference.
Company: Kohl’s
Years as CEO: 1.1
University attended: bachelor’s degree in economics, Stanford University; MBA in finance, marketing, and management policy, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
Michael Bender is the chief executive officer of Kohl’s, assuming the role in November 2025 after serving as interim CEO. The company ranks No. 289 on the Fortune 500 list.
Company: M&T Bank
Years as CEO: 8.5
University attended: bachelor of science in management science, Boston College; MBA, University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business
René F. Jones is the chief executive officer of M&T Bank, which ranks No. 334 on the Fortune 500 list. Jones joined M&T in 1992 under its Executive Associates Program, and worked his way up to chief financial officer in 2005, and then CEO in 2017.
In a February 2021 interview with Fortune, Jones said: “Job No. 1 is lifting up the next set of CEOs of color in the Fortune 500. We too often look to the Fortune 500’s largest companies, when, in fact, it’s probably very logical that the next leaders today sit outside the Fortune 500. And it’s our job to begin to find them and bring them along.”
Company: Henry Schein
Years as CEO: 0.3
University attended: bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, Tennessee Technological University; master of science in manufacturing management, Kettering University
Frederick M. Lowery is the chief executive officer of Henry Schein, a healthcare solutions company that ranks No. 335 on the Fortune 500 list. Lowery assumed the role in March 2026 after more than two decades at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he held a series of leadership positions, most recently serving as executive vice president and president of Laboratory Products and BioProduction.
Company: QVC Group
Years as CEO: 4.7
University attended: bachelor of arts in political science, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina; J.D., the University of South Carolina School of Law; M.B.A., Harvard Business School.
David L. Rawlinson II is the chief executive officer of QVC Group, the parent company of QVC and HSN. The company ranks No. 433 on the Fortune 500 list. Rawlinson became CEO in 2021.
In a June 2023 Fortune interview, Rawlinson shared: “Even in the dark days you have to be able to see through to the promise on the other side.”
A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on February 9, 2026.
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