Celebrating Black Corporate Leadership: 5 Women Breaking The Concrete Ceiling

When it comes to breaking the mold and shaking the table in the corporate world, Black women are no strangers to it. For decades, Black women have fought for rights and to be treated equally in the workforce, but they’ve always found a way to push through. In the corporate space, Black women have worked to dismantle barriers in the workplace, securing top positions while making up only four percent of C-suite leaders. Women across various corporate industries have brokered million-dollar deals and transformed global brands. Although there is still much progress to be made, we are still celebrating women like Sandra Douglass Morgan and Ursula Burns and all they’ve done to effect change in their industries. Here are five women who are shattering the concrete ceiling.

From Lawyer to NFL Team President, Sandra Douglass Morgan made history as the first Black and Asian woman to serve as an NFL team president. Morgan assumed the role of president of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. A pro at breaking barriers, Morgan was also the first Black person to serve as North Las Vegas’s City Attorney and the first person of color to take the helm of the Nevada Gaming Board. Following her graduation from law school, Morgan took a position as a litigation attorney for The Mirage casino resort. She has continued to climb the corporate ladder, carving out her own lane, while leaving the door open for Black women to break even more barriers. When speaking to CNBC, Morgan stated that her role as the Las Vegas Raiders’ president isn’t about being first.

“To me, the definition of success isn’t being first; it’s to have many, many others follow behind you,” she said. “It’s incredibly important to uplift and support the next generation of leaders. I don’t want sports or other male-dominated industries to be a trial anymore. I want it to be an eight-lane highway, open to all.”

Alexandria “Alex” Harris is a woman on a mission. Harris has many titles to her name, including Harvard-trained Lawyer, Author, Speaker, Founder, and Culture Architect. Harris currently serves as the Product Enablement Senior Program Manager at Google and is responsible for driving integration of Universal Product Development into Google’s product development and design life cycle. She is also responsible for leading engagement across teams. Prior to her current position, she also served as Global Head of Optimization Strategy at Google. Aside from Google, Harris is the founder and creator of SafeSpeed, the Human-Centered AI Scaling Model. SafeSpeed designs executive briefings and workforce workshops focused on practical AI integration, strategic clarity, and performance alignment. Harris also has the title of Author on her resume, with her upcoming book, “The Frequency of Her Skin.” The book is a sci-fi thriller set in America in 2051 and centers around themes such as memory, identity, and government power.

Cara Sabin serves as the CEO of Sundial Brands and manages popular brands such as SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and Emerge. Sabin has over 20 years of management experience, as well as extensive experience in business strategy, consumer marketing, and digital and innovation. Before her current position, Sabin had already made her mark in the beauty industry, holding roles at Johnson & Johnson and L’Oréal Paris. Sabin joined Sundial Brands as CEO in 2019 after its acquisition by Unilever. In 2022, her role expanded when she became President of Unilever North America’s Beauty & Wellbeing division. Since she took the helm at SheaMoisture, the company has continued to grow, cultivating multi-million-dollar grant programs and mentorship resources designed to help Black women entrepreneurs. She continues to be a force in business.

Dawn Kelly is the CEO and co-founder of The Nourish Spot, a growing wellness bar in Jamaica, Queens. Kelly co-founded the business with her two children, Owen and Jade Duncan, and has expanded the business by partnering with major companies and events such as the New York Liberty, the UTS, and the US Open, and will be extending The Nourish Spot to terminals five, six, seven, and eight at JFK. The Nourish Spot is known for offering quick-serve healthy food and beverages such as customizable smoothies, salads, natural juice blends, and more. The Howard University graduate spent 16 years at one of the top insurance companies, only to one day find out that her position had been eliminated. Before launching The Nourish Spot, Kelly took business classes and joined programs that were tailored for small businesses. Aside from The Nourish Spot, Kelly serves on the NYC Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Commission, the York College Foundation Board, and the NYC Hospitality Alliance. Kelly continues to be an advocate for uplifting communities through empowerment at the intersection of health and wellness.

Lauren Paige Woulard is a communications executive and community builder based in New Orleans. Woulard has over 15 years of experience managing publicity campaigns for major brands such as Paramount, MTV, OWN TV, and Comedy Central. In 2025, after being laid off from a prominent media company, Woulard returned to New Orleans and launched LPC Consulting to provide her expertise in entertainment, culture, sports, and lifestyle. She launched CultuHER, a space where vibrant and ambitious women of color could connect and pool their resources to work together. CultuHER is a community-based platform that is meant to uplift women and propel the community forward.