Dr. Jacque Colbert’s agenda is clear, as she has amassed titles such as Senior Human Resources Leadership, Global Vice President and Head of People Experience, Army Veteran, Founder, Inspirational Speaker, experienced HR executive, a breast cancer survivor, the oldest of eight siblings, and most importantly, mother.
Dr. Jacque work career speaks for itself. She is able to navigate leadership roles at Google, Dell Technologies, and ConocoPhillips. She’s led a global team supporting more than 100,000 employees worldwide. Dr. Jacque credits her U.S. Army service with the values that still guide her: resilience, service, and gratitude.
Dr. Jacque is a two-time Congressional Award recipient, a CW39 Remarkable Woman Finalist, and a board member of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce; and for a fun balance, she is also an avid drummer, dancer, and fitness enthusiast who has taught countless boot-camp and exercise-fusion classes.
Her Agenda: Let’s start from the beginning, where would you say the origin of your ambitions and tenacity began?
Dr. Jacque Colbert: I would say it started in childhood. To begin, my story started in Guyana, formerly British Guyana. One of eight children, and as the oldest girl, I found myself just really glad that that’s how God made things happen. So at an early age, I had big responsibilities for mothering, taking care of chores, just being behind my mom and being second in command, so to speak. And today I still am second in command.
Her Agenda: What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of your career thus far?
Dr. Jacque Colbert: The most challenging aspect of my career, I think, is the blow that the pandemic dealt to so many of us. And I wouldn’t dare say that I’m in an isolated boat by myself navigating the pandemic. I was hired into Google right when the pandemic started. At the time, I was doing everything remotely, and I’m so grateful that I stepped into a place where I was able to bring new ideas of how to work remotely and how to get things done. And there I say, I am so humbled by the amount of progress that I was able to drive across Google and to really help people during a time of tremendous uncertainty; Uncertainty for me, uncertainty for the team that I was leading, and a great degree of uncertainty for the company at that time. Was it challenging? Absolutely. Was it worth it? You bet.
Her Agenda: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?
Dr. Jacque Colbert: Also the pandemic. I mean, there aren’t too many people who can say, ‘Look, I went into one of the world’s biggest giants’ in an uncertain time during the pandemic. The name Jacque Colbert is so well known across Google, not just because of a cute smile, but because of things that I was able to do. People still remember me as the market HR leader of North America. I got so many pings on our Google Chat where people would say
‘I just want to thank you’ because [I was] that face that, when we came online for a Zoom meeting or a Google meeting, I would always lean into the screen and I would say to folks, ‘Come in closer, I want you to really hear what I’m saying.’ or ‘I know that you’re going through so many different emotions and I can’t promise you 100% certainty, but we are in this together.’ I don’t go into things with the glass half full or the glass half empty. I go into every situation saying, ‘darling, it’s refillable.’ It is totally refillable.
Her Agenda: What advice would you give a young millennial woman trying to find her place in the work field and the world?
Dr. Jacque Colbert: There are a couple of things that I would [advise]. Make sure that you have a good mentor or two. That’s number one. The other thing that I would say to a young woman out there trying to navigate her career or just living life is to try to — the word balance can be misconstrued, but try to have some semblance of compartmentalizing things. And then the last one that I would add is, prioritize wellness.
Her Agenda: Throughout your business endeavors, a constant in your work is cultural change and innovation. Is there a bigger goal or maybe a company of your own that you’re thinking of progressing towards?
Dr. Jacque Colbert: Absolutely, so as it stands, I am the grateful founder of a nonprofit organization, which is Sipping PositiviTea. Sipping PositiviTea is a 501c3 organization based on my own pain. I created Sipping PositiviTea as a current 18-year grateful breast cancer survivor, and the mission of our organization is to see a world without any type of cancer.
Her Agenda: In what ways can women be inspired by your story?
Dr. Jacque Colbert: I want folks to know that this is not just Jacque’s story. The story extends to our amazing women out there, particularly the African American community. I want to encourage everyone out there to prioritize breast exams every month. I want everyone to know that it’s not a joke and it’s not a platitude when we say early detection really does save lives.
[Editor’s note: This article has been edited for length and clarity.]
