Biography
Debra is a seasoned Boardroom executive and has been named to the 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors by Savoy Magazine, 2021 Latinos on Boards by Latino Leaders magazine, and Black Enterprise magazine’s Registry of Black Corporate Directors. Debra is a Member of the Board of Directors at Archer Daniels Midland Company, Dollar General Corporation, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., and Gannett Co Inc. where she is Chair of the Transformation Committee. She is also a member of the Board of Advisors for Pharmavite, LLC. where she is one of only two external Board members. Debra is a Trustee of her alma mater Hofstra University and a member of the Executive Leadership Council and the Latino Corporate Directors Association.
Debra started her career at PepsiCo in a number of marketing leadership positions in the beverage and restaurant businesses. She then went on to Johnson & Johnson where she was the Worldwide President of McNeil Nutritionals and led the launch of Splenda® no-calorie sweetener. Under her leadership, Splenda grew to be the #1 low-calorie sweetener in the US and several markets around the world. Debra served as the Co-Chairperson for the J&J Women’s Leadership Initiative, representing the views and needs of women across the globe within J&J. She then went on to Mars Inc. where she held several roles including Chief Consumer Officer, Twix Global Brand Leader, President of Mars Chocolate North America, and Chief Health and Wellbeing Officer.
Debra holds an undergraduate degree in International Business from Hofstra University, an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and an Honorary PhD from the Long Island University School of Pharmacy. Debra resides in New Jersey and is the founder of Mavis Foods, an entrepreneurial startup of Caribbean sauces and marinades
