CEO and Founder, Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA)
Jerri DeVard is the Founder and CEO of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA), an alliance designed to champion corporate diversity and help build the next generation of C-suite marketing executives. As a former EVP and Chief Customer Officer of Office Depot, Inc., Jerri was responsible for the eCommerce P&L, Customer Service, all Marketing functions, Data & Analytics, Communications, Community Investment and Events, having previously served as its Chief Marketing Officer. Jerri was awarded the 2023 ADCOLOR Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an industry icon whose longtime professional and personal success exemplify ADCOLOR’s mission and the editors of Advertising Age awarded Jerri with the 2021 Vanguard Award. based upon her role in inspiring and mentoring others in the industry and her impact on blazing trails for other women.
Jerri has extensive marketing and leadership experience at large global brands. Prior to Office Depot, she served as the Chief Marketing Officer of The ADT Corporation. Prior to that, Jerri served as EVP and CMO for Nokia based in Helsinki and London. Additionally, she held senior marketing roles as SVP-Verizon, CMO-Citibank, VP-Revlon, VP-Harrah’s Entertainment. Jerri worked for the NFL and started her career at General Mills, formerly the Pillsbury Company. She is an Economics graduate of Spelman College and served as a member of the Board of Trustees for 9 years. She received her MBA from Clark Atlanta University Graduate School of Business.
She currently serves as a director on the boards of Dow, Under Armour Inc., Cars.com, and Root Insurance. Previously, she served on the boards of ServiceMaster, Belk, Gurwitch Products, Tommy Hilfiger and the advisory board of PepsiCo. Jerri has been selected by Black Enterprise as one of the 75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America and 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, named by AdAge as a Rockstar CMO and Power Player and 50 Women to Watch by the Wall Street Journal.
Jerri and her husband Gregg Smith are the proud parents of Brooke DeVard Ozaydinli and Alexander DeVard Smith, and grandson Mavi Ozaydinli.
