Cecilia Carter

Cecilia Carter joined Starbucks in January 2011 as vice president, Global Diversity, Community & Civic Affairs. In this role, she is responsible for the strategy and management of the diversity, community and government affairs and philanthropy functions. Cecilia also serves as general manager of the Starbucks Foundation. Cecilia’s desire to join a company with whose values and principles aligned with her personal mission and passions led her to Starbucks. She describes it as a “perfect fit.”

Prior to joining Starbucks, Cecilia was head of community affairs at UBS, one of the world's leading wealth management firms, where she lead the company's philanthropic and community outreach in the United States. Earlier in her career, Cecilia was Director of Public Relations at Burson-Marsteller, specializing in corporate reputation and multicultural outreach strategy. She also held communications, marketing and project management roles at General Electric, Saatchi & Saatchi and American Express.

Cecilia has also served as Executive Director for the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of R&B music. She was also active in her community, serving on boards for the Urban League of Southern Connecticut and the University of New Haven.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Northwestern University, a Master of Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Doctorate in Humane Letters from University of New Haven.

Cecilia recently relocated to Seattle with her two daughters and partner Marvin, but misses her favorite barista in Wilton, Connecticut who used to sing Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia” to her every morning while serving her latte. Her favorite beverages are no-whip Pumpkin Spice and Toffee Nut Lattes. Outside of work, Cecilia enjoys cooking, hip-hop and jazz dancing, and listening to all types of music.