Brenda Czajka Barnes (November 11, 1953 – January 17, 2017) was an American

businesswoman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

who served as president, chairman and chief executive of Sara Lee, and was the first female CEO at PepsiCo.Tom Roundell. February 11, 2005. "Brenda Barnes."

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

. p.51

Education

Barnes received a BA in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

in 1975 from Augustana College, and an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

in 1978 from Loyola University Chicago. In 1997 she was awarded an

honorary doctor An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of humane letters from Augustana College.

Career

After working as a business manager for

Wilson Sporting Goods The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. The company has been a subsidiary of Finnish multinational company Amer Sports since 1989, and is, in turn, now under the Chinese Anta Spor ...

in 1976Shelley Donald Coolidge. October 8, 1997. "Trading 30,000 Staff For 3 Kids." ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...

.'' Business, p.1. and Vice President of Marketing for

Frito-Lay Frito-Lay is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-fla ...

in 1981, Barnes became Group VP of Marketing for PepsiCo in 1984. She became President of Pepsi-Cola South/West in 1991, and COO of PepsiCo North America in 1993. Finally, in 1996, she became president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America, a job she left in 1997 to spend more time with her family, a move that made national headlines. After PepsiCo, she spent time as interim president and COO of

Starwood Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. ...

, from November 1999 to March 2000, and as an adjunct professor,

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

's Kellogg School of Management and at

North Central College North Central College is a private college in Naperville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has nearly 70 areas of study in undergraduate majors, minors, and programs through 19 academic departments organized in thre ...

in 2002. In July 2004, she became president and COO of Sara Lee Corp. In February 2005, she became president and CEO of Sara Lee, and in October 2005, chairman and CEO. While there, Barnes moved Sara Lee's headquarters out of downtown

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to suburban

Downers Grove Downers Grove is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1832 by Pierce Downer, whose surname serves as the eponym for the village. It is a south-west suburb of Chicago. The village is located between I-88 and I-55. ...

. Barnes was on the board of directors of

Avon Products, Inc. Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is an American-British multinational corporation, multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, based in London. It sells directly to the public. Avon had annual sales of $9. ...

; Augustana College;

Grocery Manufacturers Association The Consumer Brands Association (CBA), formerly the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), is a United States-wide trade association for manufacturers of consumer packaged goods (CPG). The CBA represents companies that manufacture food, bever ...

; LucasFilm, Ltd.;

The New York Times Company The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City. History The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. ...

; PepsiAmericas, Inc.;

Sara Lee Corporation The Sara Lee Corporation was an American consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois. It had operations in more than 40 countries and sold its products in over 180 countries. Its international operations were headquartered in Utrec ...

; Sears, Roebuck & Co.; and Staples, Inc. She was also on the steering Committee of the Kellogg Center for Executive Women,

.Sara Lee management biography: Brenda Barnes
While CEO of Sara Lee in 2008, Barnes earned a total compensation of $10,489,347, which included a base salary of $1,000,000, a cash bonus of $1,993,597, stocks granted of $4,866,000, and options granted of $2,398,668. Brenda joined the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 2014 as a distinguished member on the Board of Directors and the Identity Cabinet committee to help form and build the hospital branding and positioning.

Personal life

Born as Brenda Czajka, she was the third of seven girls and was raised in

River Grove, Illinois River Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,612 at the 2020 census. Geography River Grove is located at (41.925830, -87.840135). According to the 2010 census, River Grove has a total area of , all lan ...

. Prior to college, Brenda attended

East Leyden High School East Leyden High School is a secondary school located in Franklin Park, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) which educates grades 9-12. Together with West Leyden High School in Northlake, Illinois, they serve the suburban communities in Franklin ...

Franklin Park, Illinois Franklin Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,467 at the 2020 census, up from 18,333 at the 2010 census. It was named for real estate broker Lesser Franklin who bought acres of the area when it was a maj ...

. She was a smart student and dedicated herself to studying. A graduate from Augustana College even said, "She didn't join a sorority, didn't do cheerleading. She didn't get into that part of college." She was raised by her parents to be humble. Barnes told Shelley Donald Coolidge of the ''Christian Science Monitor,'' "My parents gave me a strong work ethic and the ability to listen to people and value what they have to say and do. That base foundation of values helped me tremendously." Barnes has two sons and one daughter. She had a stroke in May 2010, at a gym in Chicago, which caused her to leave Sara Lee. In 2012, Barnes was still getting phone calls about potential board openings but turned them down to focus on her health. On January 15, 2017, she suffered another stroke and died two days later.

Recognition

Barnes has been listed in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' list of

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women Since 2004, the American business magazine ''Forbes'' compiled an annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. It is edited by notable ''Forbes'' journalists, including Moira Forbes, and is based on visibility and economic impact. F ...

since 2004, appearing in the top ten in 2005 and 2006. (2007 List) (2006 List) (2005 List) (2004 List) In 2009 she was ranked 29th in ''

'' list of

. She was inducted as a Laureate of

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...

and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2013 in the area of Business & Industry.Brenda C. Barnes on the Lincoln Academy site, 2013
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References

External links

Sara Lee management biography: Brenda Barnes

Barnes Profile
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Forbes.com ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family (publishers), Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing ...