Cheryl Steele

Steele is the Vice President of Global Security & Resiliency (Chief Security Officer) at Starbucks Coffee Company, where she oversees safety and security operations, including executive protection, business continuity, risk intelligence, and crisis management strategy. She serves as the subject matter expert on security and risk mitigation best practices pertaining to Starbucks’ retail, non-retail, and manufacturing and distribution locations, prioritizing the safety and continuity of Starbucks’ global operations and workforce across its more than 30,000 retail locations in over 80 markets around the world.

Prior to joining Starbucks, Steele held several executive management roles spanning both the private and public sector, including leadership positions at FleishmanHillard, an international communications firm, and Booz Allen Hamilton, a global professional services company. During her tenure at Booz Allen, Steele led the firm’s work supporting U.S. Department of State priorities, which included the establishment of the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Partnership Initiatives and the launch of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. Earlier in her career, she served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State where, for more than seven years, she tracked and provided intelligence and analysis on a wide range of geopolitical issues impacting the Middle East.