Wanda Herndon held the position of Starbucks senior vice president, Global Communications, from 1995 – 2006, during a period of unprecedented growth.
She founded W Communications in 2006 after she retired from Starbucks. Clients of W Communications include Starbucks, lululemon athletica, Osaka Pharmaceuticals, as well as several other corporations and major universities.
At the request of Chairman Emeritus Howard Schultz, in 2008, she returned to Starbucks for one year to lead the company’s communications initiatives that helped transform and restore Starbucks growth trajectory.
Prior to Starbucks, she held leadership positions at DuPont and Dow Chemical from 1978 – 1995. Wanda was a minority owner of men’s and women’s professional basketball teams, NBA Seattle Supersonics and WNBA Seattle Storm, from 2001 – 2006. She is currently a producer of the Broadway musicals, Memphis and Come From Away, both Tony Award winners. Wanda is past board chair of The 5th Avenue Theatre, and is on the boards of the Lacewing Foundation and Cancer Lifeline. She is also a member of the International Women’s Forum, Seattle’s Odessa Brown Children’s Hospital Guild, and Greater Seattle Chapter of The Links, Inc. She is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Wanda has received numerous awards including the 2015 Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence and Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) 2018 Women of Valor Award.
Wanda earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Journalism, and an honorary doctor of Humanities degree from Michigan State University.
