At Archer Daniels Midland Debra serves as a member of the audit, and nominating and corporate governance committees. She is also a member of the board of directors of Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., where she serves as a member of the remuneration and nominating committee; Dollar General Corporation, where she serves as chair of the nominating and governance committee and as a member of the audit committee; and Gannett Co., Inc., where she serves as the chair of the transformation committee and a member of the nominating/corporate governance committee. She is also a member of the board of advisors of Pharmavite, LLC, a board member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA), a trustee of Hofstra University, and a member of the Executive Leadership Council.
Debra is president and CEO of La Grenade Group, LLC, a business consultancy that serves packaged goods companies operating in the health and wellness space. She also serves as a Partner at Trewstar Corporate Board Services, a boutique search firm dedicated to improving diversity in the board room.
She was also the founder of Mavis Foods, LLC, an entrepreneurial startup of Caribbean sauces and marinades.
Previously she worked in senior leadership roles at PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson and Mars. She is the former chief health and wellbeing officer at Mars, after serving there as president of Mars Chocolate North America. She is best known for her work as worldwide president of McNeil Nutritionals (a division of J&J) where she led the global launch of Splenda no calorie sweetener.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Trade from Hofstra University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.