A global business leader with deep marketing experience, Cheryl Stallworth (MBA ’81) has been selected to receive the Distinguished Business Alumni Award from the Wisconsin School of Business.
This award honors individuals with exceptional careers who have made far-reaching impacts in their community, their industry, and at UW–Madison.
Stallworth was chosen for the recognition not only for her career success—but also the profound impact she’s had on future leaders through her contributions to WSB’s graduate programs.
“Cheryl has been a role model and inspiration to many,” says Blair Nelson Sanford, associate dean of MBA and master’s programs at WSB. “Whether it has been her keen marketing insights shared with students in the Center for Brand & Product Management, her honest feedback with Consortium for Graduate Study in Management students preparing for interviews, or the generous amounts of time she extended to MBA students during her talk at the M. Keith Weikel Leadership Speaker Series, Cheryl has consistently shared her message about the imperative to be a socially responsible leader.”
During her successful corporate career, Stallworth previously served as CEO at Firefly, the North American qualitative research division of the Kantar Millward Brown agency. She also held senior executive roles at Colgate-Palmolive, including vice president and general manager of multicultural marketing for North America, general manager of the Guatemala subsidiary, and worldwide brand director of Palmolive’s skin cleansing business. Before that, she served as the marketing director for The Coca-Cola Company’s Central America and Caribbean Division and marketing director of the company’s Sports and Entertainment Division.
Seeking to make a bigger societal impact, Stallworth co-founded ShedLight.org in 2018, which provides insights to companies, nonprofits, and foundations about struggling Americans through storytelling and ethnographic research methods that reveal insights in a cultural context. Through this work, the company has helped business and nonprofit clients create highly effective programs that have improved health care and economic well-being for their consumers, employees, and communities.
“Cheryl’s dedication to nurturing the next generation
—Blair Nelson Sanford, associate dean of MBA and master’s programs at WSB
of leaders is truly commendable.”
Throughout it all, Stallworth has maintained her connection to the Wisconsin School of Business. She has served on WSB’s External Advisory Board, as well as the advisory board for the former Center for Brand & Product Management. She’s also shared her knowledge with alumni through participation in a Badger Executive Talk, and recently provided invaluable advice that helped shape the content delivery for WSB’s redesigned executive MBA program, which launched in September.
“Cheryl’s dedication to nurturing the next generation of leaders is truly commendable,” adds Sanford. “The world needs more women like her, who not only excel in their careers, but also uplift and inspire those around them.”
Read about the other 2024 WSB Alumni Award recipients.
From Dean Samba
“Cheryl’s impact at WSB has spanned several programs, as well as decades. Cheryl has been a regular mentor to our MBA students, served on boards, helped design new programs, and has been a steady guiding voice for many leaders in navigating how to become a more diverse and inclusive business school. I am grateful to Cheryl and her unwavering commitment to the success of Business Badgers from all walks of life.”