AGAINST THE GRAIN: 29 YEARS LATER LOCAL RETURNS HOME AS TOP AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMAN

AGAINST THE GRAIN: 29 YEARS LATER LOCAL RETURNS HOME AS TOP AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMAN
Revisits New Orleans as President & Chief Executive Officer of national non-profit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2000

NEW ORLEANS, LA. — Oct. 5, 2000 — For Joyce Roché it came down to this: follow tradition or take a chance.

She was definitely going to take her chances.

That was 29 years ago, when she first packed her bags and left her native New Orleans to pursue a master of business degree at Columbia University in New York.

“Typical for many women at that time, when I graduated from Dillard University I planned on becoming a teacher,” says Roch'. “There weren't many women going on to get their master degree in business. As soon as I heard of the business degree program I made up my mind that I was going to New York to become a business woman.”

Now with 25 years of business experience under her belt and acclaim for her corporate success from top trade magazines like Fortune and Black Enterprise, Roché returns to New Orleans this week in her new role — as the president and chief executive officer of Girls Incorporated, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

Roché will address over 130 staff members from Girls Incorporated centers nationwide during the organization's 2000 regional training conference this week at the Hotel Monteleone in the heart of the city's French Quarter.

Girls Inc. seeks to empower and educate girls — many from underserved communities — through programs that range from pregnancy and drug-abuse prevention to science and technology education provided in school and after-school settings nationwide.

Roché has been a corporate trailblazer for 25 years and now brings a shrewd business sense and a dedication to improving girls' lives as head of the $12 million national youth organization founded in 1945.

“It is very exciting to be back home in New Orleans representing an organization that inspires girls all over the country to achieve their dreams. When I was growing up, there weren't many role models,” says Roch'. “Girls need to know that they can do anything they want to. They also need to have confidence to take the healthy risks they need to achieve their dreams.”

For Roché being a strong and savvy leader means learning how and when to take risks — a message she wants to convey to girls throughout her tenure at Girls Inc.

And she leads by example. After receiving her MBA, Roché quickly landed a job at the global cosmetic giant, Avon, where she worked her way up to vice president of global marketing. But after 19 years with Avon, Roché aspired to a new challenge, so she resigned from her high-level position with Avon with no new job in line.

A few months later, Roché took her next bold career move, assuming a top management position at the Savannah, Georgia-based Carson Products Inc. — an African American personal care company. Within a year, Roché became the president and chief operating officer of the multi-million-dollar company. While at Carson, Roché guided the company's international expansion initiative while managing overall operations of the company. After reaching success at Carson, Roché resigned from the company to manage her own consulting firm.

“The most important thing for girls to know is that you have to have confidence in yourself and be willing to take risks into uncharted waters sometimes,” she says with the confident smile of a veteran.

Roché is a graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans and holds an MBA from Columbia University. She has successfully completed Stanford University's Senior Executive Program and holds honorary doctorate degrees from Dillard University and North Adams State College. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of SBC Communications Inc., Tupperware Corporation and Anheuser-Busch Companies. She also sits on the Board of Trustees for Dillard University and the Queens College Foundation.