About

Deb Elam Grant is President and CEO of Corporate Playbook™, where she advises organizations on leadership, workplace culture, diversity, inclusion, and philanthropy. She also serves as Executive Vice Chairwoman of CNEXT, a global leadership community dedicated to developing and advancing high-impact leaders, where she helped design the Emerging Leaders Forum to prepare women and professionals of color for senior executive leadership.

A nationally recognized leadership and inclusion strategist, Deb made history as General Electric's first Black female corporate officer. During her distinguished 30-year career at GE, she served as Global Chief Diversity Officer and led the GE Foundation's philanthropic strategy, overseeing a $130 million annual budget and thousands of employee volunteers supporting education, health, workforce development, and community initiatives around the world.

Deb has received numerous national honors recognizing her leadership and impact, including being named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Philanthropy by Inside Philanthropy, receiving the National Association for Female Executives' Women of Excellence Legacy Award, the National Urban League's Women of Power Award, and the NCAA Legacy in Leadership Award.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Louisiana State University and a Master of Public Administration from Southern University. She also holds an Honorary Doctor of Science from Clarkson University. Deb serves on the boards of DJE Holdings (Edelman), SoundThinking, Inc. (formerly ShotSpotter), the LSU Foundation, and the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute, and has served on the Federal Communications Commission's Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment. She resides in New Orleans with her husband and remains a passionate advocate for developing the next generation of leaders.