For Immediate Release— Friday, August 16, 2024

Toronto, ON – The former senior vice president of global public affairs and communications for Starbucks Coffee Company, Wanda J. Herndon, has signed a publishing deal with Ingenium Books for her forthcoming and as-yet-untitled book, which she calls “a mentoring memoir.”

Wanda Herndon has achieved a level of success in corporate America few African-American women have reached. “Throughout my career, people have been curious about how I managed to succeed in business and have sought my advice on a number of subjects, including: how to navigate through the corporate maze; how to avoid career pitfalls; and how to identify the political traps that are inevitable in all organizations,” said Herndon. “With this book I hope to share what I’ve learned with more people.”

“Ingenium Books is thrilled to welcome Wanda to the community of Ingenium Books’ authors and to help bring her story to life,” said Ingenium Books publisher Boni Wagner-Stafford. “Wanda’s career trajectory, board experience, achievements, and approach to life and business contain empowering messages that are well suited to our publishing program.”

In her book, Herndon provides sensible business strategies and life lessons. Tracing her career from humble beginnings in Flint, Michigan, through her corporate rise at Dow Chemical, DuPont, and eventually Starbucks, Wanda peppers her narrative with examples from her life and from other business leaders, too, including, of course, Starbucks Chairman and CEO emeritus and #1 New York Times bestselling author Howard Schultz.

From her decision to step out on faith and leave the security of DuPont for a relatively unknown coffee operation with an odd name, Starbucks, to her acknowledgment that you can find joy at work and it’s okay to laugh even when you sound like Woody Woodpecker, Wanda Herndon shares her stories and wisdom with homespun charm and a narrative voice that stands out from the crowd. And pithy double-shot lessons are included throughout for readers on any rung of the corporate ladder.

For the new breed of motivated professionals who don’t fit the stereotype of what a corporate executive should be, Wanda Herndon’s book will be required reading—and a well-caffeinated jolt of fresh air.

Watch for Wanda Herndon’s book in late summer 2025.