Anne Sempowski Ward has never stayed in one lane. A mechanical engineer by training, she pivoted into brand strategy, turned around legacy businesses, broke barriers in corporate boardrooms and even became a minority owner of a WNBA team. She did all this while holding true to her personal mantra: Take a leap.
“I always say, take the leap,” she says. “And if you don’t see the opportunity that fits you, create it. Because the sooner you stand in your power – I think this is particularly true for women – the sooner people will start to notice you and they'll invite you to be on their team."
Born and raised in Detroit, a city known for its grit and resilience, Ward, who is a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, embodies both of those qualities in her professional and personal life. And that’s not a recent development.
Early in her career, she was sitting in a corporate strategy meeting in a North Carolina manufacturing plant of Procter & Gamble when she asked a simple question: "Who decides if this product goes in a purple box or a blue one?"
At the time, she held a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and materials science. She was fresh out of Duke University, working in a technical role at one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. Marketing wasn’t on her radar until that moment.
“I had no clue about brand strategy,” said Ward, who was raised with two younger siblings by a single mom who was a nurse. “I just knew I was curious. I wanted to understand how these decisions were made.”
That one question about colors on a box changed the course of her life. A mentor at P&G took notice, arranged for her to shadow a marketing team, and within months, Ward was offered a role in brand management. In fact, P&G eventually created a multicultural marketing role just for her. That opportunity launched what would become a trailblazing career in bringing the importance of diverse consumers to the attention of large corporations.
At P&G, she saw a gap in representation and purchasing for Black and Hispanic women in the feminine care market and spoke up: “I wasn’t just speaking from my own experience, I had the data. I told them, ‘If we don’t figure this out now, this brand will be obsolete in 20 years.’”
Building brands, breaking barriers
Her move from engineering to marketing was the first of many leaps she would take, redefining industries and her own career along the way. She credits her mom. “My mom let me be and do what I wanted. She didn’t put pressure on me. She let me find and forge my own path and that has been an incredible game changer for me.”
Ward returned to her alma mater and obtained an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Afterward, she landed leadership roles at other well-known companies. At Coca-Cola, she helped increase the company’s African American market share of its beverages from 27% to 50%. As president-COO of Johnson Publishing, she was responsible for developing financial and operational strategies for the company’s iconic Ebony and Jet magazines and its Fashion Fair cosmetics line. She joined 40-year-old bath, body, and home fragrance company CURiO Brands in 2012 as CEO and doubled the company’s total value through acquisitions. She now serves as chairwoman of its board.
Ward, who grew up loving Motown artists like Stevie Wonder, was recognized as a “rockstar” for her CURiO leadership when she received the 2021 Outstanding Directors Award from the Twin Cities Business Journal.
“I have a special place in my heart for growing businesses,” she said, adding that she also invests in a beauty brand called The Lip Bar, which is the largest Black-owned cosmetics brand on the shelves at Target. “I invest in Black women entrepreneurs because I know how hard it is for us to access funding. We have to support each other, not just in words, but in action.”
Guiding the next generation
"Anne Sempowski Ward is truly a gift to this region,” said Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of the Rae Mackenzie Group and producer of Celebrating the Sistas, which is honoring Ward during Women’s History Month in March 2025. “She’s driven by a deep desire to contribute and make a difference, and it comes through in everything she does. From leading as a CEO and driving shareholder value to mentoring others and helping newcomers find their footing, Anne is all about paying it forward.”
Inspiring college students is one way that Ward pays it forward. She sits on the academic affairs and student affairs committees at St. Thomas and is an informal advisor to the School of Engineering.
“I firmly believe in the mission of what St. Thomas has. St. Thomas walks the talk. That is a hard thing to do today. There are so many pressures on institutions, and I look at the love and passion Tommies have and who Tommies are,” said Ward. “St. Thomas brings together a Catholic education with educating a diverse student base. I find what St. Thomas offers to students so essential and being a part of it is very rewarding."
Some of Ward’s words of advice to an array of students include: “Everything you do is a building block for where you want to go,” to “treat each opportunity as learning” and “where you start won’t be where you finish.”
Anne Sempowski WardI don’t just want to be the only one at the table. I want to pull up more chairs.”
“We put so much pressure on ourselves to pick the right job out of college, but the truth is, your career is going to evolve,” she says. “Every experience gives you skills that you can take with you to the next opportunity.”
Leading on and off the court
Ward, who describes herself as “a glass half-full gal,” inspired the crowd of nearly 200 students, faculty and staff at a celebration for National Girls & Women in Sports Day held at St. Thomas.
“She encouraged our student-athletes to remember that leadership is not simply about showing what you can do, but also about listening to others and meeting them where they’re at so you can build trust, learn new perspectives, and lead effectively,” University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer said about Ward. “Whether she’s making a point at a St. Thomas board meeting or sharing her perspective with hundreds of student-athletes, Anne is thoughtful and insightful.”
Ward, who has a bright smile and affable personality, is a champion for women in sports beyond the collegiate level. As a minority owner of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, the former high school basketball player also is passionate about ensuring that all women athletes are supported, elevated, and valued.
"We need more women in sports leadership, and that's really the reason I got involved with the Chicago Sky,” she said. “Being an owner gives me an opportunity to really shape where the franchise is going through the strategy for our future and how we’re developing women, both on the court and off the court."
One of the many students who has found inspiration in Ward’s messages about representation, equity and opportunity, is Miriam Onongo ’26, a St. Thomas volleyball player and entrepreneurship major.
”She spoke a lot about having to be the only female in certain spaces for a very long time throughout her career and she didn't let that discourage her in any way,” Onongo said. “She talked about not letting any man overpower her voice and just really using her voice to speak up in those spaces, because, even if it can be intimidating, it will go far in the future, because they're going to remember you if you do that.”
Onongo, who grew up in Minneapolis, said Ward’s words about presenting with confidence and representing yourself well wherever you go particularly resonated with her because they are both Black women with an athletics background.
“I'm very honored to be here at St. Thomas, and I think it presents a great opportunity for me to just shed that light and be a good role model and example for those around me who may not have lots of experience with diverse communities or interacting with diverse groups of people,” Onongo said. “So just representing myself well and representing my people well, in classroom spaces, practices and meetings, so that I'm doing myself justice, but also my people justice, too.”
Lifting others as she climbs
As a woman in leadership, Ward has often found herself in spaces where women, especially women of color, are underrepresented. But instead of accepting that reality, she has made it her mission to change it.
“Most of the rooms I walk into, I’m either the only, the first, or one of a very small number. That means I have a responsibility—not just to be there, but to make sure more of us get through the door,” Ward says.
After the murder of George Floyd, she spearheaded an initiative through Women Corporate Directors to prepare Black women for board service.
“I don’t just want to be the only one at the table. I want to pull up more chairs.”
Her leadership isn’t just about personal success, it’s about collective impact. Her success, she says, didn’t happen in a vacuum. She had mentors, sponsors, and a strong network of people who saw her potential and helped her move forward.
“One of the biggest myths about success is that one makes it happen individually. While what we do matters,” she says. “Every opportunity I’ve had came from someone who believed in me.”
