Forbes 50 Over 50 2025: Meet 4 Black Women In STEM Who Made The List
Career growth doesn’t end in your 30s or even in your 40s. While it’s easy to assume that major professional milestones are reserved for the young, the reality tells a different story. This year’s Forbes 50 Over 50 list is a testament to that, spotlighting leaders and entrepreneurs who have reached new heights later in life.
Among them are Black women who have not only broken barriers but have remained at the top of their game more than 25 years into their careers. Here are four Black women who made it onto this year’s list.
Alicia Boler Davis
Boler Davis has been the CEO of Alto Pharmacy, LLC, since 2022, but her career has consistently gone from strength to strength. Boler Davis made history when she became the first Black woman to serve as a plant manager at GM, eventually becoming the executive vice president for global manufacturing.
She then served as the senior executive overseeing global fulfillment during the pandemic at Amazon, where she was also the first Black woman to be part of the exclusive “S-Team” leadership circle. She also spent nearly 25 years at General Motors, where she became Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Labor Relations in 2016.
Yvonne Greenstreet
Greenstreet’s 30-year career began in London, working as an OB-GYN. She worked at GlaxoSmithKline plc for 18 years, where she was Senior Vice President and Chief of Strategy for Research and Development. Between 2011 and 2013, Greenstreet was Senior Vice President and Head of Medicines Development at Pfizer, serving on the executive team leading a rapidly growing $16bn division.
She joined Alnylam in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer, was promoted to President and COO in 2020, and was appointed as a Director and Chief Executive Officer in late 2021. She has earned FDA approval for six medicines and is currently developing 25 others for a range of afflictions, including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, hypertension, and Huntington’s disease.
Valerie Montgomery Rice
Montgomery Rice was named the sixth president of the historically-Black independent medical institution in July 2014 and the first woman to lead the Morehouse School of Medicine. She has held several faculty positions and leadership roles, such as the founding director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College.
Her accolades include the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and the 2017 Horatio Alger Award, the Dean Griffin Community Service Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Girls Inc. 2019 Smart Award, and the National Medical Association OB/GYN 2019 Legend of the Section Award.
Robin Washington
Washington is President and COFO at Salesforce, where she leads Business Strategy and Operations, Global Finance, Employee Success, Global Strategic Customers and Partners, Marketing, Communications, and Real Estate and Workplace Services. She has also served on its board since 2013.
She has a 25-year career with roles at companies such as Gilead Sciences, Hyperion Solutions, and PeopleSoft. She also serves on the board of directors of Alphabet.
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