A global HR career, launched at FMU

Debbie Pollock-Berry was always a “people person.” Now she’s the Chief People Officer for a Michelle Obama startup.

FMU alumna Debbie Pollock-Berry (’88) knows a thing or two about managing people and making them feel valued and enabled to reach for their goals.

She employs those skills daily at PLEZi Nutrition, a new, health-conscious kid’s beverage company, co-founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama, where she is the Chief People & Culture Officer. Pollock-Berry says she began developing those abilities years ago at Francis Marion University.

“FMU was instrumental in shaping me in ways I never could have imagined,” she shared. “It gave me a sense of belonging and value while empowering me to know that I could be successful. Throughout my career, I’ve sought to recreate that same feeling as I lead others and help to create a culture where everyone can feel empowered and valued.”

Pollock-Berry moved to Northern Virginia soon after graduation, marrying her college sweetheart, Richard T. “Scooter” Berry, Jr. The two met at FMU, where Scooter played basketball, and married soon after college. Together, they have three children, Richie, Blair, and Blake.

Pollock-Berry began her professional career as a global and domestic human resources executive. For more than two decades, her passion for people, and her talent for management, has propelled her on an ascending career path with Fortune 500 companies and national organizations.

She was recently recognized as one of CIO Today magazine’s Top CPO’s to watch in 2024. Previously, she was heralded as one of the Top Influential Women in Corporate America multiple times, received Smart CEO’s Executive Management Award, and was the recipient of Hampton University’s Head Over Heels Award. 

Pollock-Berry serves on numerous boards including Forbes’ Human Resources Council, LEADVA, and Smart CEO’s Executive Management Selection Committee. 

Pollock has led HR efforts at AOL, Verizon Communications, North American Energy Alliance, the Federal Realty Investment Trust, and just prior to joining PLEZi, at Save the Children.

No matter where she’s landed, investing in people has been the cornerstone of her rewarding career. 

“I want to treat people the way they want to be treated,” says Pollock-Berry. “It’s important to me to invest time in getting to know people and learning how they are most effective. This started for me at FMU because of the way I was treated. I felt like I was the only one who mattered. This philosophy of putting people first has guided me through every step of my career.

“One of the most incredible things about Francis Marion was its environment,” says Pollock-Berry. “It was a place where I felt empowered to go after my dreams. Faculty and staff members across the campus were truly invested in the students and encouraged us in a way that made us know we could accomplish whatever we put our minds to.”

Pollock-Berry, an Aiken native, discovered Francis Marion during her senior year in high school. She was thrilled when she received her acceptance letter from Marvin Lynch, FMU’s admissions director at the time.

During the summer between her high school graduation and freshman year in college, Pollock-Berry was selected to participate in a minority student academic program on campus. This two-month program truly set her up for a successful academic career at FMU as it gave her the skills necessary to be a strong student.

Pollock-Berry jumped into her collegiate experience head-first, immersing herself in as many campus activities as possible. She wrote for the campus newspaper, The Campus Crier, was a cheerleader, eventually becoming co-captain of the squad, was a little sister for Lambda Lambda Omega Psi Phi, acted in the FMC Theatre’s production of “The Fantasticks,” and was the 1986 Homecoming Queen. 

She majored in English, with a minor in communications.

Pollock-Berry says she remains committed to her passion — people-centered leadership. Her journey, grounded in the values of care, respect, and community, is an inspiring testament to the lasting impact of a strong foundation and the transformative power of investing in others.