Starbucks CEO featured in Sept. 27 Raikes chat

Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive officer for Starbucks, will be featured in a conversation with Jeff Raikes, co-founder of the Raikes Foundation, Sept. 27 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The presentation is part of the university’s 150th anniversary celebration and organized in partnership with Nebraska’s Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management.

Johnson’s talk is 3:30 p.m. at Howard L. Hawks Hall, Auditorium A (Room 002). Admission is free with first-come, first-served seating. Doors open at 3:20 p.m. The event will also be streamed online.

The format will feature Johnson talking with Raikes, who is the namesake of the Raikes School and former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Event hosts include Chancellor Ronnie Green and the Raikes School.

Johnson will also meet one-on-one with Raikes School students during his campus visit.

Johnson’s career has spanned more than 30 years in global businesses, including 16 years at Microsoft and five years as CEO of Juniper Networks. He joined Starbucks in 2009, serving on the company’s board of directors during a period of record-setting transformation and growth.

In 2015, Johnson was named president and chief operating officer, leading Starbucks’ global operations, as well as core support functions, including supply chain, marketing, human resources, technology and mobile digital platforms. He assumed the role of president and CEO in April 2017 as Howard Schultz transitioned to executive chairman.

In 2008, he was appointed to the National Security Telecommunication Advisory Committee, through which he served presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He is a founding board member of NPower, an organization that provides nonprofits with access to technology and skills to fulfill social goals; and involved with Catalyst, a leading nonprofit focused on expanding opportunities for women in business. Johnson also supports Youth Eastside Services, one of Seattle’s largest providers of youth and family counseling.

A retired division president with Microsoft, Raikes grew up in Ashland. Today, he leads the Raikes Foundation with his wife, Tricia. He serves on the boards of Costco Wholesale and Hudl, and is the chair of the Board of Trustees of Stanford University.

On campus, Raikes is a corporate advisory board member and adviser to the Raikes School.

Dedicated in 2008 as the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management, the academic program develops leaders for information technology driven industries. The program was launched in 2001 under a previous name, the J.D. Edwards Honors Program in Computer Science and Management.