Along with her BS, MS and PhD in chemistry and MBA from Columbia Business School, Reatha Clark King ’77 has received 14 honorary degrees from U.S. colleges and universities. After her retirement in May 2002 as president and executive director of the General Mills Foundation, which awarded $18.7 million in grants last year, she reflected, “The best thing is that we learn directly from the people we are helping.”
King continues to facilitate a number of Minneapolis-based initiatives on behalf of General Mills, including the “Hawthorne Huddle,” a crime-prevention project helping block clubs and churches in disadvantaged communities. As chair of the foundation’s board of trustees, she maintains a wide perspective on trends in the field.
King, whose career trajectory to date has ranged from research chemist to university president, now hopes to establish a venture for professional services in governance, philanthropy and diversity.