Michelle Burns
Michelle Burns is Executive Vice President of Global Coffee, Tea and Cocoa for Starbucks. In this role Michelle drives the company’s strategy for delivering a diverse portfolio of high-quality, ethically sourced coffee, tea and cocoa to partners and customers around the world. She leads a global team of industry experts responsible for sourcing, developing and roasting coffee; advancing coffee R&D and innovative farming practices; developing and executing programs, initiatives and partnerships to support Starbucks people and planet positive goals thru the lens of farmers and coffee, tea and cocoa communities; and driving partner and customer engagement, education and experiences to bring coffee storytelling to life – all with the aspiration of ensuring a sustainable future of coffee for all. Contributing more broadly to Starbucks culture, she is the executive sponsor for Starbucks’ Women’s Impact Network (WIN) and also serves on the board of The Starbucks Foundation. Outside of the company, Michelle is a member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum and serves on the Board of Directors for FareStart and the National Coffee Association. Michelle has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from The University of Iowa. Following a great Starbucks journey living in many cities across the country, Michelle, her husband and two children enjoy calling Seattle home. She starts every day in a Starbucks store.
