The Jean Frazier Leadership Institute and Sacred Heart Academy welcomed Lucy Helm '75 back to Ursuline Campus for a student interview. Lucy, SHA's 2004 Alumna of the Year and member of the Leadership Cabinet for the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute, accepted the University of Louisville's 2022 Alumna of the Year Award on October 20.
Lucy Helm retired from Starbucks in 2020 after more than 21 years as a partner in legal and human resources roles, including serving on the company’s executive team as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and Executive Vice President and Chief Partner Officer (leading Human Resources). At Starbucks, Lucy was a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, including leading the company’s achievement of gender and racial pay equity in the US. She also created Starbucks’ pro bono services program, which became a model for other corporate law departments. Before Starbucks, Lucy practiced law as a litigator at Riddell Williams in Seattle and at Barnett & Alagia in Louisville and was the advocacy director and assistant director at the Center for Accessible Living in Louisville.
Lucy graduated from the University of Louisville in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in 1982.
Introduced by Lucy Doyle '24, whose grandmother Martha Martin '65 is a first cousin, and interviewed by Louise Imber '23, Lucy told the student body about her journey from SHA student to UofL law student to "having a seat at the table" in corporate America.
Some words of wisdom from Lucy, SHA's 2004 Alumna of the Year, about female leadership:
-What's the most important leadership trait? Authenticity. Know who you are!
-The community of Sacred Heart and the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute will prepare you for both college and the workplace in an extraordinary way.
-Be prepared and take advantage of every opportunity. You are capable! When there is an opportunity, your hand should be the first to raise.
-Jean Frazier Leadership Institute provides opportunities to each and every Valkyrie, teaching leadership skills and helping to facilitate internships and project-based learning. Along with the Ursuline Core Values, graduates will be prepared for life outside of SHA.
-An all-girls education at SHA is a tremendous advantage. The teachers and community teach students that they are strong and anything is possible.
-A Valkyrie is "powerful, loving, respectful, kind."
And we had to know: what is Lucy's go-to Starbucks order?
-A shaken espresso with oatmilk.
Lucy is the Global Chair of the Board of Mercy Corps, a global relief and development organization. Lucy is also a Board member of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. She serves on the advisory boards of the Endowment for Equal Justice, Disability Rights Advocates and the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute of Sacred Heart Schools. She is the co-director of Camp Parkview, a residential camp for adults with developmental disabilities, where she has volunteered for nearly 25 years.
Lucy received the 2017 Charles Goldmark award from the Legal Foundation of Washington for distinguished pro bono service, and the 2021 Justice Robert Utter Award for outstanding contributions to civic leadership in Washington state.
Congratulations to this true Valkyrie and leadership mentor! Thank you for coming back to Sacred Heart to share your knowledge and experiences with students.
https://www.uoflnews.com/post/uofltoday/former-starbucks-executive-named-uofl-alumna-of-the-year-2/