Denise Woodard

Denise grew up in North Carolina and earned a BA from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MBA from Arizona State. She spent her career in consumer packaged goods, including seven years with Coca-Cola, before her daughter’s struggles with food allergies prompted her leap to start Partake Foods in 2017. She poured her personal savings into her business, raised $25 million, and built an allergy-friendly cookie company that now counts Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods as customers. Denise’s mission is to fight food insecurity and open doors for HBCU students to pursue careers in the food and beverage industries.