The Ride to SUCCESS: Alumna Joy Howard ’91 Makes Her Mark as a Marketing Rock Star by Sara Baxter
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uring her time at Agnes Scott College, Joy Howard ’91 remembers looking at the photos of distinguished alumnae in a display in a campus building’s lobby and noticing one of W. Burlette Carter ’82, who was the college’s first Truman Scholar and subsequently went on to be an attorney in Washington, D.C. “I had just won the same scholarship, and even though I had never met her, I just had this feeling of, ‘Wow. I can do meaningful work someday too,’” recalls Howard. She went on to transform this epiphany into a reality throughout her career, seeking roles in which she could make an impact. She has played in a rock band, been named one of Fast Company magazine’s “100 Most Creative People” and held key global marketing roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Patagonia, Nike, Converse and Sonos. Last October, she became the chief marketing officer of Lyft, the ride-hailing company based in San Francisco. In this new position, she has set her sights on revolutionizing the concept of “civic marketing.” “My hope is to build one of the greatest civic brands of the 21st century,” she says of her job at Lyft. The woman with big plans had small-town beginnings. Howard grew up in Reidsville and Brooklet—two cities in Southeast Georgia about 45 miles apart on either side of Interstate 16. Reidsville is known for being the home of the Georgia State Prison, the state’s main maximum-security prison, and Howard says the biggest thing in Brooklet was the yearly Hog Show. Though Atlanta was a “big city” to her with several university options, she says she chose Agnes Scott because she was looking for a small, supportive environment where she could focus on learning. “I also chose Agnes Scott to make my grandmother proud,” Howard notes. “She always admired the college.” Her memories of Agnes Scott include having strong professors and mentors who encouraged her and nurtured her creative spirit,
