Elizabeth King '79

Elizabeth King is managing partner of Elizabeth M. King Consulting, LLC, and the retired vice president of human resources solutions and services for Starbucks Corporation. Over her nineteen-year tenure, Starbucks expanded from 1,100 to nearly 75,000 locations worldwide, and King played a pivotal role in guiding the company’s rapid growth. In her final role, she oversaw HR systems and services for 180,000 North American employees and implemented several international systems, including Starbucks’ global payroll system. Since 2000, King has served on advisory boards in Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management and has established three scholarships at Penn State, including two for female undergraduates in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.