Blue Ribbon Advisory BoardBrock H. Leach

Seminary Student & Community Volunteer
Retired Chief Innovation Officer,
PepsiCo, Inc.

Brock Leach is a community volunteer and student at Meadville-Lombard Theological School, a Unitarian Universalist seminary affiliated with The University of Chicago, where he is studying to be ordained in community ministry.

Prior to that, he was a 24-year PepsiCo veteran, having served most recently as PepsiCo's Chief Innovation Officer. As part of that role he had primary responsibility for PepsiCo's Health and Wellness initiative with a focus on broadening the company's offering of healthier products and helping consumers get started on healthy lifestyles through marketing ideas like the Smart SpotTM program. In addition, Brock led the company's efforts to solicit the best external advice and to constructively influence public health, establishing PepsiCo's Blue Ribbon Advisory Board on Health and Wellness, building collaborations that constructively address the growing problem of childhood obesity, and leading industry efforts to respond to the problem. Previously, Brock was President and CEO of Tropicana Products, was President of the Frito-Lay Development Group, and was President of Frito-Lay North America. In all these assignments he led the development of healthier products.

Brock's community activities have also focused on the health and wellbeing of children and families, particularly those less fortunate. He is currently president of the board of Habitat for Humanity in Sarasota and serves of the board of Children First, Sarasota County's Head Start provider. He was a two term member of the national board of the YMCA of the USA, where he continues to volunteer. He serves on the board of the PepsiCo Foundation and on the board of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, founded by Dr. Dean Ornish. Brock's wife, Julie, is active in leadership of church social concerns and religious education programs and serves on the board of Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in the Sarasota area. Brock and Julie have a daughter, Beth, who is a first year college student and a son, Josh, who is a sophomore in high school.

Brock received his Bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Colorado and his MBA in finance and marketing from The University of Chicago.