STEVE PEMBERTON

Steve Pemberton is chief diversity officer and divisional vice president for Walgreens, the first such person to hold that responsibility in the company's 110-year history. As such, he directs activities to help serve diverse markets and populations, including customers in medically underserved areas, food deserts, and urban areas, as well as strengthens relationships with diverse suppliers and communities.

His memoir, A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home, chronicles his difficult path through foster care and his determined search for his family. It is an inspirational story that crosses generations and cultures, but specifically whispers to those who have had the odds stacked against them. Pemberton's relentless journey to overcome his setbacks, find his biological family, and right the wrongs of his parents' past is a model for all families to follow. It is a true testament of faith, fortitude, and forgiveness.