Rachel Ruggeri, senior vice president, Finance, is responsible for the retail portfolio across the Americas including company-operated and licensed/franchised stores. In this role, Rachel leads all aspects of business planning and performance management from a finance standpoint with a specific focus on creating synergy and leveraging best practices across the broader organization.Rachel joined Starbucks in 2001 as a member of the accounting team and had the responsibility in her first year of helping to launch the first Starbucks Card, which has since become a significant vehicle of growth for the company. During her tenure, she has held a variety of finance positions, largely within the U.S. Business, and was promoted to vice president of Corporate Finance and Planning in 2010. From 2014 to 2016, she was vice president of Finance in support of the U.S. Business and from there, she was promoted to senior vice president of Global Retail in 2016. Her proudest moments, however, come from the many opportunities she has had to grow and develop talent within the organization. Though numbers are her business, her passion is in working alongside the talented and inspiring partners within the Starbucks organization.Rachel began her career in 1992 as a community college instructor and later took a role as an accountant in the public sector supporting a local municipality. She worked in a variety of sectors prior to joining Starbucks and over the years including leadership roles in finance supporting social service organizations and within the food industry processing Idaho’s famous potatoes and supporting a well-loved, local pancake and bake mix brand.She holds a B.A from University of Puget Sound and an MBA from Washington State University. When she is not at work, Rachel can be found spending time with her husband and her dogs (Vizslas) enjoying running, hiking, and the many outdoor activities that the great Northwest has to offer. She is passionate about animal rescue and supports the Utah/Idaho Vizsla Rescue and the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, as well as many other great rescues in the area and across the country. Her favorite Starbucks beverage, which she enjoys at least twice per day, is a grande iced, triple, espresso with extra, extra ice.