MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota announced today that Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy Co. Inc., will receive the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership.
In addition to overseeing Best Buy Co., Inc., the world’s largest specialty consumer electronics retailer, with over 85,000 employees in North America and more than $43 billion in annual revenue in fiscal year 2024, Barry also serves on the company’s board of directors. Prior to becoming CEO in June 2019, she served in several other executive positions, playing a critical role in developing and executing the company’s Building the New Blue growth strategy and related transformation.
Barry joined Best Buy in 1999 and has held a variety of financial and operational roles across the organization, both in the field and at the corporate office. Before joining Best Buy, Barry started her career as an auditor at Deloitte & Touche.
A Minnesota native, she holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and management from the College of St. Benedict, where she now serves on the board of trustees. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for Domino’s Pizza.
Prior to becoming CEO, Barry spent time living and working in retail, which provided her with not only a deep understanding of all areas of operations, but she also gained a deeper understanding of what it’s like to walk in the shoes of her employees.
“One of only 52 women running Fortune 500 companies in the U.S., Corie Barry has demonstrated an uncanny ability to think outside of the box and adapt quickly to an ever-changing retail environment, yet she always makes time to listen to her employees, stating that it’s important to listen to multiple points of view to inform her decision making,” said Brother Robert Smith, FSC, Ph.D., senior vice president for university initiatives, special advisor to the president, and executive director of the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership.
“We are excited to honor someone who believes that part of standing out as a leader includes being not only successful but also ‘ethically and morally aligned’ with the organization you’re at.”
This year’s Hendrickson Forum will include the keynote address “Healing Our Social Divide: Finding Happiness in Our Culture of Contempt” with Arthur C. Brooks, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author, Harvard professor, and columnist at The Atlantic.
Focusing on his best-selling book, “Love Your Enemies,” Brooks explains America is afflicted with a “culture of contempt.” It is increasingly common for people to view those who disagree with them as worthless, instead of just misguided or incorrect. This is fomented by an “outrage industrial complex” in media and politics. Through ancient wisdom and cutting-edge behavioral science, Brooks provides a roadmap to the prosperity that comes when we choose to love one another — gaining strength from our differences.
Once a year, during the Hendrickson Forum, Saint Mary’s brings an internationally recognized speaker to its Minneapolis Campus to engage Saint Mary’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as the wider community, in timely and important conversations.
This year’s event will be held Friday, April 4, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with check-in and networking beginning at 11 a.m. at the Saint Mary’s University Center at 2540 Park Ave. in Minneapolis. The event is open to the public and general admission tickets are $75 per person, which includes lunch. Advance registration is required. More information and online registration are available, starting Feb. 14, at smumn.edu/hendricksonforum.