Cheryl Stokes is CEO of CNEXT, a leadership development and executive networking company that helps connect, develop, and advance high-impact leaders. Before her current role, she was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles. There, she launched the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practice, led the Leadership Development practice, and was a consultant in the Culture Shaping practice. Previously, Cheryl helped found and run Duke Corporate Education at Duke University. She was the regional managing director for its European operations. Under her leadership, the region saw record growth and profitability. Prior to this, Cheryl was the director of organization capability at The Coca-Cola Company, working across the US, Europe, Russia, Latin America, and the Philippines with both the company and its bottling system. Earlier in her career, Cheryl worked as an Electrical Engineer for the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) and the Buick-Olds-Cadillac Division of General Motors.