Donda Mullis -- Inspiring Leader of the Year

Donda Mullis co-founded Raw Sugar Living to create an inspirational personal care brand that opened the gate to making clean, natural premium products more affordable so they were accessible to all. She developed Raw Sugar as a mission-based company that stands for something in terms of what they offer in the retail space, the values around the products they create, and how they make anybody—and everybody—love the skin they’re in. Today, in her dual role as Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Executive of Raw Sugar, Donda has negotiated strategic partnerships with the nation’s biggest retail store chains and driven mass distribution in the beauty, health and wellness sectors, with Raw Sugar products now sold in 40,000+ retail stores nationwide. This has put affordable personal care firmly on the map to fill retail white spaces. Over the years, Donda has conceived and launched a wide range of new products in clean personal care categories, with natural ingredients and a feel-good messaging vibe. Her creative stamp is in everything, from brand identity to product packaging to marketing rollouts, always innovating with solutions that make personal care products with better ingredients and that are more enjoyable and more affordable to consumers. As an inspiring leader, Donda built a best-in-class executive leadership and management team that is fiercely passionate about the Raw Sugar mission. Together, they have continued to catapult Raw Sugar into more top-tier retail chains across the country, driving accelerated year-over-year growth. One of Donda’s greatest accomplishments I having a clean beauty brand that hugs people, reminds them they are beautiful, and daily gives back through their philanthropic program, the Raw Sugar Initiative. To date, Raw Sugar has donated more than 17 million (and counting!) bars of soap, hand sanitizers and other clean essentials to people in need. In 2021, Donda was named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 list in its inaugural year. She has also started the braveHER foundation, a non-profit organization that empowers, educates and equips women and girls to step into a higher form of self-worth.