Executive Leadership Speaker | Award-Winning Author

Gladys
H. DeClouet

Former Executive Leader at BP, Burger King & Jack in the Box

From the first female engineer in offshore oil and gas to running multibillion-dollar divisions, Gladys helps leaders break barriers, lead with courage and build cultures where people thrive.

Keynotes · Panels · Fireside Chats · Leadership Workshops

30,000+

People led under her direct responsibility

Billions

In annual revenue across the divisions she ran

1st

Female engineer in offshore oil and gas exploration and production

Decades

Of senior leadership at BP, Burger King and Jack in the Box

Speaking

Signature Presentations

Keynotes and leadership sessions for conferences, corporate teams, women’s leadership events and universities.

Each presentation is customized to address the goals, challenges, & strategic priorities of your organization, industry, and audience.

Breaking Barriers and Building Opportunity

How courageous leadership creates opportunities, strengthens organizational culture, and drives lasting business success.

Creating High-Performing Cultures of Trust, Integrity, and Inclusion

Practical ways to build teams where people do their best work, and stay.

Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime of Firsts

Leadership principles that enable continuous success and approaches for overcoming obstacles, building credibility, and leading with confidence.

Leading Through Change with Courage

How to navigate change with confidence while maintaining trust, resilience, and organizational alignment; and use it for growth opportunities and innovation.

Resilience, Reinvention, and Career Growth

Turning setbacks into steppingstones, and building a career on your own terms.

Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Leadership That Lasts

Why intentional leadership development creates lasting organizational impact.

As Featured In

Book Gladys for Your Next Leadership Event

Conferences, corporate leadership events, women’s leadership programs, universities and podcasts.

Each presentation is customized to address the goals, challenges, & strategic priorities of your organization, industry, and audience.

Speaking fees are available upon request and vary based on the format, location, scope, and specific requirements of the engagement.

Brad DeClouet, Mosaic Public Relations
bdeclouet.pr.events@gmail.com

About A Layered Life

#1 Amazon Best Seller #1 New Release Bronze Winner – Non Fiction Book Awards National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist

An unforgettable memoir of grit, grace, and groundbreaking leadership

Born into deep disadvantage in the 1950s during racial desegregation and before the women’s rights movement, Gladys H. DeClouet shattered expectations by becoming the first female engineer in offshore oil and gas exploration and production. But her story doesn’t stop there. As a pioneering Black woman in corporate America, Gladys climbed to the highest echelons of leadership in both the oil and restaurant industries—ultimately running multibillion-dollar divisions in spaces where women, especially women of color, were rarely welcomed.

A Layered Life is an extraordinary journey through the complexities of race, gender, ambition, and personal loss. With raw vulnerability and unflinching honesty, Gladys shares how she endured and overcame blatant racism, sexism, and sexual harassment. Her story is marked not just by hardship but by joy, self-belief, and an unwavering commitment to help others succeed.

Far more than a business memoir, A Layered Life reads with the pace of a mystery novel and the emotional depth of a personal reckoning. Through heartbreak and triumph, Gladys weaves a powerful message: Life is layered, and each challenge can serve as a steppingstone to growth, purpose, and legacy.

For readers of all backgrounds—especially those navigating the corporate world—this book offers practical insights into developing inspirational leadership, managing diversity and inclusion, building high-performance teams, mentoring, and finding balance without compromising integrity.

A Layered Life will challenge you to reflect on your own life, your values, and your impact on the world around you. It’s not just a story—it’s a call to courage, resilience, and transformation.

Be Part of Meaningful Conversations

Subscribe to receive news, events, and updates directly from author Gladys H. DeClouet.

About the Author

Gladys H. DeClouet

Former Executive Leader at BP, Burger King,

and Jack in the Box

Award-Winning Author | Executive Leadership Speaker

Gladys is a pioneer with an exceptional record of running multi-billion-dollar businesses. She forged a path through the oil and restaurant industries. She led divisions at major corporations, such as British Petroleum (BP), Burger King (BKC), and Jack in the Box (JBX), to financial growth and strategic success. Gladys began her professional career with Conoco Oil as the first female engineer in offshore oil and gas exploration and production and continued to open doors as the first female or first black female to achieve positions throughout her career. Gladys is a respected leader, recognized for her integrity and ability to attract and develop superior and diverse teams. She is passionate about mentoring and sharing her knowledge and experience with others.

During her 13 years in the restaurant industry, Gladys served as Global Executive Team Member and SVP of North America Operations for Burger King Corporation. She also served as Leadership Council Member and VP of Operations at Jack in the Box. Gladys spent 12 of her 17 years in the oil industry with BP, where she obtained a C-suite executive P&L role, as the Cleveland Division Manager. She was responsible for sales through all channels of trade in the American Headquartered geographic division.

Gladys was featured in Black Enterprise magazine, where she was recognized among the most powerful executives and women in business. Her educational background includes an MBA in Finance & Investment Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BS in Mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University. Actively involved in her community, she has served on several boards. She enjoys music, dancing, and traveling, integrating personal passions with a profound professional legacy. Gladys has since retired and lives in her home state of Florida.

Testimonials

I really enjoyed this memoir. The author has such an interesting and fulfilling life and I’m glad to have listened to her story. Many important themes discussed with a good balance between heavy and joyful. Beautifully written and captivating- a quick read that kept me engaged and eager to finish within a couple days.

Gladys reminds us that life isn’t a straight line. From breaking barriers offshore to leading billion-dollar teams, she turns hardship into hope. A Layered Life is courage wrapped in grace.

I absolutely loved your story. The book was such an easy read that I finished it fast in two sittings. I couldn’t put it down. Oftentimes books make me sleepy, which is good if I’m trying to go to bed. Your book on the other hand kept me awake and totally engaged. Even my husband commented I can’t believe you’re still reading and didn’t fall asleep!
Your style of writing was fantastic and kept the reader engaged. I truly enjoyed reading it and you left me feeling inspired. Each Thursday I host a leader’s meeting with all my salaried managers. On two different occasions, one of them being this past Thursday, I read out loud two paragraphs from your book that inspired me as a leader. It was a great way to close the meeting and get the leaders to think in a different way about how they manage their teams.
You really have a remarkable story about your life. Thanks for sharing your journey and wisdom with us. You should be so proud of what you accomplished.

This book is a masterclass in resilience and a roadmap for leadership with heart. Gladys shows how faith, grit, and love can transform ceilings into doors. A Layered Life is the blueprint, and Gladys is the proof.

Your book is amazing! I couldn’t put it down

Just finished your book. I’m sure you only touched the surface of the challenges you faced professionally and personally over the years. I can’t help but think what an amazing coach you would make for young folk. I have so much admiration for your courage and resilience. You have so much more to give.

What courage and strength you have. Your book is powerful and inspiring; writing so openly about the good and painful parts of your life. This will truly inspire all who read it. God Bless YOU.

We both loved reading your book. What an amazing story of talent, perseverance and heartache.

Critique: Eloquent, intimate, informative, insightful, inspiring, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "A Layered Life: Breaking Barriers as a Trailblazing Black Woman in Corporate America" is the extraordinary, candidly personal, and deftly crafted life story of Gladys H. DeClouet.

Gladys H. DeClouet's A Layered Life is a deeply relatable and heartfelt memoir that chronicles her remarkable journey as a trailblazing Black woman in corporate America. From her challenging childhood in Jacksonville, Florida, to her groundbreaking career in the oil and restaurant industries, DeClouet delivers a narrative that resonates with authenticity and emotional depth.

A Layered Life is a book worth reading to understand important truths about successful women and minorities in Corporate America. DeClouet gives us both vital tips--such as the reality of a "resume of challenges," how to transfer your abilities to a new industry (the author went from oil and gas to food service), how to rectify inequities in the workplace, and looking at how to make everyone more successful, not just yourself)--and explains, in an open and relatable manner, the incredible challenges of facing intimidation tactics, navigating hate, and dealing with sexual harassment. She lived a "life of many layers" and comes through with a firm message of family first, not a corporation.

What makes this memoir particularly compelling is DeClouet's candid, conversational writing style. From my positionality as a woman of color, I appreciated her authentic and heartfelt telling of difficult moments in her journey: the overt discrimination at Conoco, the subtle but damaging racism from British colleagues at British Petroleum, or the profound personal losses that punctuated her professional ascent. Her optimistic outlook and resilience transform these experiences into an inspiring testament to human perseverance, encouraging readers to find strength in their own struggles.

DeClouet's professional accomplishments are nothing short of extraordinary, especially considering she was a Black American woman born and raised in the Deep South during segregation. As the first female engineer in offshore oil and gas exploration at Conoco, she shattered barriers that seemed insurmountable. Her subsequent executive roles at British Petroleum, Jack in the Box, and Burger King demonstrate not just survival but genuine mastery of male-dominated corporate environments—a feat made all the more remarkable by the systemic obstacles stacked against her from birth.

The personal dimensions of this memoir are equally powerful. DeClouet writes movingly about family tragedies, her husband's health battles, and her own struggles with chronic migraines and spinal stenosis. These vulnerable moments humanize her story, making her triumphs feel earned rather than inevitable.

The book thoughtfully explores themes of race, gender, and cultural identity without becoming preachy. Anyone who has ever overcome the pain of exclusion and tokenization will understand the impact of the intersectionality of race, gender, and other identity dimensions in achieving great heights in corporate settings. DeClouet's reflections on mentorship, integrity, and building inclusive teams offer practical wisdom for today's professionals.

A Layered Life is essential reading for women and people of color striving to break barriers, as well as leaders seeking to understand the lived experiences of those navigating systemic obstacles. DeClouet's story reminds us that success is more than personal achievement; it's about paving the way for future generations while staying true to one's values and prioritizing what truly matters.

A Layered Life is a powerful, honest, and deeply necessary read. This book gives voice to the layered realities of being a Black woman navigating corporate spaces where excellence is often expected, but support, recognition, and equity are not always guaranteed.
What makes this book stand out is its honesty. It does not simply celebrate success; it reveals the resilience, strategy, sacrifice, courage, and emotional intelligence required to break barriers in environments that were not always designed with Black women in mind. The author offers both inspiration and truth, creating a narrative that is personal, professional, and profoundly relevant.
As a Black woman, I found the themes especially meaningful. The book captures what it means to lead, achieve, adjust, persist, and still remain grounded in your identity. It is both a mirror and a roadmap.
I highly recommend this book to women leaders, corporate professionals, mentors, executives, and anyone committed to understanding what leadership, representation, and perseverance truly look like from the inside out.

Book Launch Event

On Saturday we had the joy of celebrating one of our dear friends, who just published her very first book, A Layered Life! by Gladys H. DeClouet. The Book Launch Event was held on September 13th, 2025 and brought together around 40 guests for a truly special afternoon.

Everyone enjoyed the author’s (Ms. DeClouet) engaging presentation, listened to select readings from the book, asked thoughtful questions, and left with personally signed copies. It was a wonderful gathering that highlighted the talent and accomplishments within our own community. A buffet was served for our guests, including a Wine and Champagne Bar with non-alcoholic drinks as well.

A Layered Life: Breaking Barriers as a Trailblazing Black Woman in Corporate America by Gladys H. DeClouet offers an inspiring memoir of resilience, ambition, and trailblazing success. Drawing on her decades-long leadership in corporate America, Ms. DeClouet tells the story of overcoming obstacles as a Black woman in traditionally white male-dominated industries. She shares insights from her journey through senior executive roles, including her work in the oil and restaurant sectors, revealing both the systemic challenges she faced and the strategies she employed to break through.

This book is not just a memoir, it’s a guidebook for readers interested in leadership, diversity, equity, and the power of perseverance. It reminds us that success isn’t one-dimensional, but layered: shaped by personal history, professional ambition, identity, and the courage to challenge the status quo.