Sybil C. Mobley Trailblazer Award
The Sybil C. Mobley Trailblazer Award honors the spirit, courage, and enduring legacy of Dr. Sybil C. Mobley, who rose from secretary to scholar to become the founding dean of Florida A&M University’s School of Business and Industry. As one of the first Black women to hold a Ph.D. in a business discipline—and among the earliest female deans in U.S. business education—Dr. Mobley paved a path where none existed.
This award would be presented to an HBCU business dean who exemplifies the barrier-breaking spirit, transformative vision, and deep commitment to business education that defined Dr. Mobley’s career.
2026 Sybil C. Mobley Trailblazer Award Recipient
Dr. Van Sapp
Dr. Van Sapp's Bio
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Van Sapp’s breadth of experience spans over 35 years with Fortune 50 PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, a private global company, and several years in higher education. After twelve years with Kraft Foods, Dr. Sapp joined PepsiCo and was fast-tracked through complex turnarounds, revitalizations, and growth leadership roles. He advanced to separate Senior Vice President roles in marketing, sales, and general management. Ultimately, his PepsiCo responsibilities included a $12B P&L as Senior Vice President – Sales and President of Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc. Van has had a major impact in PepsiCo’s largest acquisitions, SAP conversions, and marketing innovative first’s like Pepsi Play-for-a-Billion and Pepsi/iTunes that were gold standards for many years. He also led PepsiCo in transforming its business in the non-grocery channels across the United States; many products his team developed still line shelves today. After leaving PepsiCo, Van began focusing on launching and growing smaller companies when he joined the British loyalty company, TCC Global to lead the North and South American units as its President and US CEO.
However, after 30 years and 15 corporate positions of increasing responsibilities, eight years ago, Dr. Sapp moved into what he refers to as a “season of service,” focusing on building talent at HBCUs. He was first asked to be a transformational dean of a school of business, leading his team to 42% student growth and business school specialized accreditation in three years. Currently, Van is a cabinet member and Vice President of External Engagement at his alma mater, Tuskegee University.
Van and his wife, Donata, have been married for 33 years. They have two sons and a daughter. He is a member of the National Black MBA Association, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., The Executive Leadership Council, and several education-related philanthropic boards. Dr. Sapp is also an avid golfer and BBQ enthusiast.
