Julie Fussner, Gies College of Business alumna (BADM ’96) and CEO of Culver's, has been named to Forbes' 2026 50 Over 50 list, which spotlights women who are redefining leadership and success later in life and career.
Fussner, 52, made history in April 2025 when she became the first woman to lead Culver's, the fast-growing Wisconsin-based restaurant chain known for its ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard. She previously served as the company's chief marketing officer. According to Forbes, the chain now operates 1,041 locations. Fussner oversaw about 40 new restaurant openings in 2025 and has plans for more than 50 additional locations in 2026. Forbes also reports that Culver's restaurants average more than $4 million in annual sales per location, outpacing competitors including McDonald's and Wendy's.
Fussner graduated with honors from Gies College of Business in 1996. She credits her Illinois experience with giving her a broad foundation that continues to shape how she approaches challenges as a business leader. Her studies exposed her to subjects ranging from economics and law to computer science, marketing, and psychology, an interdisciplinary education she says has proved valuable throughout her career.
"I think the key to any academic or professional education is exposing yourself to as many experiences as possible, so you have a wide breadth of knowledge," Fussner said in a 2025 story. "At Illinois, I was exposed to classes in economics and law and computer science and marketing and psychology, and I am able to take pieces of all of those to help solve new challenges that I am faced with."
Fussner has also pointed to Illinois as a place where she developed the ability to continually learn and adapt, skills she considers essential in a rapidly changing business environment. Her connection to the University has continued long after graduation. She regularly returns to campus to speak with Gies Business students and share her experiences with the next generation of marketing professionals. She has also said that some of the friendships she formed at Illinois remain among her closest friendships today.
After Illinois, Fussner went on to earn her MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. Her career took her through marketing roles at ConAgra Foods, a decade in various marketing positions at Kraft Foods' Oscar Mayer business unit, and two years at American Family Insurance before she joined Culver's as vice president of marketing in 2017, drawn by both her love of food marketing and her family's affection for the brand.
At Culver's, Fussner quickly became a central figure in shaping the company's brand and marketing strategy. She led brand strategy, creative development, media planning, and communications and oversaw major initiatives including the CurderBurger launch and the company's "Welcome to Delicious" campaign. In 2023, she was promoted to become Culver's first chief marketing officer, and two years later she became the fifth CEO in the company's history.
Fussner has spoken about leadership as fundamentally about service rather than authority, pointing to a line from author Simon Sinek that has stuck with her: "Leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge." On a 2025 episode of The Gies Download podcast, she described her role as CEO as focused on ensuring restaurant operators and team members have the tools, training, and support they need to succeed. She has credited much of Culver's growth in recent years to a repositioned brand campaign, "From Wisconsin, With Love," that leaned into the company's Midwestern roots and community-driven culture.
Fussner has said she never anticipated becoming CEO, even after years of loving the brand as a customer. "I had to stand up on stage and introduce myself," she recalled of her first days at the company. "The one thing I said was, it's the coolest thing in the world that I get to work at this brand, because my kids love it. So I couldn't even believe I got to work here.”
Her rise to CEO also reflects a leadership style that Culver's leaders have described as closely aligned with the company's people-focused culture. When announcing her appointment in 2025, Culver's co-founder Craig Culver praised Fussner's "visionary thinking, business expertise and an authentic leadership style," as well as her understanding of the Midwest hospitality and appreciation for people that have long defined the brand.
Fussner joins a 2026 Forbes list that includes honorees across business, entertainment, and the arts, among them Whoopi Goldberg, Kendra Scott, and Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin.
Julie Fussner discussed her path from Illinois to the C-suite on the Gies Download podcast. Listen to the full episode at giesbusiness.illinois.edu.