SUNY Brockport’s Commencement ceremonies were sweeter than usual this year. Longtime business executive Troy Pearley ’92 – whose distinguished career includes roles at Divine, Godiva, and Ghirardelli – returned to campus to accept an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Pearley was inducted into the National Confectionery Sales Association’s Candy Hall of Fame in 2022. The organization cited Pearley’s extensive commitment to mentoring young leaders as a key example of how he has contributed to improving the confectionery industry. The Candy Hall of Fame is universally recognized as the highest honor an individual can receive within the industry.
In his most recent role as Executive Vice President and General Manager/North America for Divine Chocolate, Pearley helped lead the world’s first and only Fairtrade, B-Corp certified ethical premium chocolate brand that is co-owned by cocoa farmers – transforming the brand from a small premium chocolate company to a major player in the ethical premium chocolate market. He previously led the charge to make Godiva premium chocolates available in grocery stores and was named Salesperson of the Year during his time at Ghirardelli.
“I am so pleased that we had the opportunity to recognize one of our most outstanding alumni with an honorary degree,” said SUNY Brockport President Heidi Macpherson. “Troy Pearley, a history grad from 1992, took what he learned at Brockport and turned it into a career in the chocolate industry, becoming a Candy Hall of Famer along the way. But his long and distinguished career and many accomplishments are only some of the reasons we honored him at Commencement. We are even more proud of Troy as a person and alumnus. He is the type of individual we hope our graduates choose to emulate.”
Provided information and photo
