Edward "Ted" Decker (born 1963) is an American businessman who since 2022 has been the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the world's largest

home improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...

company,

The Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., often referred to as Home Depot, is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportat ...

. He became the

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the company in 2022.

Early life

Edward Decker grew up in Fairview Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, and attended Fairview High School there. In his high school years, he began managing landscaping and gardening for both residential and commercial customers, after having mowed and helped landscape his family's lawn from the age of eight. During summers as an undergraduate student, he worked sealcoating driveways in Erie. Decker graduated from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

in 1985 with a BA in English and from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

in 1993 with an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

Career

Prior to working for

, Decker worked in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

for PNC and worked in business development and finance positions at

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational consumer goods and personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimb ...

and their property

Scott Paper Company The Scott Paper Company was a manufacturer and marketer of sanitary tissue products with operations in 22 countries. Its products were sold under a variety of well-known brand names, including ''Scott Tissue'', ''Cottonelle'', ''Baby Fresh'', ''S ...

, moving to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

for the latter positions. At Home Depot, Decker held multiple executive positions following his hiring in 2000, including managing their store and online merchandising, and as director of business valuation. In October 2020, Decker became

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

at Home Depot. Decker was announced as the new

and president at Home Depot in January 2022 after 22 years with the company. Decker's appointment to the position coincided with renewed demand for home improvement materials following a lull spurred by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Decker took the position in March that year. As CEO, Decker announced Home Depot's record earnings and sales quarter, the company partially citing a global rise in inflation, though Decker also pointed to the rise in " DIY" home projects as bolstering spending. In August 2022, the board of Home Depot announced that it had elected Decker to assume the position of

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

on October 1 that year, replacing the retiring Craig Menear, who Decker had previously replaced as CEO and company president.

Personal life

Decker and his wife Cathy (née Creekmore) have two adult daughters. Decker met his wife while both were attending William & Mary; the two were married in the campus's Wren Chapel. Decker has donated at least $5,800 to the 2024 re-election campaigns of Democratic U.S. Senator

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III ( ; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. He was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat until he registered as ...

of West Virginia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decker, Ted 1963 births Living people 21st-century American businesspeople American retail chief executives Businesspeople from Pennsylvania College of William & Mary alumni People from Erie County, Pennsylvania The Home Depot people Tepper School of Business alumni