What makes for a fulfilling decades-long retail career? In the case of Carol Spann Joyner, vice president of real estate for the U.S. and Canada at Levi Strauss & Co., it’s much more than longevity; it’s a broad base of meaningful experiences. Joyner’s enviable resume includes stints with three commercial real estate firms and four national retailers.

Via posts with Taco Bell, Gap Inc., Teavana and now Levi Strauss; developers GGP and Edens; and commercial real estate advisory SRS Real Estate Partners, Joyner has accumulated a skill set that’s tough to rival. “I’ve always been a sponge, curious and always ready to continue learning everywhere I go,” said Joyner, who owns Certified Retail Property Executive and Senior Certified Leasing Specialist designations from ICSC. “It’s been my good fortune to not only gain valuable experience. I’ve also gained relationships with incredible people who are the best at what they do.”

Just as Levi’s products once were marketed, Joyner’s experience will never go out of style. Instead, it will keep rising in worth. She now is responsible for Levi Strauss’ real estate expansion and construction of U.S. and Canadian stores, including the growing Beyond Yoga, acquired in 2021 by Levi’s to tap into the larger chain’s growing women’s trade.

The longevity of not just its denim but also Levi Strauss the company is what drew her in. “How many brands do you know that have been around for more than 170 years?” mused Joyner. “I have a lot of respect for the brand, for the company and for its values. It’s iconic.” Introduced to the Levi opportunity by former colleague Jerald Estime, Joyner quickly became smitten with the brand. “I visited one of the new mainline stores and was really blown away by the design, the tailor shop and the attention to detail. It was impressive.”

Her Career Path

Joyner got her industry start in as a regional real estate manager for Taco Bell after the chain’s recruiting visit to the University of Georgia business school. She and several classmates eyed the job opening, she recalled, “and it really piqued my curiosity.” A placement officer helped sell the in-demand recruit on the position, stressing that Taco Bell was an industry leader under the wing of high-powered PepsiCo. She jumped. “And thank goodness I did,” said Joyner, who spent five years completing ground-lease deals and restaurant land purchases in Taco Bell’s southeastern U.S. region. “It’s where I learned market strategy, the store development process, market analysis and much more.”

In late 1997, Joyner moved to Gap Inc. as a leasing representative. She worked there for 13 years, rising to vice president and overseeing real estate execution in its southeastern, southwestern and western regions for Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic. “Shopping centers got built around those concepts,” she explained. Joyner approved all new store locations. Overseeing a team of 17, she also served as Gap’s point person for Westfield Group and Macerich, plus brand liaison for Banana Republic. “I learned the power of brands with Gap,” she said.

Next stop was Teavana, where Joyner served three years as vice president of real estate, construction and facilities. Teavana bought Canada-based Teaopia in 2012, and Starbucks acquired Teavana later that year. “I loved watching entrepreneurialism convert into a major industry acquisition,” Joyner said. “It was an honor working alongside the founders and growing the company profitably.”

In 2014, she shifted to the development world as vice president for Edens, where she got busy aligning the firm’s leasing, design, property management, tenant coordination and design teams to implement real estate strategies in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. Edens really taught me the power of community and critical importance of design,” Joyner said. “My first female CEO was Jodie McLean at Edens, whose leadership and vision was first class. She even had the team on the ground doing yoga!”

Joyner joined GGP in April 2016 to oversee leasing activity and strategic planning for nine of its centers in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. “GGP allowed me to learn another side of the mall business, knowledge that I still use today to find solutions to problems,” she said.

In 2018, she hired on to retail services juggernaut SRS Real Estate Partners as vice president in the Atlanta office. “The broker side at SRS really allowed me to reconnect with my entrepreneurial side,” she said. “I worked with a variety of tenants, and it connected me again with the amazing Atlanta real estate community.”

Her Levi Strauss Era

Joyner joined Levi Strauss in June 2021 as eastern director of real estate before a bump up to vice president of real estate in May 2023. Ultimately, Joyner enjoys retailing over all else. “I feel like I’m back at home,” she said. “The world of a retailer is dynamic and fast paced. We look at our scorecard every day at Levi Strauss to see how we’re doing. Every day is different, and I truly enjoy that.”

The Levi Strauss demographic has changed over the years from a wholesale men’s denim business to a broader consumer base, Joyner said. “We’ve been on an international journey to evolve, growing our women’s business, building our direct-to-consumer channels and becoming known as a denim lifestyle brand. You see this strategy and focus come to life at our stores.” One of Levi’s core business strategies is to evolve into a predominantly direct-to-consumer-first company, “not to be confused with DTC-only, as wholesale remains a critical part of our business,” said Joyner, who offices in Atlanta for the San Francisco-based retailer. As the company looks to the future, “we’re excited to further our store expansion and build deeper, direct connections with our fans.”

Being a Part of Something Bigger

A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Joyner earned a Bachelor of Science in business from Wake Forest University and a Master of Business Administration in finance and entrepreneurship from the University of Georgia. She was a scholar at both. “Wake had a competitive business program, and I can be a bit competitive,” she said. “My father was a businessman, so that was all relatable.” Joyner hadn’t cast even a glance at commercial real estate until Taco Bell came calling, she said. Between those two higher education stints, she worked at Merck Sharp and Dohme, “and Taco Bell recruiters believed those skills would be transferrable.”

As Joyner drove innovation at the firms she served, she also championed inclusiveness. When she entered the retail real estate trade in the early ’90s, there were very few women, much less Black women, populating it. “Ours is a relationship business and an information business and we all must earn the relationships and the access to the information we have, but that’s harder to do when you don’t look like the other person” or, say, speak the language of sports references and analogies that often are associated with men, she said. “The bonding takes a bit longer that way.”

Minority numbers in the business have grown significantly, she said. “I’ve always tried to focus on uplifting relationships, and I’m fortunate to have gained a network of former co-workers who’ve remained close,” she noted. “As a Black woman, I’m extremely grateful for these relationships.” She was especially excited to see Angele Robinson-Gaylord become ICSC chair, marking the organization’s first Black chair, sixth woman chair and second retailer chair. “Our business caters to a diverse consumer base, and diverse perspectives can lead to better outcomes that serve the needs of our consumer,” she said.

MORE FROM C+CT: Angele Robinson-Gaylord’s Journey to ICSC Chair Wound From Corporate Law to Retail and From Coast to Coast

Education played a key role in the Joyner family when she was growing up. “My mother was an elementary school music teacher, and my father worked in economic development, plus he had his own real estate business,” she said. “They were both leaders in the community, and they always pushed me and my brother to do our very best. My father would say: ‘I don’t expect you to be perfect, but I do expect you to try.’”

Joyner volunteers with Jack and Jill of America, whose website describes it as an organization of mothers with children ages 2 through 19 “dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.” Her volunteer group is helping students organize a prom experience at a local high school for teenagers who need prom attire, she said. Recently, “We helped clean the yards of senior citizens who have limited resources in the community.” Joyner previously volunteered with the Pajama Program, which focuses on children’s happiness and well-being related to bedtime and sleep.

In 2024, she became the inaugural recipient of the Wake Forest University School of Business’ Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character Excellence in Leadership Alumni Award. “This was such an honor from my alma mater,” she said. “I’ve always tried to lead with integrity and strong character, and that’s why it was so wonderful to be acknowledged.” Joyner also won a 2020 Women in Real Estate Award from Connect CRE.

Joyner credited Alan Barocas of Gap Inc. for being her trusted mentor and adviser of more than 25 years. She was on hand last year in May to honor Barocas, considered one of the most influential people in the Marketplaces Industry, at a dinner of 40 Gap Inc. alumni that coincided with ICSC LAS VEGAS. The celebration was themed Forever in Blue Jeans, a nod to the Neil Diamond song and to the 2001 Gap TV ad that featured the song.

MORE FROM C+CT: Gap Inc. Real Estate’s Alumni Are Spread Far and Wide: Here’s How They Honored the Man Who Mentored Them All

“With Alan, I learned resilience; I learned how to push through the hard things,” she said. “I learned how to work with challenging personalities and that constant change is normal. I also learned to really lean in and listen. Alan was also a master negotiator, and I am a better dealmaker today because of his influence.”

Joyner also named Dr. Ernie Wade, former director of multicultural affairs at Wake Forest, as a key influence. “Everyone needs someone who sees more in them than they see in themselves, and he was that person for me,” she said.

Another mentor was Taco Bell’s John Mitchell. “John stayed as a mentor to me until his passing a few years ago. Through John, I learned the foundations of retail real estate, and he was always there as a sounding board.”

Away from work, Joyner enjoys being a soccer mom and visiting the beach, citing her favorite getaway as Rosemary Beach, Florida. She continues to enlighten up-and-coming students as a guest speaker for classes at Georgia State University and a leadership class at Wake Forest, where she also mentors students.

Among the bits of wisdom Joyner leans on are “Challenge equals growth and failure equals fertilizer” and “I can do all things through God who strengthens me.” One piece of advice for the next generation in the profession, Joyner said: “Embrace the hard and embrace the challenge. What we do is not easy, and I believe it’s getting harder. Take the time to listen and learn.” For seasoned industry leaders, meanwhile, she suggested: “Take the extra moment to connect with someone who may be a little different.”