Ted Decker

Ted Decker
Born	Edward Decker 1963
Birthplace	Fairview, Pennsylvania, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Chair, President, and CEO of The Home Depot
Known for	Leading The Home Depot as Chair, President, and CEO
Education	College of William & Mary (BA) Carnegie Mellon University (MBA)

Edward "Ted" Decker (born 1963) is an American business executive who serves as the Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer of The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer. A native of Fairview, Pennsylvania, Decker rose through the ranks of The Home Depot over a career spanning more than two decades with the company, holding senior positions in merchandising, marketing, and operations before being named President and Chief Operating Officer in October 2020. In January 2022, the company announced his appointment as CEO and President, succeeding Craig Menear, who remained as Chairman of the Board at the time of the transition. Later that year, Decker was elected Chairman of the Board, consolidating the top leadership roles at one of the largest retailers in the world. Under his leadership, The Home Depot has navigated a challenging macroeconomic environment marked by housing market pressures, shifting consumer demand, and trade policy disruptions, while continuing to pursue strategic investments in its supply chain and professional customer business.

Early Life

Ted Decker was born in 1963 and grew up in Fairview, Pennsylvania, a small township in Erie County in the northwestern corner of the state. Fairview, located along the shores of Lake Erie, is a community with a population of several thousand residents, and Decker's upbringing there has been noted in regional news coverage as a point of local pride following his ascent to the top of one of America's largest corporations.

Details about Decker's family background and childhood have not been extensively documented in public sources. What is known is that he eventually left northwestern Pennsylvania to pursue higher education, first at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and later at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for graduate studies. His educational trajectory—from a small-town Pennsylvania background to prominent universities and ultimately corporate leadership—has been cited in profiles as illustrative of his career trajectory within the home improvement industry.

Education

Decker earned his undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary, one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States, located in Williamsburg, Virginia. He subsequently obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School has featured Decker as part of its W.L. Mellon Speaker Series, highlighting his career achievements as a notable alumnus of the program. The William & Mary community has also recognized Decker among its "Bold Leaders," underscoring his prominence as an alumnus who has risen to a top leadership position in American business.

Career

Early Career and Rise at The Home Depot

Before joining The Home Depot, Decker worked in various capacities in business, though specific details of his pre-Home Depot career are not extensively documented in available sources. After joining The Home Depot, Decker progressed through a series of roles that gave him broad experience across the company's major operational areas. Over more than two decades with the retailer, he held positions in merchandising, marketing, supply chain management, and store operations, which provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the company's business model.

Decker served as Executive Vice President of Merchandising, a role in which he oversaw the company's product assortment, vendor relationships, and merchandising strategy across The Home Depot's vast network of stores. His work in this capacity positioned him as one of the most influential executives within the company's leadership structure.

President and Chief Operating Officer

In October 2020, The Home Depot announced that Decker had been promoted to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). This promotion was widely interpreted as a key step in the company's succession planning, as it placed Decker in the most prominent operational role beneath then-CEO Craig Menear. As President and COO, Decker was responsible for overseeing the company's day-to-day operations, including its more than 2,300 stores across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, along with its growing e-commerce and supply chain infrastructure.

The announcement generated notable attention in Decker's hometown of Fairview, Pennsylvania, where local media reported on the promotion as a significant achievement for a native of the Erie County community.

CEO and President

On January 27, 2022, The Home Depot announced that Decker would succeed Craig Menear as CEO and President, effective March 1, 2022. Menear, who had served as CEO since 2014, retained the role of Chairman of the Board at the time of the announcement. The Home Depot's board of directors selected Decker for the role based on his extensive experience within the company and his demonstrated leadership as President and COO.

Decker's appointment came during a period of significant transformation for the home improvement sector. The COVID-19 pandemic had driven record demand for home improvement products as consumers invested heavily in their homes during lockdowns and remote work trends, leading to exceptional financial results for The Home Depot in 2020 and 2021. At the same time, the company was navigating supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures, and shifts in consumer behavior that presented ongoing challenges.

The transition was also reported by Yahoo! News, which noted Decker's deep institutional knowledge and long tenure with the company as factors that positioned him well for the role.

Chairman of the Board

In August 2022, The Home Depot announced that Decker had been elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors, succeeding Craig Menear, who retired from the position. With this appointment, Decker assumed the combined roles of Chair, President, and CEO of the company, consolidating the top executive and governance positions into a single individual. The board simultaneously authorized a $15 billion share repurchase program, signaling confidence in the company's financial position and long-term strategy under Decker's leadership.

The announcement came shortly after The Home Depot reported second-quarter 2022 earnings that demonstrated the company's continued strong performance despite a slowing housing market. In August 2022, reporting on the company's results, CNN noted that The Home Depot's business was being affected by rising interest rates and a cooling housing market, but that the company continued to deliver solid financial results.

Navigating Macroeconomic Challenges

Under Decker's leadership, The Home Depot has faced a prolonged period of macroeconomic headwinds. The housing market, which is a significant driver of home improvement spending, experienced a slowdown as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates aggressively beginning in 2022 to combat inflation, leading to reduced home sales activity and lower discretionary spending on home renovation projects.

In November 2025, The Home Depot reported third-quarter fiscal 2025 sales of $41.4 billion and updated its fiscal 2025 guidance, reflecting ongoing pressures from consumer uncertainty and housing market conditions. The company lowered its outlook for the fiscal year, with reporting by Retail Brew noting that the home improvement sector was struggling with a lack of demand even as the company sought to drive sales of larger-ticket items.

In December 2025, The Home Depot provided a strategic update and reaffirmed its fiscal 2025 guidance while establishing a preliminary fiscal 2026 outlook and what the company described as a "market recovery case." This strategic communication indicated the company's efforts under Decker to position itself for an eventual recovery in the housing and home improvement markets while managing costs and investing in long-term growth areas.

In a November 2025 interview with SaportaReport, Decker reflected on the company's heritage, stating that "the founders were brilliant," in reference to The Home Depot's co-founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank.

Tariff Policy and Pricing Strategy

In April 2025, Decker attended a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump to discuss the impact of tariffs on the retail industry, as reported by 11Alive. The meeting took place amid broader concerns about the effects of tariff policies on the cost of imported goods, which are significant for a retailer like The Home Depot that sources products from global supply chains.

During the company's quarterly earnings call in May 2025, The Home Depot officials stated that the company did not plan to increase prices as a result of the tariffs, distinguishing its approach from that of some other major retailers. Axios reported that Home Depot's decision not to pass tariff costs along to consumers was a notable divergence from the strategy announced by Walmart, which indicated it would need to raise prices.

Corporate Restructuring

In January 2026, The Home Depot announced it would lay off approximately 800 workers as part of a corporate restructuring. Simultaneously, the company announced that corporate employees would be required to return to the office five days per week, ending more flexible remote and hybrid work arrangements that had been in place. The layoffs and return-to-office mandate were part of broader cost management and organizational efficiency efforts under Decker's leadership, reflecting trends seen across major American corporations during this period.

Immigration and Labor Issues

In September 2025, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) publicly called on Decker to adopt a policy of denying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to Home Depot stores and facilities without court warrants or advance notice. LULAC National President Roman Palomares directed the appeal specifically to Decker in his role as Chair and CEO. The request reflected broader national debates about immigration enforcement in the workplace and the role of major employers in responding to government agencies.

Personal Life

Ted Decker is from Fairview, Pennsylvania, a small community in Erie County. Details about Decker's personal and family life have remained largely private. He has maintained a relatively low public profile outside of his professional responsibilities at The Home Depot, with most public attention focused on his corporate leadership role.

Decker has been recognized by both of his alma maters. The College of William & Mary has highlighted him among its community of "Bold Leaders," and Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business has featured him in its W.L. Mellon Speaker Series, where he has shared insights from his career with students and the broader business community.

Recognition

Decker has received recognition from the academic institutions where he studied. The College of William & Mary has profiled Decker as part of its "People of William & Mary" series, categorizing him among the institution's "Bold Leaders." Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business has also recognized Decker's achievements by featuring him in the W.L. Mellon Speaker Series, a program that brings prominent business leaders to campus to engage with students and faculty.

As Chair, President, and CEO of The Home Depot, Decker leads a company that is consistently ranked among the largest retailers in the United States by revenue. The Home Depot, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, operates more than 2,300 stores and employs hundreds of thousands of associates, making Decker one of the most prominent corporate leaders in the American retail sector.

His decision in 2025 to absorb tariff costs rather than pass them on to consumers received attention in the business press as a significant strategic choice, distinguishing The Home Depot's approach from that of competitors. His attendance at a White House meeting on tariffs further underscored his role as a representative of the retail industry in national economic policy discussions.