Why do some corporations (or LLCs) have a President instead of a CEO, or both?

Strictly speaking, every California corporation is required to have a CEO. So the real question is whether your corporation should also have a President. The President of a corporation is typically tasked with general supervision, direction and control of the business and officers of the corporation. Practically, though, where there’s already a CEO, the President might be the highest ranking officer for a particular division or sub-enterprise of the corporate business. So, for example, in the case of a real estate brokerage corporation, the CEO is tasked with the same tasks as the President, but with respect to the entire corporation and all regions. Installing a President of the San Francisco region would give the corporation an individual who would report to the CEO and to whom all employees and agents in the San Francisco region would report.