The 2020 Top Women in Grocery: Senior-Level Executives

Progressive Grocer Staff

6/15/2020

READ ALL ABOUT THE 2020 HONOREES

Progressive Grocer recognizes 350 extraordinary women this year who join the ranks of the Top Women in Grocery. These women strengthen the retail food industry at many levels, within both the retailer and supplier communities.

Top Women in Grocery is a community that has continued to grow since 2007, with the best and brightest women in the industry.

Honorees are recognized in one of three categories: Executive-Level, Rising Stars and Store Managers. Below you find an incredible group of 87 Executive-Level women.

Christine Bell

Chief Operations Counsel, Acosta

Handling legal affairs for sales operations in the United States and Canada, and supporting procurement efforts, Bell recently led the implementation of Acosta’s new contract management platform, which required countless hours of coordination with the new vendor and Acosta’s internal teams.
She also helped launch a new business model to streamline new-client onboarding and successfully renegotiated several deals that avoided liability for Acosta.
Bell is a 2019 winner of Gold and Bronze Chairman’s Awards from Acosta, was named a Florida Rising Star by Super Lawyers, and is a member of the Deercreek Women’s Alliance.

Shauna Bowen

EVP, Central Operations, Innovation and E-commerce, Acosta

Responsible for all e-commerce operations, Bowen drove continuous improvement across Acosta’s sales organizations
Supporting the organization to deliver $850 million in revenue and $164 million in EBITDA, she was a standout for spearheading new ways of working across prioritized business units, implementing new resource management and planning tools, and boosting the execution of a new retailer-centric operating model by 17%.
Active in the community, Bowen is a youth basketball, volleyball and soccer coach, and a program committee member of her local YMCA.

Christy Cates

SVP, Retail Operations, Acosta

Influenced by positive female leaders within the organization and in the region, Cates led retail operations for the Acosta Walmart/Sam’s Club team to deliver on multiple business strategies.
She strengthened relationships with existing supplier partners, onboarded new supplier partners, and optimized the retail model to increase in-store coverage and overdeliver on performance results, which were up 10% from the previous year.
A five-time recipient of Acosta’s Chairman’s Award in recognition of her accomplishments exemplifying the company’s core values, Cates is a local sponsor for the Network of Executive Women’s (NEW) northwest Arkansas chapter.

Kimberly Field

VP, Albertsons West Hub 2, Acosta

Field ran sales operations across three divisions representing more than a half-billion in dollar sales, with a team of 36 associates.
She managed the Acosta/Albertsons Summit, which drew 75 clients at all levels of management and two dozen Albertsons associates, among them the division president and SVP, resulting in notable sales and share growth.
Field received three Chairman’s Awards from Acosta, three Vendor of the Year awards from Albertsons, and a Broker of the Year award from Coca-Cola North America. She is also a committee member for the Olive Crest organization’s Stop Child Abuse Here campaign and involved with City of Hope.

Melissa Fulmore-Hardwick

VP, IT Enterprise Applications, Acosta

Overseeing a $40 million technology portfolio, Fulmore-Hardwick led a group of 37 to orchestrate the planning, design and architecture of enterprise back-office platforms for the company’s 30,000-plus employees
She was at the helm of transformation to a common vertical infrastructure and the migration to a cloud platform, which eliminated more than 75 back-office systems, improved communications between systems and moved more than 18,000 users in an ERP transformation.
Fulmore-Hardwick has received Gold and Bronze Chairman’s Awards from Acosta and spoken at the She is Fierce Women’s Conference.

Karmelita Middlemiss

VP Business Intelligence and Marketing, Foodservice, Acosta

Spearheading business intelligence, Collaborative Culinary and creative marketing for Acosta’s foodservice team, Middlemiss led a national group of 40 professionals.
She took on responsibility for creative marking and Collaborative Culinary, resulting in the addition of several new clients; expanded growth with existing clients; and developed a process to quantify the value of accounts and drive activities for higher ROI.
Middlemiss represents Acosta on the Technomic Foodservice Planning Program as the only broker in the group, and also mentors and advises members of the local chapter of the Network of Executive Women (NEW).

Amanda Vanjaria

VP, Acosta

Responsible for the oversight of the Acosta HBC/GM business at Southeastern Grocers (SEG), Vanjaria also managed the Campbell’s grocery portfolio at SEG, one of Acosta largest accounts.
She developed multiple, repeatable and cross-category key business partnership programs that spurred more than $2 million in incremental sales and grew client brand share in the specialty category by 1.3 share points.
A two-time Campbell’s Founder/Merit Award winner and four-time winner of Acosta’s Chairman’s Award, Vanjaria is active in her local church.

Linda Zurn

VP, Target Team Leader, Acosta

Joining Acosta at the start of the company’s 2019 transformation, Zurn partnered with 75 unique clients to drive profits and growth at Target, guiding a team of 20 sales and analytics professionals to create competitive business plans, and counseled clients on achieving success.
She led the Target team to adopt new ways of working together and for clients to continue to deliver exceptional results.
An active mentor to young people in the local school system, Zurn also serves on the University of Minnesota’s Honors Program Advisory Board.

Kelly McCarten

SVP, Client Service, Acosta/Mosaic

McCarten managed a $40 million budget across Canada, where she was responsible for more than 20 large CPG and retail clients and ran a retail platform supporting 600 grocery stores.
She took on responsibility for the profit and loss for Mosaic Canada, saving $1.2 million in net margin and increasing new business by 6%.
McCarten, who won a Bronze Chairman’s Award from Acosta last year, is a board member of MADD Toronto, a member of WISE and the Network of Executive Women (NEW), and a principal at Women’s Club.

Lucinda Williams

VP, Client Service, Acosta/Mosaic

As the retail lead for the Canadian retail activation team, Williams worked in all aspects of the CPG and grocery channels and oversaw a complex national program with annual revenue of more than $15 million.
Between April and November 2019, she directed a large team for a major retailer, reaching 99.9% compliance across all program key performance indicators and netting $1.5 million in new program revenue.
A winner of Acosta’s Gold Chairman’s Award, Williams is an active member of the Network of Executive Women (NEW).

Tanya Domier

CEO, Advantage Solutions

Domier strategically shaped the future of Advantage Solutions by overseeing headquarters sales, retail merchandising, business intelligence, and a full suite of marketing services to help manufacturers and retailers increase sales and achieve operating efficiencies.
She steered the company through the expansion of its sales agency, and drove service innovations such as online grocery sampling and a new business helping nonfood vendors create best-in-class special events.
Domier is a member of the board of directors of Nordstrom Inc., Yum! Brands Inc. and Enactus, an international nonprofit promoting entrepreneurship for college students.

Dee Hall

Executive General Manager, Agency, Advantage Solutions/Advantage Customer Experience

With 30 years of industry experience, Hall came to the company in January 2019 to rebuild experiential marketing, multicultural and retail demo agency practices.
She stabilized the agency collective, recruited top talent, won four new client relationships with Fortune 500 CPG and retail companies, doubled the adult-beverage in-store tasting business and drove double-digit CPG national demo revenue growth.
Hall received a Gold 2019 Event Marketers’ Ex Award, and served as co-chair for the Association of National Advertisers’ 2020 Brand Activation Marketing Conference.

Andrea Young

President, Advantage Solutions/Advantage Customer Experience

At the helm of one of the largest company divisions, Young oversaw more than $300 million in annual revenue.
Continuing seven years of profit growth, she won more new accounts and launched a Retail Strategy and Innovation Center of Excellence to deliver innovative custom solutions for grocery and CPG clients. She also unveiled an e-commerce business vertical in her organization and introduced a platform for brands to schedule sampling events online.
Young is an active member of the Network of Executive Women (NEW) and Cosmetic Executive Women, and a founding member of the Advantage Diversity and Inclusion Executive Council.

Valerie Bernstein

EVP, Business Development, Advantage Solutions/Advantage Marketing Partners

Responsible for business development for the shopper agencies, Bernstein tailored strategies for each client and connected with other company divisions and sister agencies to enhance the overarching commerce story.
She recently created an onboarding process for new clients; took the lead on pitch processes for wins with major brands, including Bacardi, Anheuser- Busch, Upfield and Tabasco, for $10 million in calendar-year revenue; and rolled out a detailed trade marketing campaign.
Bernstein was spotlighted on the company’s website during Women’s History Month and National Women’s Day.

Jennifer Gruber

VP Analytics, Advantage Solutions/Advantage Sales

In 2019, Gruber became the insights and analytics lead for business development, directing a team of 12 professionals to unlock growth opportunities.
She codified a new process that proved critical in delivering record-setting new business wins, developed a training program on household panel data insights and data visualization that shaped the organization’s analytical culture, and leveraged neighborhood insights to help brands optimize store sales based on both their current and potential mix of shoppers.
Gruber is actively involved in a high school hockey organization, where she leads fundraising efforts to defray operational costs.

Shelly Everett Jacoby

SVP, Advantage Solutions/Advantage Sales

With 28 years of food industry leadership roles, Jacoby fronted the grocery sales team in the Northeast region.
She helped deliver new client appointments in the past year, delivering more than four times the growth of the prior year; for her efforts, she was recognized by C&S Wholesale Grocers as a top partner.
A member of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), the Northeast Wholesale Distributor Association, the Massachusetts Food Association, and the Frozen and Refrigerated Food Association of New England, Jacoby also serves on a local school board budget committee, and is an active community volunteer.

Crystal Rossel

VP, Client Services, Advantage Solutions/Advantage Sales

Rossel led consultative business relationships with multinational clients, with company combined sales of about $42 billion.
Promoted in late 2019, she increased her client scope from $15 billion to $42 billion, onboarded two new strategic clients, grew existing client revenue by more than $2 million, and created a new Center of Excellence division.
The recipient of two Business Development Manager of the Year awards, Rossel is involved with the Network of Executive Women (NEW), serves on the board of a high school sporting organization and supports such organizations as Habitat for Humanity and the Boy Scouts.

Kathleen Owen

VP, Sales, Advantage Solutions/Club Demonstration Services (CDS)

Owen and her team created innovative and impactful demo solutions for Costco and suppliers, including leveraging a tablet in conjunction with demonstrations, and helping members design, create and ship collateral materials to enhance in-store events.
By engaging in strategic planning sessions and leveraging analytics to prove the value of nonfood demos, she led her team to achieve a 37% increase in CDS’ pharmacy/health and beauty care business.
Owen served as a critical member of the team that achieved 175% growth in CDS’ special-event road show business over the prior year.

Nicole Peranick

Senior Director, Retail Transformation, Advantage Solutions/Daymon

Peranick launched Daymon’s public relations program to establish the company as the private-brand expert in the industry, delivering 357 million media impressions, including 66 media placements and engagements.
She led the creation and authorship of Daymon’s 2019 private-brand intelligence report, “What’s Next in Innovation,” revealing insights that have driven higher levels of engagement with Daymon’s customers, as well as new media exposure to enhance the company’s external visibility.
In her spare time, Peranick enjoys mentoring local food startups to help new entrepreneurs navigate the industry and grow their businesses.

Molly Hollenkamp

Senior Account Director, Advantage Solutions/IN Connected Marketing

Hollenkamp is the company’s customer advisor lead and Target expert, working with beauty, grocery and OTC clients to elevate their shopper marketing efforts while positioning them as strategic partners with the retailer.
She created a Green Your BTS Routine solution for a client at Target, including four major CPG brands to amplify impact and save money.
Onboarding a new project-based client for the agency, she developed strong insights and custom shopper personas and journeys, which led to successful holiday execution at Target and Walmart, and expansion into summer execution.

Maegan Bowe

Senior Director, Sales and Operations, Advantage Solutions/Interactions

One of 45 associates chosen for the company’s executive development program, Bowe headed up national in-store marketing and activation programs for the customer experience agency, where she drove program strategy, developed new business and oversaw national grocery sampling and special events.
As a leader of a 90% female team, she facilitated individual development and advancement, and oversaw one of Interactions’ largest sampling programs for a leading natural and organic retailer, resulting in more than 200,000 vendor-hosted in-store events.
Bowe rolled out a national adult beverage sampling program with 7,000 in-store events.

Julie Swift

VP, Advantage Solutions/Waypoint

Swift created a marketing dashboard outlining and measuring all activities to provide full visibility in sales and marketing contacts with clients.
Recognizing the great need for an action-oriented tool to provide intrinsic value in developing customers’ businesses, she selected a solution that was more expensive than the budget allowed, so she brought in other Advantage Enterprise partners to pay a portion of the total, enabling all to benefit from the powerful resource.
Swift was appointed to Advantage Solutions’ inaugural diversity, equity and inclusion board, which has seven members; she has also developed an executive course on the subject for senior leaders at Waypoint.

Natasha Brinegar

VP, Category Management, Food Lion

Brinegar led a shift in thinking among category management teams to better align with the strategic focus of Food Lion’s click-and-collect grocery pickup service. The move strengthened the company’s omnichannel position.
She was instrumental in solidifying a partnership with the shopper marketing team to identify opportunities for business growth, a strategy that helped identify and develop several innovative initiatives and fuel Food Lion’s industry-leading growth.
Brinegar serves on Food Lion’s Diversity Council and on the board of directors for Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation, which supports a variety of hunger-relief initiatives.

Dyani Hanrahan

VP Marketing, Giant Food

Hanrahan guided development of the brand’s first healthy-living strategy for its store in Ward 8, a community in Washington D.C., that faces tremendous economic and health-related challenges. Partnering with nonprofits in the area, she worked to address access to food, knowledge of nutritious food offerings, affordability of healthy food, and community engagement.
She worked with multiple internal and external partners over the past year to successfully launch a new loyalty program.
Hanrahan serves as a Capital Area Food Bank awareness council member, developing strong marketing and communication strategies to grow funding and community support.

Tonya Herring

SVP Merchandising, Giant Food

Herring drove the best results that Giant Food has seen in 10 years through her innovative and consumer-centric approach to the business. She empowered her teams to innovate, test, evaluate and adjust for success.
As the executive leader for the launch of Giant Food’s first Corporate Counsel Business Resource Group, she focused on engaging this diverse organization to establish bonds and find opportunities to share achievements and experience.
Herring leads a mentoring circle of seven women ranging from VPs to directors to managers, helping them navigate their careers, and supports such local charities as Wardrobe for Opportunity.

Tara Ponnett

VP Sourcing Services, Retail Business Services

Ponnett built a strategy to improve performance and bench strength across ourcing services to achieve aggressive financial targets for 2019; this included a build-and-buy strategy to fill two director roles on her team in the sourcing support and national brand areas.
She enhanced fresh and consumer packaged goods business-planning partnerships, initiated a wine-sourcing program, and drove significant fuel partnership expansion.
A mentor and advocate through the Network of Executive Women (NEW), Ponnett also volunteers with the RBS Cares associate-giving platform and other community organizations, including a food bank and Ronald McDonald House.

Marissa Crab

VP, Corporate Procurement, GMHBC, Albertsons Cos.

Crab managed best practices and performances across the company’s distribution network of eight teams of buyers and a corporate seasonal buying team, and was also a supply chain VP lead for a key strategic project.
She helped enhance store reset processes, renegotiated several multimillion-dollar agreements, created the company’s first true demand-planning team, and supported the conversion of a major GMHBC distribution center, with little impact to store service.
Crab is a communications officer for the Idaho Network of Executive Women (NEW) and serves on the board of the Albertsons Women’s Inspiration and Inclusion Network.

Deb Fifles

VP, Consumer and Shopper Insights, Albertsons Cos.

Directing the development, execution, analysis and socialization of primary research and insights, Fifles seeks to understand consumer drivers and help validate the company’s strategic consumer-based objectives.
She led her team to deliver more than 100 insight projects. Based on insights, they developed a 2020 planning guide; identified new growth opportunities, including for fresh products; and created three shopper modules for a merchandising training program.
Featured in the 2018 and 2019 editions of “Who’s Who in Insights and Analytics,” Fifles volunteers in her community for a local cause walk.

LaDonna Hale

VP, Sales and Business Development, Albertsons Cos.

Hale oversees a group responsible for sales of around $1 billion in 20 manufacturing facilities.
She transitioned her team to deploy market, category and consumer trend data for action-based selling insights, and introduced a targeted approach to filling open capacity in facilities to drive costs down for internal and external customers.
Hale is a planning committee member for the Dairy Multi Stakeholder Initiative, the Dairy Sustainability Alliance and the Grain Foods Foundation, and an industry representative for MilkPEP, as well as being a key supporter of organizations that help eliminate hunger and homelessness in the community.

Ramiya Iyer

Group VP, Digital and Data Applications, Albertsons Cos.

Iyer led the technology platforms for all digital channels as well as all of the enterprise data platforms at Albertsons, overseeing an operating and capital budget of approximately $100 million a year.
She headed the redesign and implementation of all Albertsons digital properties, increasing customer engagement by double digits in the markets where the projects were deployed; took on the responsibility of designing and executing a data reservoir in the cloud; and spearheaded a frictionless online experience at company fuel stations.
Iyer serves on the Technology Advisory Committee for Foster City, Calif., and is events coordinator for Cub Scout Pack 447.

Rucha Nanavati

Group VP, IT, Albertsons Cos.

Nanavati led the IT organization, with responsibility for technology used at retail stores, as well as for merchandising and marketing, supply chain, manufacturing, and data management.
She played an integral role in the strategy, selection and implementation of Blue Yonder’s Luminate Demand solutions; the results and value realized under her leadership of the project caused an acceleration in adding categories and locations, with a revamped rollout strategy for all stores and distribution centers across all banners.
A board director of the Albertsons Cos. Foundation, Nanavati led keynote sessions at Blue Yonder’s user conference, ICON.

Tami Tollefson

VP, Health and Beauty Care, Albertsons Cos.

Tollefson was part of the GMHBC leadership team that executed a strategy to restore growth in both sales and unit velocity while delivering gross margin dollars and improving market share; her leadership was imperative to the success that the company enjoyed.
Under her guidance, the beauty care team implemented an innovative summer skin care program that delivered positive units, sales and market share growth.
Named a 2019 Top Woman in Health, Wellness and Beauty by PG sister publication Drug Store News, Tollefson led the reinvention of the company’s Baby Club, leveraging Albertsons’ robust consumer and digital insights to connect better with shoppers.

Chris Wilcox

Group VP, Communications and Public Relations, Albertsons Cos.

Wilcox led the development and execution of internal communication and public relations strategies that supported Albertsons’ operations, sales, marketing and merchandising efforts for more than 2,200 stores and 1,700-plus in-store pharmacies.
She was at the center of a company-wide effort to articulate Albertsons’ culture in a way that improves the employee experience and retention.
Wilcox received the Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award from the Women’s and Children’s Alliance in Boise, Idaho, for excelling in her field and making significant contributions to her industry.

Mandy Tomlin

CFO, Albertsons Cos./United

Playing a critical role in designing financial metrics for new business opportunities, Tomlin created models for the company’s first floral design center, which helped locations share labor and grow the business, and created metrics for the company’s inaugural high-end stand-alone restaurant and first food truck.
As a member of the company task force focused on innovation, she has identified opportunities to reduce expenses and increase working capital through effective cash use.
Tomlin is a founding member of the United We Care board, a nonprofit that provides financial relief to United Family team members in crisis.

Kendall Antonelli

President and Co-founder, Antonelli’s Cheese Shop

Antonelli led strategic initiatives and forged partnerships that helped her business make a huge impact for a small company. Antonelli sharpened the focus on how the company reviews potential vendors to ensure that its values align with those of its producer partners.
She works with the Good Food Merchants Alliance, an organization that generates awareness of food brands focused on social responsibility.
The company philanthropic giving program that Antonelli developed received the Charitable Champion award from the Austin Gives initiative; she’s also been honored for her commitment to the regional food system.

Lawren Askinosie

Chief Marketing Officer, Askinosie Chocolate

Askinosie helped shape the craft chocolate landscape through her farmer-forward storytelling and vision of empowerment for female cocoa farmers, and girls in cocoa communities.
Her focus on women in cocoa production led the company to be the first chocolate maker to work directly with a woman-led farmer group, setting the standard for ethical chocolate across the globe.
Through the company’s Chocolate University Foundation, Askinosie raised thousands of dollars for a feminine hygiene program that provides girls in Tanzania with underwear, soap and pads to ensure that they don’t have to miss school.

Lisa Fecera Gifford

Director of Retail Sales, Blount Fine Foods

Gifford helped drive trial and adoption of premium soup brands with special offers and in-store promotions. She championed an upgrade of in-store hot-to-go sections to include better food options and more attractive merchandising, and educated retailers about the effectiveness of promoting hot soup through creative in-store promotions, including a Soup of the Month program and incentives for combo purchases.
A valued resource for Blount’s culinary and R&D teams, she is the go-to source for marketplace trend information and innovation.
Gifford volunteers at Children’s Home of Reading and works on the organization’s holiday gift and toy drive.

Merrilee Kick

Founder/CEO, BuzzBallz/Southern Champion LLC

The CEO of the only woman-owned combined winery and distillery in the country, Kick spearheaded the company’s overall business strategy and propelled BuzzBallz to become the leader in the ready-to-drink cocktail category, with $45 million in sales.
She was Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the southwest region, and a top 10 finalist for the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Woman Business Owner of the Year.
Kick’s new product, BuzzTallz, was voted Spiked Beverage Product of the Year by 40,000 consumers, and won a Hottest Growth Brand award from the Beverage Information Group.

Thao Pham

SVP, Community and Social Equity, Clif Bar & Co.

Pham introduced new and grew existing programs that raised the profile of Clif Bar philanthropic efforts and impact. In Good Company — a hands-on employee volunteer program — recruited dozens of employees outside of Clif Bar to spend time giving back to underserved communities.
She initiated an economic study of cacao bean farmers to help improve their lives while making the company’s supply chains more sustainable.
Under Pham’s dedicated direction, The Clif Bar Family Foundation funded nearly 550 groups for a total of $4 million, with 65% of grantees receiving multiyear funding for sustained growth and progress.

Sarah Ballou

VP, Worldwide Military, The Coca-Cola Co.

Ballou overdelivered her team’s full-year growth plan by $1 million in revenue and increased sparkling share in the military grocery channel to an all-time high.
She was integral in the production of the Black History Month/Tell Us Your Service Story 2019 program, featuring Tuskegee Airman Major Charles B. Hall, and in the 2020 shopper marketing program that features archived images of women in the military.
Ballou secured national support for The Coca-Cola Co.’s Grand Challenge, a crowdfunding think-tank competition for the best ideas that the company will fund; she also finds time to mentor active-duty military members and spouses.

Melissa Pulliam

Global Director, National Retail Sales, The Coca-Cola Co.

Pulliam partnered with Costco, the Coca-Cola team in China and Shanghai Shenmei Coca-Cola as Costco opened its first location in China, helping deliver Coca-Cola product sales that outpaced the target volume.
As the lead for the Coca-Cola Costco fountain proposal, she worked with The Coca-Cola Co. and bottling partner teams in 12 countries, navigating multiple languages and currencies to develop and build an overall global fountain proposal.
Last year, Pulliam served as a mentor with American Corporate Partners, coaching a female U.S. Army captain through her exit from the military and application to top-tier MBA programs.

Katherine Fuller

VP/General Manager, Client Development, Crossmark

Fuller successfully negotiated price increases for several clients, which resulted in the overdelivery of profit margin.
She expanded Crossmark’s relationship with Bed Bath & Beyond, working internally to ensure that the client and operations team delivered on its commitments; the drive led to Crossmark winning all category resets for the retailer — an incremental $2 million in revenue. She also negotiated a higher hourly rate for new stores and remodels.
Fuller worked with InComm on a holiday program specific to CVS that provided incentives to reps to drive them to identify which gift cards should be merchandised in particular stores.

Jo’el Ellis

Director of Trade and Brand Marketing, DeCecco USA

Ellis introduced DeCecco’s first new product line in 10 years. Working through a disconnected corporate European structure in Italy, she was the driving force behind the launch of a uniquely American product line in the United States for the first time in the company’s history — a testament to her perserverance and ability to bring people together to achieve a great vision.
Her contributions delivered $12 million in new business to the company in 2019.
Ellis also united dysfunctional groups that had previously worked independently into cohesive teams that now communicate on all levels, from retail stores to the c-suite.

Linda Nordgren

Proprietor, CEO and President, Encore Associates

By developing new partnerships in Asia, Nordgren expanded the strategic scope and financial success of Encore to a global sourcing and private label company, and sourced more than 2,000 new items.
She hired a team of successful, strong female leaders, adding women to leadership positions in finance and category management, and delivered double-digit sales growth to retail customers.
Nordgren volunteered in Seattle at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and in London at the Center for Global Development, and worked with health ministers from around the world on global procurement best practices to help control infectious diseases.

Leslie Sarasin

President and CEO, FMI-The Food Industry Association

Sarasin designed a far-reaching plan that positions FMI to meet new industry challenges. By aligning membership strategy to the new retail marketplace, the organization created a new product supplier membership category, which resulted in seven new supplier members and deeper participation opportunities for FMI’s associate members.
Her industry research and member interviews led to FMI’s rebranding and new identity.
Sarasin led FMI’s participation in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court victory protecting retailer and shopper privacy, and creating a precedent that will extend beyond store-level SNAP sales.

Tina Morascyzk

VP of Supermarket Strategy, Giant Eagle

Morascyzk tapped her background in real estate, design, construction, retail and finance, along with her superior consensus-building skills, to develop a comprehensive store-by-store strategy for the entire chain.
In a market that faced competition from a big-box store, Morascyzk led a speedy supermarket conversion of one location to a Market District concept store — a move that greatly mitigated the impact of the new competition.
Morascyzk worked with leadership at the University of Pittsburgh to secure Giant Eagle as the exclusive wholesale grocery supplier on campus, and helped create a prepared food program sold at 20 campus locations.

Kellen Stailey Martin

VP, Marketing, Grimmway Enterprises Inc.

Martin launched Grimmway Farms’ 50th anniversary campaign to build corporate morale and boost business-to-business engagement, partnering with media agencies to develop a company story video, creating an interactive social media campaign, and planning related events for employees and customers.
She debuted the new Grimmway Farms website for carrot consumers that highlights nutritional facts, recipe ideas and sustainability practices.
The consumer research studies conducted by Martin had a positive impact on marketing, sales and product development strategies and tactics.

Pamela Burke

Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel, Grocery Outlet

Burke played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and its transition from a private company to a publicly traded entity.
After Grocery Outlet’s initial public offering, she assumed substantial responsibilities, including the legal function, safety, internal audit, risk and human resources, overseeing the management of everything from store leasing and inventory to insurance and audit.
Burke helped launch the company’s Working with Outstanding Women Network, an internal group at Grocery Outlet that taps into mentorship opportunities to attract, amplify and advance women at the company.

Lindsay Gray

VP, Corporate Controller, Grocery Outlet

Gray was a key member of the leadership team that executed Grocery Outlet’s initial public offering (IPO). She led the IPO finance function, including the oversight of an accelerated year-end audit during the IPO ramp-up, and also restructured external financial statements and footnotes.
She helped launch the company’s Working with Outstanding Women Network, an internal group enabling women to develop valuable skills to advance in the workplace.
In 2019, Gray was the recipient of the Jim Read award, Grocery Outlet’s award of excellence given to those who exemplify the company’s values.

Layla Kasha

SVP Marketing and Communication, Grocery Outlet

Kasha led the creation and execution of Grocery Outlet’s 2019 Bargain Bliss campaign, which touched all aspects of the company’s brand. The goal of the brand-forward campaign was to clearly communicate Grocery Outlet’s personality and mission while attracting new customers.
She headed the update of in-store sections with contemporized fun signage and new Bargain Bliss design elements as part of the total store rebranding.
Kasha’s impact extended to outdoor bulletins and truck wraps that showcased Bargain Bliss messaging, and television and radio advertisements that promoted the new campaign.

Katie Hotze

Founder and CEO, Grocery Shopii

Hotze created a unique design for a tech offering in the grocery space that allows shoppers to use recipes to fill their carts online and source those ingredients directly from their local grocer’s shelves; the endeavor won Best Technology Application in Progressive Grocer’s Total Meal Solutions contest.
She helped Grocery Shopii earn an Inno On Fire award from America Inno for shaping the company’s unique approach to solving the 74% cart abandonment rate that plagues online grocery shopping.
A frequent speaker on digital marketing topics at the American Marketing Association, Hotze also volunteers for Girls Who Code and at a soup kitchen.

Karin Humanik

Director of Specialty Food, Harris Teeter

Humanik oversaw numerous corporate project initiatives when coordination of multiple departments was needed.
Under her leadership, specialty and natural sales grew 10.2%, outpacing total store growth and previous year’s growth. She also increased the HT Home Town Local Products Campaign to add 13 new vendors, grow sales 37% and boost social targeted impressions to 44.5 million.
Humanik worked with a third-party vendor to showcase health-and-wellness attributes on product shelf tags and digital. She also led the Nonperishables Tag Reduction Taskforce, which was responsible for a 27.9% reduction in tags.

Rory Snavely

Director of Procurement, Harris Teeter

Leading a team procuring more than 33,000 items and maintaining a weekly inventory level of $130 million, Snaevely reduced SKU counts by 3% and increased warehouse capacity by 3%, increased the overall inbound service level, and improved vendor supply chain relations.
Her plan to store “hurricane water” so that all stores can stay in stock worked during Hurricane Dorian, as they shipped 1.2 million-plus cases.
Snavely is a board member for Classroom Central, a member of the Frozen & Refrigerated Food Council and the Carolina Food Industry Council, and involved in various nonprofits.

Kristine Jones

VP, Employee Benefits, Hy-Vee Inc.

Jones is charged with providing the best benefits for Hy-Vee’s more than 22,000 full-time employees, which led to her overseeing a plan with more than $200 million in assets and a staff of six.
She developed a contract that provides employees with digital, 24/7 access to mental health professionals, with zero co-pay, and expanded employee access to Tier 1 health care providers and hospitals.
More than $1 million was returned to Hy-Vee employees who participated in the company’s benefits plan, in the form of free health insurance premiums for the last month of the calendar year, because of Jones’ leadership and management.

Jody Sandy

VP, Transportation, Hy-Vee Inc.

Sandy oversees all transportation fleet activities for Hy-Vee, including the equipment, warehouses and stores, in a position created specifically for her to bring all of these assets together for increased efficiency and profitability.
She led the rollout of automatic on-board recording device units to transmit real-time data to authorized safety officials, and oversaw a warehouse management system conversion.
Sandy’s successful grant application to the state of Iowa resulted in $148,000 to purchase a new electric yard tractor for use at one of Hy-Vee’s warehouses to move trailers around the yard.

Angela Waltz

Group VP, Restaurant Development, Hy-Vee Inc.

Waltz has been at the forefront of building and maintaining Hy-Vee’s relationship with the Wahlburgers brand, which is quickly expanding to replace the existing restaurant concepts at all Hy-Vee locations.
She led the charge in developing and launching a brand-new menu exclusive only to Hy-Vee-owned Wahlburgers, featuring more than 40 items and garnering overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Hy-Vee selected Waltz as one of 18 outstanding employees to receive the Chairman’s Above and Beyond Award for exceptional performance.

Alison Nelson

SVP, Sales, Insignia Systems

From a sales perspective, Nelson partnered with clients to build impactful and profitable campaigns, finishing 2019 as Insignia’s top sales representative, exceeding her sales target at 114% to quota and 31% of the company’s sales.
In 2019, she was promoted to lead the sales organization and had to shift processes and quota plans to set the team up for success, which she did.
Honored by Progressive Grocer as one of 25 recipients of the publication’s GenNext Award in 2019, Nelson is the communication chair for the Twin Cities chapter of the Network of Executive Women (NEW).

Stacy Kwon

CEO, JFE Franchising

Kwon spearheade the merger of four global powerhouse companies within the sushi field, and JFE now has a presence in more than 35 states, with 900 sushi locations in supermarkets as well as such other locations as universities.
In the past year, she orchestrated the opening of 120 retail sushi locations in Weis Markets that equates to $10 million in business sales volume, and achieved a milestone of $200 million in total company sales.
To give back, for every location opened, Kwon provides enough money for a child with a cleft lip to have surgery performed through Smile Train.

Rachael Hadaway

SVP, Product and Design, The Kroger Co./84.51

Planning and developing a complete reset of legacy products, Hadaway relaunched two core platform products to market, Stratum and Prism, and brought together all teams for this transition.
She led a new go-to-market approach for delivery to Kroger, and the first deployment of this via price science as a service; implemented California Consumer Privacy Act procedures; and developed a core capabilities team for user experience.
Hadaway is an active diversity and inclusion council member, sits on the advisory board for Women of Cincy and presents at multiple conferences.

Cara Pratt

VP, Communications Consulting, The Kroger Co./84.51

Pratt is a driving force behind Kroger Precision Marketing, which more than doubled in size by establishing new channels for brands to connect with customers, renegotiating agreements with strategic partners and driving the industry to think differently about media.
She restructured the team and led change management within Kroger senior leadership to align merchandising, digital, marketing, engineering and finance resources.
A noted retail media expert, Pratt has led change on a national level at conferences and meetings with CMOs for the largest U.S. CPG companies.

Erin Dyer

VP of Operations, The Kroger Co./Columbus Division

As VP of friendly and experience, Dyer led her front end team to a reduction in wait times; increased self-checkout use, resulting in savings of more than $2 million; and improved the fill rate on e-commerce orders.
Her implementation of the Right to Win strategy resulted in market share and customer count growth at 28 targeted stores.
Dyer worked directly on a succession plan for store leaders, serves as an associate mentor and is the co-chair of the Young Professional Resource Group at Kroger. Under her careful guidance, 33 assistant store leaders at the company were promoted to store leaders.

Tameka Carr

Director, Corporate Food Technology, Product Development and Quality, The Kroger Co./Manufacturing

Carr oversaw all technical, scientific and regulatory aspects of product design and development for Kroger’s $23 billion private label branded portfolios.
She spearheaded a cross-functional team and provided strategic direction to improve and document the product development process, driving efficiency for more than 150 associates while launching 1,330 total products.
Outside of work, Carr is making a significant impact in her community as the chairwoman of the AIBI-CS board of directors and a member of the Urban League Leader Institute in her region.

Mandy Rassi

VP, Marketing, The Kroger Co./Marketing

Rassi spearheaded Kroger’s 2019 brand transformation and led the selection of the company’s first-ever agency of record, DDB New York, while assembling a new, collaborative and high-performing brand-building team of 120 exemplary associates.
She was instrumental in Kroger’s decision to introduce animation to its marketing strategy to allow the company to tell stories without people, ensuring that all customers, regardless of age, race, gender or background, could visualize themselves as part of the story.
Rassi presented at the Brandweek Summit, in Palm Springs, Calif., in November 2019.

Allison Garcia

Director of Promo Planning and Marketing, The Kroger Co./Merchandising

Garcia led her team through an intensive training program that she designed to empower the members to run their own lines of the business more efficiently, without having to wait for approvals; this resulted in 11 associate promotions.
She successfully transitioned all enterprise creative and production from being designed separately in each of Kroger’s 22 divisions to being designed centrally at the home office.
Pursuing her master’s degree in organizational management, Garcia finds that she is often able to immediately apply what she has learned in class to her job and team.

Jordan Kremm

VP of Merchandising, Health and Beauty Care, The Kroger Co./Merchandising

Kremm established a quarterly joint business-planning session with Kroger’s top 15 HBC suppliers to drive alignment and accountability across the business.
She led a first-of-its-kind partnership with Walgreens to launch a new test area for the retailers, featuring the expansion of Kroger Express and Kroger Pickup at select Walgreens stores, as well as the launch of Walgreens’ own-brand health and beauty products in 17 Kroger stores in Knoxville, Tenn.Kremm currently mentors a local college student as part of her participation in the YWCA Rising Star program.

Kate Meyer

Director, Grocery and Natural Foods Merchandising, The Kroger Co./Merchandising

Meyer helped lead a natural/organic strategic initiative for Kroger, which redefined and simplified the natural/organic customer and store segmentation across all departments.
She led the charge in reviewing product costs from suppliers, and renegotiated those costs to help elevate overall profit, as well as looking at the price science to determine the correct retail prices in different markets.
Meyer served as the Kroger General Office United Way co-chair for the 2019 giving campaign, which saw a 20%-plus improvement in funds raised from the prior year.

Megan Shaffer

VP of Retail Operations, The Kroger Co./Retail Operations

Chosen to lead Kroger’s cross-functional in-stock program, Shaffer and her teams implemented a streamlined produce-ordering system, a space-to-sales initiative, an updated forecasting platform and safety stock improvements.
Under her leadership, the strategic operations enhancements achieved remarkable results, setting a best-in-class standard for the grocery retail industry; this included helping to drive a nine-figure sales improvement for the company and record-setting cost savings in 2019.
Shaffer serves as a board member for ArtsWave, a nonprofit organization focused on fueling the arts community in the greater Cincinnati region.

Melissa Barr

Senior Director, Supply Chain Transformation, The Kroger Co./Supply Chain

An expert in her field who contributes to industry forums, Barr was handpicked to lead Kroger’s supply chain transformation because of her leadership style and ability.
She led efforts to identify and improve supply chain processes to enhance store in-stock conditions; as a result of her work, upstream in-stock processes improved by more than 20%.
Dedicated to serving their community, Barr and her family volunteer at Matthew 25 to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and participate in food drives to fight hunger through Reach Out Lakota; on her own, she mentors several women in and outside of Kroger.

Jody Kalmbach

Group VP, Product Experience, The Kroger Co./Technology and Digital

Kalmbach worked with the technology and digital team to become a product-led organization, which is a best-in-class methodology for large-scale retailers, to best serve customers and the business.
She led the initiative to unite customers’ separate, disconnected experiences, working with such Kroger partners as grocery e-commerce leader Ocado and robotics company Nuro to create a superior, seamless customer experience and drive customer growth.
In 2019, Kalmbach was inducted into the Path to Purchase Institute’s Hall of Fame in recognition of her knowledge of path-to-purchase engagement.

Paaras Parker

Director of Human Resources, The Kroger Co./Technology and Digital

Parker established new standards and processes meaningful to the digital associate experience, among them an updated dress code and compensation strategy work.
In partnership with the Cincinnati Regional Chamber, she created Kroger Technology and Digital’s first Power Squad, a unique leadership program for women of color; In 2019, the division graduated its first class of Power Squad women leaders.
Parker also teamed with the Cincinnati Chamber and the Cincinnati Business Courier to ensure her division’s support of the annual CLIMB Awards, a program that recognizes diversity in the workplace.

Heather George

SVP Brand, Lowes Foods

Under George’s leadership, Lowes Foods experienced industry-leading same-store sales that were among the highest in the industry.
She guided her team through the implementation of new go-to-market strategies for digital marketing and social media initiatives, and the deployment of new shopper marketing efforts to grow Lowes’ business with its consumer packaged goods partners by maximizing ROIs and total sales.
George helped develop and launch each of the grocer’s 16 unique brand concepts within its stores, including Lowes’ first-ever liquor store, Knock Knock Spirits, featuring a design inspired by a 1920s speakeasy.

Danielle Mariano

CEO, Mariano Events

Mariano decided to expand her company’s range of services to include experiential marketing and pop-up sampling event opportunities for vendor clients, establishing Mariano Events’ pop-up division to focus on targeting unique venues in proximity to major retailers.
She also went on to create a thriving branch of the company dedicated to fitness studio sampling events.
As Mariano values giving back to her community through donations of nutritious food and beverages, she spearheaded a yearly Mariano Events initiative to contribute at least one pallet of surplus goods to food banks and homeless shelters.

Ayeshah Abuelhiga

Founder and CEO, Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.

Under Abuelhiga’s guidance, her company’s products were in about 2,000 grocery stores at the beginning of 2019 and in more than twice the number of doors by the end of the year, and its sales more than tripled during that time.
She orchestrated Target and Walmart launches planned for May and August 2020, respectively, and was responsible for Mason Dixie being chosen for the Chobani incubator program.
Abuelhiga is involved with SYMAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders), a Washington, D.C., nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth that provides job training, mentoring and education opportunities.

Nneka Rimmer

President-Global Flavors and Extracts, McCormick & Co.

Rimmer is leading McCormick’s largest transformation effort as she works to transition the company’s multiple instances of SAP Enterprise Resource Planning to a single, simplified global platform; this initiative will affect how all McCormick employees perform their daily work.
She headed the creation and integration of McCormick’s first global shared services organization, a multiregional team of hundreds of employees across North America, Europe and Asia.
Among Rimmer’s many honors, she was named one of the Most Powerful Women in Corporate America by Black Enterprise magazine and received an award of merit from Stanford University.

Lynette Ackley

VP Merchandising HBC/OTC Card, Meijer

Ackley oversaw best-in-class launches of innovative brands such as the Harry’s shave and personal care line to drive incremental sales growth to a stagnant category.
She led a successful rollout to new and remodeled stores of a beauty concept with a foundation of Meijer customer insights translated into a new in-store experience though partnership and inputs of key vendors, outside agency collaboration and internal support.
Ackley and her team have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Kids’ Food Basket, diaper banks and period banks, among other worthy causes.

Patricia Wallwork

CEO, Milo’s Tea Co.

Wallwork guided Milo’s to become the fastest-growing refrigerated tea and lemonade brand in the United States, with the top-selling item in the category and the No. 1 brand in the category at the largest U.S. retailer.
The company implemented 50 internal promotions under her direction, helping build career paths for associates.
Wallwork led Milo’s to aggressively cut waste and increase recycling; in 2019, the company saved 5.76 gallons of water, 127,500 pounds of glue and 114,300 square feet in packaging. Milo’s also launched a program to monitor and encourage suppliers’ sustainability efforts.

Becca May

VP of Marketing, Nature Nate’s Honey Co.

May built and managed an internal team of six that developed, executed and measured all of Nature Nate’s marketing initiatives, including shopper marketing, digital marketing, consumer loyalty, ambassador programs, content marketing and events.
Thanks to her idea and effort to bring as much of the marketing-related work in-house, the company achieved more than $350,000 in savings within 12 months.
Under her leadership, May’s team garnered more than 35 million in paid impressions below industry benchmark cost per thousand, and 1.5 million in organic social media impressions.

Michelle Mock

Senior Director of Sales Operations, Nature Nate’s Honey Co.

Mock was tasked with directly calling on 8% of the company’s customer portfolio, and creating and managing a pilot van program.
She also managed a team of five employees whose responsibilities included distributing and analyzing internal reporting, managing the demand-planning process, analyzing syndicated data, setting up new customers and management of their portals, assistance with trade show setup, and planning and distribution of new customer samples.
Mock dealt with 100-plus customers in various capacities, so sales account managers could focus on growing the business.

Jessica Gasser

VP HR; Chief Compliance Officer, ShopRite Supermarkets Inc. (SRS)

Gasser worked diligently and strategically to establish the HR function as a separate yet integrated role within the organization, helping the team transition from predominantly providing operations administrative support to focusing on the strategic use and deployment of human capital.
She created a compliance committee with subject-matter experts from various parts of the business, among them information technology, pharmacy, asset protection, quality assurance, finance, payroll and operations.
Viewed as a mentor, Gasser serves as the executive sponsor for the newly created Women’s Leadership Development Group at ShopRite.

Rosie Squieri

Group VP, Construction, Smart & Final

Since attaining her present position, Squieri has streamlined processes and cut overall expenses within her department by 10% while improving productivity. As one example, she changed the structure of contracts in a key area of facilities, achieving 20% overall year-over-year savings.
Her impact on the department and overall organization resulted in healthier bottom lines across Smart & Final.
Awarded the Food Industries Sales Managers’ Club Women in the Food Industry award, Squieri is deeply involved in mentoring women within that organization and part of an internal mentoring program at Smart & Final, dedicating her extra time to helping women grow and prosper.

Tammy Hurley

VP and Chief Accounting Officer, SpartanNash

After identifying the opportunity, Hurley spearheaded SpartanNash’s efforts to incorporate robotic process automation into the company’s accounting and tax processes; the effort lightened workloads and helped minimize errors.
She also led the effort to automate tax compliance on tobacco sales, resulting in substantial labor and cost savings.
Hurley has dedicated countless hours to the Boy Scouts, beginning as a troop leader in 2012, when her son started Cub Scouts in first grade at a brand-new school without a pack of its own, until she stepped in. She currently tracks boys’ progress as they work toward becoming Eagle Scouts.

Yvonne Trupiano

EVP, Chief Human Resources and Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer, SpartanNash

Trupiano transformed the depth and scope of SpartanNash’s Total Rewards associate program by including more personalized benefits with additional options to meet employees’ needs while keeping the company’s benefit cost increase well below national average.
Under her expert guidance, SpartanNash introduced a talent acquisition client relationship management system to continue to market and promote the company as a wonderful place to work to both active and passive talent pipelines.
Trupiano launched a new diversity and inclusion program focusing on veterans, women and people of color at SpartanNash.

Rene Hunter

VP, Finance and Business Development, SpartanNash/MDV Military Division

Hunter improved the MDV division’s speed to order items when there is a vendor production issue and the items return to stock; her management resulted in millions of dollars in sales that otherwise would have been lost.
She worked with an MDV military distribution center on a one-way process for documenting and verifying delivery, and ensuring proper payment for the delivered products, with the shared aim of delivering long-term gains in efficiencies.
A leader in SpartanNash’s annual Helping Hands in the Community Volunteer Day, Hunter also gives her time to Honor and Remember VetsHouse and the Fisher House Foundation.

Heidi Carney

EVP, Marketing and Administration, True Citrus/Grand Brands

Carney oversaw the development and consumer research for popular clean-label lines in three trending categories: energy, water infusions, and healthy products for kids.
She developed marketing communication campaigns targeting her company’s most loyal shoppers, and met brand outreach goals for new-household trial and repeat purchase by leveraging the brand’s excellent distribution base.
Carney was not only the champion of her company’s association with Feeding America, but also, more recently, served as a sponsor of Girls on the Run, an organization dedicated to building girls’ self-esteem as they grow into adults.

Mariela Oetinger

CEO, VacaJunp Corp.

Oetinger facilitated profitable growth by exceeding Hispanic consumers’ expectations regarding the grocery industry, in the process bringing many innovative Hispanic brands and products to the shelves of some of the most successful food retailers.
She gave Latinas the opportunity to take leadership roles, as opposed to supporting positions on the sales team, building associates’ confidence and supporting their career growth.
In addition to running a woman-owned business, Oetinger is an active community volunteer at her local church, her children’s school, several nonprofit organizations such as Prospanica, and mentors college students taking part in entrepreneur programs.

Melanie Bauman

VP of Sales, Grocery, Valassis

Bauman successfully led Valassis’ grocery marketing from a broader horizontal coverage model to a more specific vertical podular model to allow the best focus on customers’ specialized needs.
She exceeded the company’s overall goal and grew its digital portfolio by double digits in the grocery vertical, and transformed three major client agreements into multiyear market growth partnership commitments.
Bauman serves as a Valassis ambassador to the Network of Executive Women (NEW) and was recently appointed co-chair for the Southern California chapter; she’s also a member of the Valassis Women’s Network and active in the company’s internal mentoring program.

Lisa Allen

Chairman of the Board, The Ziegenfelder Co.

Thanks to Allen’s emphasis on leadership development, within 18 days of a devastating fire at Ziegenfelder’s main plant, the leadership team had production back up and running, meeting huge milestones for serving customers throughout the production year.
She encouraged all employees to trust each other and take risks in an environment where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for growth.
As well as sitting on the board of Classrooms Without Borders, a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Allen has spearheaded fundraising efforts in the Ohio Valley.