Gelson’s Store Ops SVP Named 2020 USC FIEP Executive-in-Residence

The Food Industry Executive Program (FIEP) at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business has named Donna Tyndall, SVP, store operations at Encino, Calif.-based Gelson’s Markets, executive-in-residence for FIEP 2020. Each year, USC Marshall choose an executive-in-residence from a slate of industry leaders.

“Educational programs like the FIEP are an important part of the ongoing growth and development of leaders in the food industry,” said Tyndall. “This program directly benefits our companies by providing our managers with the practical knowledge, skills and inspiration to lead us into the future. I am humbled and honored to serve as the 2020 Executive in Residence for this program.”

Tyndall brings more than 45 years of extensive retail leadership experience to her latest role. She joined Gelson’s in 1973 as a clerk’s helper at the grocer’s inaugural location, in Burbank, Calif. After earning her undergraduate degree at UCLA, Tyndall became the company’s first female manager. She rose through the ranks to become a store manager and later held leadership positions in the areas of operations, grocery buying and merchandising, distribution, and marketing. Tyndall has been in her present role since 2004.

Tyndall graduated from the Food Industry Management Program in the Marshall School of Business at USC in 1989, and she was recognized as a member the 2007 class of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery, among other distinctions.

She also takes part in a wide variety of grocery industry causes, including membership on the board of the Lakewood, Calif.-based Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC), and has been involved in charitable organizations throughout her career.

Tyndall’s husband, Mike Ketcham, is a logistics general manager in Brea, Calif., for Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos., No. 3 on PG’s Super 50 list. 

“Each year, we consider executives who are passionate about education and work as partners with the team at USC and the WAFC to find a way for every employee to have a chance at getting an education,” noted Cynthia McCloud, director food industry programs at USC.  “Donna Tyndall has been passionate about lifelong learning and helping others grow for her entire career. As a 1989 USC FIM graduate, there is no one more deserving of this special honor.”

The spring session of the FIEP will take place March 16-19 in Los Angeles, while the fall session is slated for Sept. 21-24.

Established in 1958, the Food Industry Management Program at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business enables students to attend either a four-day executive program or a semester-long leadership program. The leadership program selects up to 35 students from various companies in the food industry. Each student accepted into the rigorous program gets a full-tuition scholarship from the WAFC.

Founded in 1951, Gelson’s operates 27 supermarkets in Southern California.