NEW elects five new board members
CHICAGO — The Network of Executive Women has elected five new members at large to its board of directors.
New board members are Mike Byron, president of supplier diversity for Supervalu; Sarah Chartrand, SVP diversity, talent management and organizational development for Ahold USA; Marnette Perry, SVP Kroger; Suzanne Sears, VP global market development at Kimberly-Clark; and Karen Stuckey, SVP merchandising and general merchandise manager of the home division for Walmart Stores.
"Inside their own companies and throughout the greater CPG/retail industry, these industry leaders have proven their commitment to gender diversity and inclusion," stated NEW president and CEO Joan Toth.
Byron has served Supervalu in a variety of roles, including district bakery sales manager, division sales manager, regional director of sales, corporate director of bakery sales, national bakery product manager, supplier diversity manager and corporate director of supplier diversity. He is active with Supervalu's Corporate Diversity Council and African-American Business Resource Group. Byron also serves on the board of directors for the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council, the Conference Board of Supplier Diversity Professionals, the Food Marketing Institute’s Food and Beverage Education Committee and the Council of Urban Professionals.
At Ahold USA, Chartrand is responsible for training and development, management development and succession planning, diversity and inclusion, staffing, organization development and internal communications. Prior to assuming this role in 2008, she served in several management positions with Stop & Shop, including VP operations strategy and planning, senior director of training and HR planning, and business improvement manager. Previously, she was a change management consultant with Accenture/Andersen Consulting. She is a governing body member of the Human Resources Leadership Summit, a group founded in 2011 to encourage networking and development of HR professionals in the Boston area.
Perry is responsible for eight of Kroger’s supermarket divisions: Columbus, Delta, Dillon Stores, Jay C, QFC, Fred Meyer, King Soopers-City Market and Michigan. Throughout her career with Kroger, Perry has played a role in shaping several of Kroger’s trademark customer offerings, including developing the company’s floral department into one of the largest florists in the nation and directing the initial rollout of natural food departments in stores. She also is credited with helping to streamline purchasing and merchandising operations for the company’s produce division. Since joining Kroger in 1972 as a part-time cashier in her hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio, Perry has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility. She has served in a number of management roles, including several merchandising director positions, VP merchandising for the Delta Division, president of the Michigan Division and president of the Columbus Division. Perry is a founding donor of the Appalachian Scholars Program at Ohio University, a program designed for high school students living in the 29-county Appalachia region of southwest Ohio who wish to pursue higher education at Ohio University. She serves on the board of trustees at Ohio University, Athens, and is a member of the board of directors of Kroger Personal Finance with the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Sears is responsible for driving global growth of the Kimberly-Clark professional business through the development of global marketing strategies and customer management strategies, including global national accounts and new and expanded channels of distribution. She recently served as president of the global do-it-yourself business, where she increased sales and profits through the introduction of new products into major home improvement and automotive retailers and global market expansion into new markets, channels and geographies. Previously, Sears served as VP marketing for Unisource Worldwide. Prior to joining Unisource, Sears was director of worldwide product development in the business-to-business market for Scott Paper. She is a member of the American Marketing Institute and the National Association of Women Business Owners, and serves on the board of the Media Youth Center, in Media, Pa. Sears is past president of the University of Delaware Parents Board and serves on the university’s executive board of the Alumni Association. She was recently nominated for the 2011 Hall of Fame at the University of Delaware, which recognizes outstanding professional and public service achievement.
At Walmart Stores, Stuckey is responsible for merchandising, product development, design, brand portfolio and strategy for the retailer’s home division. She joined the company in 2004 and has held the title of SVP general merchandise manager in home division product development, ladies’ apparel and softlines. Prior to joining Walmart, Stuckey was president of Hanes Casualwear (Sara Lee) and VP merchandising at Cato Corp. She also served as national merchandise manager at Montgomery Ward and a buyer for Target Corp. She is the chair of the Walmart Women’s Officer Caucus and is treasurer of the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County. She is past chair of Novant Health Systems and the Women’s Center Forsyth Hospital.
NEW board chair Michelle Gloeckler, SVP home for Walmart US, thanked five outgoing directors for their Network service: Chelle Moore of Walmart Stores, John Saguto of Nestlé Purina Petcare, Gail Jordan of Monarch Janus Associates, Michele Murphy of Supervalu and Caroline Cotten of Mass Connections.