Retail Relates

Send us Fan Mail

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭?

For Shirley Gao, Pacsun’s Chief Digital and Information Officer, the answer starts with the business and the people it serves. She joins Rich Honiball and Gautham Vadakkepatt to trace her path from IBM mainframe development to retail technology leadership—and explain why curiosity about how a company works has remained central to her career.

The conversation explores Pacsun’s work in agentic commerce, the difference between preparing for change and assuming a technology is mature, and focused AI applications that help customers and store associates. Shirley also discusses listening to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, building a community through PSHub, and connecting customer signals with business decisions.

For students and emerging professionals, she offers a practical perspective on an uncertain moment: learn to understand problems, communicate with people, and use AI without surrendering ownership of your thinking.

Listen for concrete retail examples, an honest discussion of what is still developing, and a career story built around continuing to learn.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗼
𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝘀𝘂𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗜𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗦𝗘𝗕, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝘀𝘂𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗜𝗢 𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆. 

𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟭𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀?, 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗜𝗢. 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Send us Fan Mail

What does it take to build a business that becomes part of a community?

Jenny Crittenden, CEO of Retail Alliance, and Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer at Main Street America, join Rich Honiball and Jaime Lynn Curley to explore the people, possibilities, and responsibilities behind Main Street retail.

Both guests found their way into this work through unexpected opportunities and people who encouraged them to take a chance. Their stories open a conversation about what local retail offers customers, communities, and those considering a career or business of their own.

From a neighborhood coffee shop to the decisions behind an open sign, Jenny and Matt examine how relationships shape the experience of a place. They also discuss how AI-assisted search and social recommendations are changing the challenge of being found, and why successful ownership calls for listening, learning, and help from others.

For students, emerging professionals, business owners, and anyone curious about the future of local commerce, this is a candid look at what it means to build something whose impact reaches beyond the front door.

Key takeaways

• Main Street offers several ways into commerce. Jenny and Matt describe unexpected career paths, the value of mentors, and opportunities to develop skills across many parts of a business.
• A place can become part of the reason people visit. Matt’s neighborhood coffee-shop example explores the connection between a purchase, a shared experience, and community life.
• Ownership extends beyond the shop itself. Serving a community creates relationships and responsibilities that influence how owners lead and make decisions.
• Being found deserves attention alongside being good at what you do. Jenny raises questions about how small businesses appear in AI-assisted searches and how people discover them through social recommendations.
• The personal demands deserve attention too. Both guests discuss the complexity behind daily operations; Jenny describes the pressure of caring for a business, a team, and a family.
• Independence still requires other people. Their advice includes understanding local needs, finding mentors, listening to employees and customers, and seeking perspectives beyond your own.

About Jenny Crittenden

Jenny Crittenden is CEO of Retail Alliance, where she supports retailers through education, advocacy, and connections. Her background includes more than sixteen years in the Main Street ecosystem and leadership of the Main Street Preservation Trust in Gloucester, Virginia. There, her work earned national accreditation and a Main Street Forward Award for recovery initiatives that included an e-commerce platform for downtown businesses. She also represented small brick-and-mortar retailers on Virginia’s Governor’s Business Task Force. Jenny brings experience in community revitalization, entrepreneurship, and helping business owners find the resources and relationships to grow. 

About Matthew Wagner, Ph.D.

Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., is Chief Innovation Officer at Main Street America, where he leads research, new business support, and the development of tools and approaches for the Main Street network. His career spans downtown revitalization in Sheboygan Falls and Racine, Wisconsin; community affairs and redevelopment leadership at SC Johnson; and teaching entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside. A Fulbright Specialist Scholar, Matt holds a doctorate focused on economic development and entrepreneurship. His work connects research with the practical challenges of supporting small businesses and the communities around them. 

Send us Fan Mail

A resume can look flawless while the real story stays hidden. We sit down with Shannon Flanagan, a retail and retail tech leader and the founder of Retail Women in Tech, to talk about what actually shapes a career: the messy pivots, the painful exits, the values you violate when you start performing for other people’s scorecards, and the small decisions that quietly change everything.

Shannon shares the moment in her mid-20s when organizational change work helped her find a clear purpose: creating the conditions for people to love what they do every day. From there, we unpack three pivotal turns, including a “what did I just do?” detour that later became essential, plus the reality of going through four layoffs and learning to pause instead of sprinting into the next job. We also dig into comparison syndrome, how boundaries can disappear when you become a founder, and why “fit and fire” is a practical test for whether a role is still right.

We go deeper on what makes great leaders and great hires in today’s market, especially as AI recruiting filters and endless interview loops reshape the job search. We talk mentorship vs sponsorship, transferable skills, career mobility across retail merchandising, planning, and technology, and why learning isn’t measured by a grade or a title. We close with a powerful perspective reset from a service trip to Honduras and what it teaches about gratitude, joy, and impact.

If you care about career growth, leadership, women in tech, and the future of retail technology, listen now, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest choice you’re making in your career right now.

Shannon's Bio

Shannon Flanagan is a retail leader, connector, author, speaker, and founder and CEO of Retail Women in Tech. Her career began in retail stores at 18 and has since spanned merchandising, consulting, sales leadership, general management, technology, and executive roles across some of the industry’s most recognized organizations.

She has led strategic initiatives as a senior executive at Gap Inc., Lands’ End, and Macy’s, and has partnered with hyper-growth startups and Fortune 500 companies through her work with Accenture, Slalom, Talkdesk, Writer, and retailconnected. Across each chapter, Shannon has stayed close to the human side of retail - the people, teams, customers, and communities that make the industry dynamic.

Today, through Retail Women in Tech, Shannon is focused on creating stronger pathways for women across the intersection of retail and technology. Her work centers on connection, career mobility, parity, and helping people build careers with greater intention and purpose.

She is also a RETHINK Retail Top Expert, NRF Top 50 Retail Voice, RetailWire BrainTrust member, advisor, and soon-to-be-published author of Choose, Don’t Chase, Your Career. At the heart of her work is a clear belief: when people are supported in doing work they love, the impact reaches far beyond the workplace.

Send us Fan Mail

Retail works best when execution, perspective, and adaptability come together.

In this episode of Retail Relates, Rich Honiball and Judy Sejiny sit down with Nick Harbaugh, a retail construction and execution expert turned global content creator behind The Retail Nomad.

With more than 30 years of experience building stores across thousands of locations, Nick brings a rare perspective — one grounded in execution, but expanded through global observation.

Nick shares pivotal moments from his career, including the decision to leave traditional retail early, lessons learned from launching his own business, and how hands-on experience shaped his understanding of what actually works in retail.

The conversation explores:

• Why execution is often the missing link in retail strategy
•  How global retail environments differ from the U.S. — and what we can learn from them
•  The importance of creativity and differentiation in physical retail
•  Why leading organizations stay proactive, not reactive
•  How AI is reshaping retail — and where opportunity lies
•  What students and emerging professionals should focus on early in their careers

This episode offers a practical, experience-driven look at retail from the ground up — and a reminder that new perspective often comes from stepping outside your own environment.


👤 Meet Our Guest

Nick Harbaugh is a retail construction, project management, and supply chain expert with more than 30 years of experience in the retail and commercial sectors.

Throughout his career, he has led and executed multi-million-dollar projects across fixture installation, store build-outs, remodels, and large-scale rollout programs — working with global brands including Walmart, Samsung, Home Depot, Target, Sephora, Dyson, Mercedes AMG, and many others.

Nick co-founded Retail Marketing Services (RMS), growing it into a multi-million-dollar business serving major retail organizations across domestic and international markets. Following the successful sale of his company, he expanded his work globally, consulting across the retail ecosystem and contributing to projects in more than 100,000 locations across 15+ countries.

He is an active industry voice, speaker, and member of the Shop! Association, and a recognized leader in retail execution and supply chain collaboration.

In 2022, Nick launched The Retail Nomad, a global journey spanning more than 20 countries to document retail environments, share insights, and highlight innovation across markets. His work has earned recognition as a Top Retail Influencer (2023), one of the Top Retail Experts globally for 2024 and 2025, and an NRF Top 50 Retail Voice for 2026.

Send us Fan Mail

Retail leadership at scale is not about volume.
It’s about alignment.

Celeste Risimini-Johnson operates at the center of one of the most complex intersections in commerce — merchandising, operations, omni-channel execution, and brand strategy — all inside an environment that serves the next generation of consumers.

As Chief Merchandise & Operations Officer at Barnes & Noble College, Celeste leads the General Merchandise business inclusive of omni-channel merchandising, planning & allocation, and merchandise information teams. She also oversees store operations, design & construction, and brand partnerships — a scope that requires both creative instinct and operational precision.

In this episode of Retail Relates, we explore what it really means to balance creativity with P&L discipline, and how leaders translate vision into execution across cross-functional teams.

About Celeste

Celeste Risimini-Johnson is the Chief Merchandise & Operations Officer for Barnes & Noble College.

She leads the company’s General Merchandise business across omni-channel merchandising, planning & allocation, and merchandise information. Her leadership also spans store operations, design & construction, and brand partnerships — connecting brand, space, and product into a cohesive experience.

Prior to Barnes & Noble College, Celeste held senior leadership roles at Lands’ End, Toys “R” Us, The Children’s Place, and Fullbeauty Brands. During her tenure at Lands’ End, she was awarded two Lighthouse Awards for Outstanding Leadership and Results.

She is a member of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle and holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Fashion Merchandising from Johnson & Wales University.

Her career reflects more than upward mobility — it reflects range. General management. P&L ownership. Merchandising strategy. Product development. Business development. Turnarounds. Launches. Expansions.

She is a merchant who understands that brand promise only works when it connects to the consumer — and when the numbers work.

Send us Fan Mail

Retail transformation doesn’t start with bold declarations. It starts with listening.

In this episode of Retail Relates, Rich Honiball, Tony Wells, and Judy Sedjiny sit down with Vanessa LeFebvre, a global retail leader who has spent her career operating at the intersection of brand, data, and execution.

Vanessa shares pivotal moments that shaped her leadership journey — from building Macy’s Backstage into a scalable off-price format, to partnering with data scientists at Stitch Fix, to leading global brands through moments of reinvention and exit. Across each chapter, her philosophy remains consistent: listen first, confront reality early, and connect strategy to the teams responsible for delivering it.

The conversation explores:

• Why curiosity is a leadership advantage, not a liability
• How psychological safety directly impacts performance
• The role of data in decision-making — and where it falls short
• Why transformation fails when leaders rush past understanding
• How to lead teams through change without burning trust

This episode offers a practical, experience-driven perspective on leadership, growth, and what it takes to guide organizations through complexity with clarity and care.

About Vanessa LeFebvre

Vanessa LeFebvre is a global retail transformation and growth leader with deep expertise across merchandising, brand strategy, and operational execution.

Most recently, Vanessa served as President of Champion Global, where she helped guide the brand through a $1.2B strategic exit, leading complex P&Ls across wholesale, DTC, licensing, and global markets. She now serves as Global President of Activewear at HanesBrands, overseeing a portfolio that includes Champion, Hanes, Alternative Apparel, and Gear for Sports.

Earlier in her career, Vanessa served as SVP, Commercial North America at Adidas, helping scale the region to $6B; President of Lord & Taylor; VP of Women’s Merchandising at Stitch Fix, partnering closely with data scientists; and as the principal architect of Macy’s Backstage, growing the concept from pilot to scale. She began her career at Lord & Taylor and has held leadership roles at TJX Companies and Daffy’s.

Vanessa holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, serves on the boards of Soles4Souls and Runway of Dreams, and is a founding member of Chief.

Send us Fan Mail

Retail doesn’t fail because of technology — it fails when leaders lose empathy for the people the technology is meant to serve.

In this episode of Retail Relates, Rich Honiball and Guy Courtin sit down with Ricardo Belmar, a retail technology strategist, podcast host, and longtime advisor to retailers navigating digital transformation.

Ricardo shares pivotal moments that shaped his career — from building an early “store of the future” concept before it became an industry cliché, to gaining fresh perspective by stepping outside a long-held role, to discovering why empathy and understanding are prerequisites for scalable innovation.

The conversation explores:

• Why many retail tech initiatives break down at scale
• How leaders can avoid groupthink when piloting new technology
• The role of empathy in leadership and transformation
• Why AI must reinforce fundamentals, not replace them
• How students and early-career professionals should prepare for a rapidly evolving commerce landscape

This episode is a grounded, experience-driven look at the intersection of technology, leadership, and retail — and a reminder that progress comes from understanding the problem before deploying the solution.

👤 Meet Our Guest

Ricardo Belmar is a go-to-market strategist and digital transformation specialist with more than 20 years of experience helping retailers and technology providers deliver elevated customer experiences and optimize business operations.

Most recently, Ricardo served as Director of Partner Marketing for Retail & Consumer Goods at Microsoft, where he led partner go-to-market strategy across the Americas. He is the producer and host of The Retail Razor Podcast Network, delivering sharp insights on retail technology, AI, and executive leadership.

Ricardo is a founding advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation and the Retail Cloud Alliance, a featured member of RetailWire’s BrainTrust, and a perennial Top Retail Expert (2021–2025) as recognized by RETHINK Retail. He has also been named a Top Retail Voice by NRF and a Top Thought Leader across retail, AI, and transformation by Thinkers360.

He is a longtime supporter of RetailROI, supporting efforts to help children in need worldwide.

Send us Fan Mail

How do you build brands that actually solve real problems?
For entrepreneur Kevin Lavelle, the answer begins with curiosity, character, and the courage to act.

Kevin first broke onto the scene as the founder of Mizzen+Main, the performance fabric dress-shirt brand that changed modern menswear and grew into a national success with partnerships ranging from Phil Mickelson to L Catterton. But his newest venture, Harbor, began with something far more personal — a failed baby monitor and a sleepless night that showed him how much families needed better, safer technology.

In this conversation, Rich Honiball and co-host Jamie Lynn Curley sit down with Kevin to explore the mindset behind a founder’s second act: how to stay grounded while scaling, how to hire for character over credentials, and why great companies start by listening deeply to the people they serve.

Whether you’re building a brand, leading a team, or navigating your next chapter, Kevin’s story is a powerful reminder that the best ideas often come from the problems closest to home.

Listen now to hear Kevin’s journey from performance apparel to family wellness — and what he’s learned along the way about innovation, resilience, and building with intention.

Kevin Lavelle Bio

Kevin Lavelle is an entrepreneur, investor, and brand builder known for transforming simple insights into category-defining companies. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Harbor, a sleep-technology company built to improve family well-being through secure, reliable smart monitoring. The idea for Harbor emerged from a personal experience that exposed critical failures in existing solutions, inspiring Kevin to build a safer, more intentional system for parents and children.

Kevin is also the Founder and Chairman of Mizzen+Main, the menswear company that disrupted traditional apparel by introducing the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt. Under his leadership, Mizzen+Main attracted investment from L Catterton, launched partnerships with iconic athletes such as Phil Mickelson and JJ Watt, and expanded into hundreds of retail locations across the United States. His work helped redefine modern menswear and reshaped expectations for comfort, versatility, and performance.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University with a degree in Engineering Management, Kevin began his career at Oliver Wyman and Hunt Consolidated before launching Mizzen+Main in 2012. He has also served as Senior Vice President at Stand Together and remains an active mentor and advisor to early-stage founders.

Kevin’s philanthropic work includes partnerships with the Navy SEAL Foundation, The Travis Manion Foundation, and 31 Heroes, reflecting his longstanding belief that business can and should be a platform for service. He lives in Dallas with his wife and their two children.

Send us Fan Mail

From NIKE to The Estée Lauder Companies — and now the football fields of Northern Ireland — Michael Smith has built a career around people, purpose, and progress.

As the former CIO of Estée Lauder, a 22-year NIKE executive, and a C-suite leader across multiple Fortune 500 companies in sports, fashion, beauty, and pharma, Michael shares how leadership principles transcend industries. He reflects on lessons from mentors, the power of feedback, and how technology can strengthen human connection rather than replace it. In 2023, he became the majority owner of Carrick Rangers FC, where he’s investing in community, inclusion, and opportunity. He also founded Tech Day of Pink and co-founded TechPACT to expand impact beyond work.

Hosted by Rich Honiball, Judy Sedjiny, and Guy Courtin, this episode explores how culture drives performance, how courage sustains change, and how true leadership reaches far beyond the boardroom.

Michael Smith Bio

Michael W. Smith is a business executive, investor, and philanthropist with more than 25 years of global leadership experience across technology, retail, and consumer brands. He has served as a C-level executive at multiple Fortune 500 companies across sports, fashion, beauty, and pharmaceutical industries, including former Chief Information Officer (CIO) of The Estée Lauder Companies and 22 years in senior leadership at NIKE, Inc., spanning technology, commercial operations, and supply-chain management.

In August 2023, Michael became the majority shareholder and chairman of Carrick Rangers Football Club in Northern Ireland — a passion investment focused on community impact, youth development, and expanding opportunity in sport.

Beyond business, he is the founder of Tech Day of Pink, a global initiative supporting breast cancer research, and co-founder of TechPACT, which advances diversity and access in technology careers. A lifelong soccer enthusiast and advocate for purpose-driven leadership, Michael continues to merge commerce, culture, and compassion to create lasting impact.

Send us Fan Mail

Strategy gets headlines; execution wins seasons.

From West Point to the helm of PetSmart, Ken Hicks has built a leadership legacy defined by discipline, empathy, and execution. Before leading billion-dollar turnarounds at Foot Locker and Academy Sports + Outdoors, his first retail job was far simpler — filling bags of dirt at a local nursery, where he learned the patience and precision that still shape his leadership philosophy today.

In this episode of Retail Relates, Rich Honiball and Tony Wells (a fellow service-academy graduate) sit down with Ken to explore what it means to lead with purpose and humility. They discuss how lessons from military service translate into modern leadership, why recognition is a strategy, and how culture is built one consistent act at a time.

Ken’s journey reminds us that leadership isn’t about control — it’s about clarity, care, and creating conditions for others to succeed. A conversation on service, strategy, and the human side of execution.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GoodPods and your favorite platforms.

Ken Hicks Bio:

Ken Hicks is a seasoned retail leader with nearly 40 years of experience driving growth, profitability, and purpose across some of the world’s most recognized brands. He joined PetSmart in 2024 as President and CEO, bringing deep expertise in retail strategy, merchandising, operations, and customer experience.

Before joining PetSmart, Ken served as CEO and Executive Chairman at Academy Sports + Outdoors, where he guided the company through a successful IPO and organizational transformation. Prior to that, he was CEO of Foot Locker, leading a major turnaround that revitalized customer experience, improved profitability, and significantly grew market value. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles with JCPenney, Payless ShoeSource, Home Shopping Network, May Department Stores, and McKinsey & Company.

Ken is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a U.S. Army veteran. He also holds an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School. He serves on the Boards of PetSmart and Academy Sports + Outdoors. Ken and his wife Lucy, married for over 50 years, share a Boston Terrier named Skywalker—and a belief that great leadership is measured not by authority, but by the success of those you lead.