Margarita Arriagada2010 Margarita Arriagada is the Senior Vice President of Merchandising at Sephora, Inc. (Sephora U.S.A.). Ms. Arriagada joined Sephora, the leading specialty beauty retailer, in April 2004. Under her direction, Sephora continues to revolutionize the beauty industry with innovative merchandising strategies and product selection. With more than 30 years of experience in the retail industry, Ms. Arriagada joined Sephora from LLARDO USA, where she held roles within Executive Management from 1994 to 2004. Her roles ranged from overseeing Wholesale to spearheading Global Product Development, and finally, launching Global Retail where Ms. Arriagada was responsible for all aspects of the business including sales development, operations, customer service, recruitment, training, merchandising, inventory procurement, public relations, and expense control. Prior to joining LLADRO, Ms. Arriagada enjoyed an 18 -year tenure at Bullocks/Macy’s West. Over the course of her tenure, Ms. Arriagada held Buyer positions within the Housewares, Decorative Accessories & Gifts departments, both of which she excelled, particularly in the latter department where she achieved 100% sales growth. Her success was thus honored three years in a row as “Buyer of the year”. In 1998, Ms. Arriagada became Vice President/DMM of Decorative Home, a position she held for six years and during which time contributed to the development of new emerging categories. Ms. Arriagada was also an active member of the Federated Steering Committee in the development of Home Decorative products and, as a result, traveled throughout the world developing new markets and categories. Ms. Arriagada is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Merchandising and Design, CA. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and children.
]]> Thomas A. Kingsbury
2010 Thomas Kingsbury
 has served as President and Chief Executive Officer and on the Board of Directors for Burlington Coat Factory since December 2008. Prior to joining Burlington Coat Factory, Mr. Kingsbury served as Senior Executive Vice President—Information Services, E-Commerce, Marketing and Business Development of Kohl’s Corporation from August 2006 to December 2008. Prior to joining Kohl’s, Mr. Kingsbury served in various management positions for 30 years with the May Department Stores Company, culminating in his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of Filene’s/Kaufmann’s (the largest division of May) from 1999 until 2006. In this position, Mr. Kingsbury developed collaborative and professional relationships throughout the retail industry, setting high standards and building a great reputation for integrity and fairness. He also worked diligently to develop strong bench strength. His leadership at the Filene’s/Kaufmann’s division resulted in growing store-for-store sales, with the number one comp sales performance for four straight years.   Tom also held various merchandising positions at two additional May divisions, Famous-Barr (St. Louis, MO) and Meier & Frank (Portland, OR). A native of Wisconsin, Mr. Kingsbury received a BBA degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his wife Nancy are the parents of Kathleen, Benjamin, Emily, and Margaret.
]]> Robert L. Mettler2010 Robert L. Mettler was named President of Special Projects for Macy’s, Inc. in February 2008. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Mettler was chairman/CEO of Macy’s West, a division of Macy’s, Inc. The 45-year retailing veteran began his career as an assistant buyer for Jordan Marsh in 1962. He held a series of progressive positions in retailing including president and chief executive officer at Joske’s, vice president of Allied Stores, and president and chief executive officer of L.S. Ayres in Indiana. In 1987, he joined Robinson’s Department Stores as president and chief executive officer, where he was responsible for the company’s 29 stores in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Mettler joined Sears in 1993 as president of Apparel/Home. Three years later, he was named President of Merchandising Full-Line Stores for Sears, Roebuck and Co. He moved to Macy’s West in January 2000. Mr. Mettler graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Virginia. Mr. Mettler has served on the board of a number of charitable organizations, including Shelter Workshop Programs for the Mentally Retarded headed by Eunice and R. Sergeant Shriver, the State of Texas Special Olympics, and the United Way of Dallas. He served as chairman of the Council of National Trustees of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver and still sits on their board of directors. He has received honors for his community involvement from the National Jewish Hospital and from Brandeis University, as well as from the intimate apparel and women’s apparel industry and the Boy Scouts. Mr. Mettler was also named Honorary Father of the Year in Los Angeles. In addition, Mr. Mettler is currently on the Retail Advisory Board at the University of Santa Clara, as well as on the Board of Trustees of the University of Virginia College Foundation. He also is on the Board of Governors of the San Francisco Symphony and a member of the California Business Roundtable.   A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Mr. Mettler and his wife Susan are the parents of Sam, Elizabeth, Matthew and Jennifer. ]]> Zac Posen2009 ZAC POSEN debuted his ready-to-wear collection in February 2002 in New York City. The presentation captured the attention of key fashion editors and retailers, signaling the presence of a new force within international fashion. Zac Posen is now a global luxury lifestyle brand presenting four ready-to-wear collections per year. The collection, which is comprised of day wear, suiting and evening wear, is for a sophisticated, feminine, strong woman of a diverse age range. In addition to ready to wear, the Zac Posen luxury vocabulary also includes fur, leg wear, body wear, shoes and handbags. Born in October 1980, Zac Posen was raised in lower Manhattan, the son of Stephen Posen, an artist, and Susan Posen, a corporate lawyer. At age fourteen he attended the pre-college program at Parson’s School of Design. For three years Posen was mentored by curator Richard Martin at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At eighteen he was accepted into the womenswear degree program at London’s Central Saint Martins University. During his tenure in London, Posen continued to develop and perfect the demanding craftsmanship and vision for which he is now famous. In 2001, Posen constructed a gown entirely made from thin leather strips and dressmaker hooks and eyes that delivered a powerful commentary about the female figure. The gown was acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum and featured in their “Curvaceous” exhibit. Upon returning to New York in 2001, Posen set up an atelier in his parent’s living room. Shortly thereafter he was chosen to present a capsule collection as part of GenArt’s “Fresh Face in Fashion 2001”. Following the success of this presentation, Posen established his design studio in Tribeca. Zac Posen continues to receive awards and accolades, most notably the CFDA’s 2004 Swarovski/Perry Ellis Award for ready-to-wear. Posen’s strong, feminine aesthetic has become a favorite of style leaders including Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Helen Mirren, Mischa Barton, Beyoncé Knowles and many more. The Tribeca studio – lead by Alexandra Posen, the company’s Creative Director and Zac Posen’s sister – is the center of Posen’s design universe. Over the past seven years, the Zac Posen atelier has grown from a single-room studio into today’s coterie of 49 employees, including expert artisans and determined entrepreneurs, building a global luxury brand. The Zac Posen line is found in top retailers all over the world including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols, Holt Renfrew and Vakko.]]> Les Steiger2009 LES STEIGER is the Senior Vice President for Men’s at Macy’s Central, based in Atlanta. Les’s career began in 1977 when he entered the training program at Abraham & Straus in Brooklyn. Through hard work he became a divisional merchandise manager in 1987. In 1994 Les joined Macy’s East as Vice President of men’s clothing, pants, and shoes. In 2000, he was promoted to Senior Vice President/General Merchandise Manager in charge of men’s and kid’s at Stern’s in New Jersey. A year later, Les became the Senior Vice President of men’s clothing, shoes, pants, and sportswear at Macy’s East. In 2005 Les moved to Atlanta to assume his current position. Les grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and graduated from Hamilton College. His family ran a retail department store business for over 100 years in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Les and his wife Barbara were married in 1999 and they are the proud parents of two children, Meggie and Matthew. They reside in Atlanta, Georgia where Les is involved in several charitable endeavors. Les is a former President & Chairman of the YMA (Young Menswear Association). As President of the Fashion Scholarship Fund, Les’s tenure was instrumental in creating many of the processes and strategies that has enabled the organization to become one of the most successful philanthropic organizations in the fashion industry today. Les is a 15-year participant in the Big Brother program.]]> MINDY GROSSMAN2009 MINDY GROSSMAN, a 30-year veteran of the retail and apparel industries, is Chief Executive Officer of HSN, Inc. (HSNi, formerly IAC Retailing) and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. In this capacity Ms. Grossman oversees a $3 billion dollar retail portfolio which includes HSN, the 4th largest cable network in the U.S., HSN.com, a top 10 trafficked e-commerce site, and Cornerstone Brands, a leading multi-channel retailer of lifestyle brands including Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Improvements, Smith+Noble, Territory Ahead and Travelsmith. Ms. Grossman had been Chief Executive Officer of IAC Retailing since May 2006. Ms. Grossman joined IAC from Nike, Inc. where she served as Global Vice-President and head of Nike’s $4 billion apparel business from 2000 to 2006. In addition, she was responsible for the development and growth of Nike’s global women’s business and served as Co-chair of their Women’s Leadership Council. Prior to Nike, Ms. Grossman served as President and CEO of Polo Jeans Company from 1995 to 2000. She was Vice-President of New Business Development at Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation from 1994 to 1995 and President of Chaps Ralph Lauren and Senior Vice-President of Menswear for Warnaco, Inc. from 1991 to 1994. She has also held senior positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries and began her career in 1977 in the menswear industry. Ms. Grossman serves on the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation, as well as the East Harlem School at Exodus House in New York. She is the Chairperson of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Executive Women in Fashion Advisory Board, and is also a member of the Advisory Board of the J. Baker School of Retail at the Wharton School of Business.]]> Kenneth Cole2008 Rick Leto2008 Patty and Jay Baker 2008 Paula Abdul 2007 Ken Hicks2007 Karen Murray2007 Denise V. Seegal2006 Paul Fitzpatrick2006 Vanessa Castagna2006 Richard Baker2005 Jay Levitt2005 Sean ÒP. DiddyÓ Combs2005 Geoffrey Beene2004 Ken Duane2004 Jeff Gennette2004 Bobbi Silten2003 Stuart M. Goldblatt2003 Tom Murry2003 Wayne Spears2002 Oscar Feldenkreis2002 Timothy Gunn2002 Dr. Joyce Brown2001 David Fisher2001 Ben Narasin2001 Mark Weber2001 William F. Compton2000 Robert Stock2000 Anderson D. Warlick2000 David Hill1999 Pete Jacobi1999 Nancy Marino1999 Robert McCormack1999 Robert Barnhardt1998 Jay Friedman1998 James Martin1998 Meg Rist1998 David Chu1997 Stuart Glasser1997 James Gallagher1997 John Heldrich1997 Richard Anguillo1996 Kevin Morrissey1996 Bob Rockey1996 James Casey1995 Tommy Hilfiger1995 Wayne Meichner1995 Nicholas DiPaola1995 Nicholas Hahn1994 Bernard Leonard1994 Ray Pierce1994 Lawrence Pugh1994 Herbert Aronson1993 Joseph Haggar III1993 Marcy Syms1993 Arthur Weiner1993 Joseph Lanier1992 Milton Margolis1992 William Roberti1992 Allen Sirkin1992 Warren Flick1991 Norman Fryman1991 Thomas OÕGorman1991 Robert Siegel1991 Les Cotler1990 Kenneth Hoffman1990 Dick Hoffman1990 Ralph LaRovere 1990 Jay Margolis1990 Ira Pearlman1990 Howard Cooley1989 Bernard Leventhal1989 Leonard Resnick1989 Glenn B. Smith1989 E. O. Hand1988 Thomas D. Hutchens1988 Kenny Rogers1988 Ted Sattler1988 Seymour Epstein1987 Harris Hester1987 Bernard Olsoff1987 Alexander Julian1986 Bruce Klatsky1986 Harvey Weinberg1986 Michael Zelnik1986 Herbert Blueweiss1985 Frank S. Greenberg1985 Allyn St. George1985 Edward A. Brennan1985 Sal Schiliro1984 Sy Syms1984 David M. Tracy1984 W. Barger Tygart1984 Gordon E. Allen1983 William A. Klopman1983 Sylvan Landau1983 Marvin Lord1983 John A. Fennie1982 Robert M. Rosenblum1982 Gerald A. Sager1982 Charles J. Smith1982 James J. Ammeen1981 B. G. Cox1981 J. Stanley Tucker1981 Daniel Fitzpatrick1981 Gerald P. Elden1980 Robert Ward1980 Matthew D. Serra1980 Benett Breger1980 Henry Grethel1979 Wayne Holsinger1979 John Weitz1979 Helen Berkowitz1979 John Currier1978 Gomer Ward1978 John J. Schultz1978 William Protas1977 Stanley C. Gillette1977 Melvin Weber1977 Jay Edelstein1977 Elmer L. Ward Sr.1976 Laurence C. Leeds1976 Ralph Lauren 1976 Theodore M. Kaufman1976 Richard L. Abbott1975 William R. Keegan1975 Abraham L. Malamut1975 Shepherd Brandfon1975 William Hellman1974 Bruce F. Roberts1974 Arnold Raphael1974 Clara Hancox1974 Edward Bacchi1973 Gordon W. Heaton1973 Chester Kessler1973 Jesse Seidenwurm1973 Morton Gordon1972 Lawrence Phillips1972 Frank Reilly1972 Norman Karr1972 Robert R. Leeds1971 Robert L. Stultz1971 Henry C. Schwartz1971 Michael Daroff1970 John D. Gray1969 Barry T. Leithead1968 Burt Bacharach1967