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Former U.S. transportation and labor secretary joins Kroger board

Elaine Chao, who served in two presidential administrations, becomes retailer’s fifth woman director

Russell Redman

August 3, 2021

2 Min Read
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Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said Elaine Chao brings a broad range of public- and private-sector experience to the company's board.Kroger

The Kroger Co. has named Elaine Chao, former secretary of the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Labor, to its board of director.

Chao, the wife of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Kentucky), will serve until Kroger’s annual shareholders meeting in June 2022, when she will stand for election by the stockholders, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant said late Monday.

“We are pleased to welcome Elaine to Kroger,” Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement. “She’s an experienced national and global leader who brings to Kroger’s board deep knowledge of corporate governance, strategic and workforce management, and public-private partnerships as well as extensive experience at the highest levels of U.S. government.”

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Most recently, Chao (left) served as secretary of transportation under the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. A Republican, she held the post of secretary of labor for two terms under President George W. Bush, serving from 2001 to 2009. Kroger noted that she is the first Asian-Pacific American woman to serve in the presidential cabinet in U.S. history as well as the longest-serving U.S. cabinet secretary since World War II.

Chao’s career leading domestic and international organizations across the public, private and nonprofit sectors also includes serving as a director on Fortune 500 public company boards, president and CEO of the United Way of America, director of the Peace Corps, and a banker with Citicorp and Bank of America.

Related:Kroger promotes Keith Shoemaker to Dallas division president

“Kroger’s proactive board refreshment strategy ensures the organization benefits from the unique expertise and perspective of a diverse board of directors,” McMullen added. “Kroger’s board is committed to creating value for all of our stakeholders, including our shareholders, customers, associates and communities.”

With the addition of Chao, Kroger’s 11-member board now has five directors who are women. In January, the company announced the appointment veteran Unilever executive Amanda Sourry to the board. Her more than 30 years at consumer products giant Unilever included two years as president of Unilever North America, a post she held until retiring in December 2019.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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