HUDSON, Ohio, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JOANN, the nation’s category leader in sewing and fabrics with one of the largest arts and crafts offerings, today announced senior leadership changes that continue to position the company for success.
Effective July 29, 2024, Scott Sekella has exited the JOANN business and is pursuing other opportunities. During his tenure, Scott led the company through a very tumultuous time and all of JOANN appreciate his hard work and dedication. The entire JOANN team wishes him all the best in his future endeavors. JOANN has commenced an immediate search for a new leader while Jeff Dwyer, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal, will act as Interim CFO. Scott’s departure was not related to any disagreements with JOANN regarding the Company’s financial statements or accounting policies or practices.
JOANN is pleased to announce that John Stalcup has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer. In addition to his previous responsibilities leading all IT functions, John will now oversee the Data Science teams as well as the eCommerce organization. John is a seasoned technology executive with 30+ years of success and experience in the digital space. John joined JOANN in 2022 and has been an integral part of advancing JOANN’s internal IT systems improvements and expanding the joann.com business.
Roger Hawkins has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Store Operations. Roger has been leading the JOANN Store Operations organization on an interim basis for the past few months and has been part of the organization for over 26 years. In this new role, Roger will oversee the entire field organization and store operations of 800+ locations as well as the corporate roles that support the network. Previously Regional Vice President of the South region, Roger will continue to support this region while JOANN commences a search for his replacement.
We are pleased to welcome Peter Meyer as Vice President, Merchandise Planning & Allocation. Peter previously spent time with JOANN as Vice President, Business Development & Strategy, and was most recently Senior Vice President, Merchandise Planning & Allocation at Arhaus, Inc. Peter is a seasoned retail executive with over 25 years of extensive experience in buying, merchandising, planning and strategy functions. Peter will lead the charge with the MP&A teams to continue to optimize assortments, pricing and product flow that help customers secure the products they demand.
Additionally, JOANN has welcomed Eileen Miller as Vice President, General Merchandising Manager, Craft, overseeing the Craft, Kids, Storage, and Frames businesses. Eileen brings more than 20 years of success in the industry to JOANN and was most recently Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager at Michaels. Eilleen is an expert at identifying product assortment opportunities and executing strategies to successfully meet customer demand.
“We are very excited to share these promotions and additions to the JOANN management team, and look forward to working with them to drive towards future successes,” said Michael Prendergast, Interim CEO. “I am honored to work alongside talented senior executive partners like John, Roger, Peter and Eileen who each bring extensive experience and proven leadership qualities to our organization. I am excited to work with them and the broader JOANN teams to capitalize on the opportunities that we have as a newly emerged company from Chapter 11. With the support of the Board of Directors and the executive leadership, I am confident this team will help advance and execute JOANN’s strategic plans. Last but not least I’d like to thank Scott for all of his hard work and efforts.”
About JOANN
For more than 80 years, JOANN has inspired creativity in the hearts, hands, and minds of its customers. From a single storefront in Cleveland, Ohio, the nation’s category leader in sewing and fabrics and one of the fastest growing competitors in the arts and crafts industry has grown to include more than 800 store locations across 49 states and a robust e-commerce business. With the goal of helping every customer find their creative Happy Place, JOANN serves as a convenient single source for all of the supplies, guidance, and inspiration needed to achieve any project or passion.
