Board of Directors
Douglas A. Hacker
Independent Director and Board Chair
Douglas A. Hacker is a business executive with extensive experience in consumer goods, finance and planning roles. He has been a director of SpartanNash since 2013 and was a director of Nash Finch from 2005 until the merger with Spartan Stores. He presently chairs the SpartanNash Board of Directors.
In addition to his service on the Board of SpartanNash, Mr. Hacker has been a member of the board of directors for Aircastle Limited, a commercial aircraft leasing company, since 2006 where he chairs the Audit Committee. He was previously the Co-Chair and now serves as a member of the board of trustees of a series of open-end investment companies that are part of the Columbia Threadneedle Investments family of mutual funds, since 1996. Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset management group specializing in global equities, fixed income and alternatives. Before that, Mr. Hacker served as a director of Travelport Worldwide Limited (NYSE) from 2016 to 2019, and as a director of SeaCube Container Leasing Ltd. from 2010 to 2014.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Hacker served in a variety of finance and planning roles at American Airlines from 1981 to 1993. He also held various executive roles at UAL Corporation (NASDAQ), United Airline’s holding company, including Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer from 1993 to 1999, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 1999 to 2001, as President of Loyalty Services from 2001 to 2002; and as Executive Vice President, Strategy from 2002 to 2006. Mr. Hacker earned his A. B. magna cum laude from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Hacker’s qualifications as a director include his extensive experience in financial and operating management, including his prior service as Executive Vice President, Strategy, and his service as Chief Financial Officer of a major airline, in addition to his depth of knowledge of executive compensation.
Tony Sarsam
President and Chief Executive Officer
As President and Chief Executive Officer of SpartanNash, Tony Sarsam leads 20,000 Associates serving food retailers in all 50 states as well as the U.S. military both domestically and abroad. Mr. Sarsam joined SpartanNash and the Board in September 2020 and has since focused on building a strong People First culture as the company renews its commitment to growth, operational excellence, customer service and innovation.
With more than three decades of experience in the food industry, Mr. Sarsam has come to understand every side of the consumer-packaged goods business – from the plant floor to the C-suite. Before joining SpartanNash, Mr. Sarsam served as Chief Executive Officer of Borden Dairy Company, a dairy processor and distributor, from 2018 to 2020, and Ready Pac Foods, a manufacturer and distributor of convenience fresh foods, from 2013 to 2018. At Borden, he led the company through a major corporate restructuring and subsequent sale that preserved employment for all frontline Associates during a time of significant industry consolidation. His leadership at Ready Pac helped the company grow by more than 60% and establish a dominant 80% share of the complete meal salad category. Mr. Sarsam’s success at Ready Pac attracted great interest and culminated in the sale of the business to Bonduelle in 2017.
Prior to leading Ready Pac, Mr. Sarsam was President of the Nestlé USA Direct Store Delivery Company, where he created and led the world’s largest frozen direct store delivery network, serving Nestlé frozen pizza and ice cream businesses. He has also served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Operations at Dreyer’s, which was acquired by Nestlé. Mr. Sarsam began his career at PepsiCo, where he started as an Associate Engineer and progressed through a series of leadership roles, including Plant Manager, Director of Finance, Region Vice President for Sales and Distribution, and Group Vice President of Go to Market Strategy.
Mr. Sarsam is an independent director for Mission Produce, Inc. (NASDAQ). He currently serves on the board of four nonprofit organizations, including the Food Industry Association (FMI), The Right Place, West Michigan Policy Forum, and Arizona State University Foundation.
Mr. Sarsam’s qualifications to serve as a director include his extensive industry experience and deep insight into the Company’s business as our Chief Executive Officer.
M. Shân Atkins, NACD.DC and ICD.D.
Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair
Shân Atkins, NACD.DC and ICD.D. is a business executive with extensive experience in retail strategy and operations, consumer goods, food distribution, accounting and finance, and private investment. She has been a director of SpartanNash since 2013. She presently chairs the Audit Committee of SpartanNash and serves on the Company’s Compensation Committee.
In addition to her service on the Board of SpartanNash, Ms. Atkins has served on nine other North American public and private company boards. She has been a director of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE), an owner and operator of full-service restaurants, since 2014, where she serves as Chair of the Audit Committee, and is a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
Her prior experience includes serving as a director of SpartanNash Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ), from 2003 until the merger with Nash Finch Company in 2013, where she served a term as chair of the Audit Committee; Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ), a leading Canadian integrated cannabis producer, from 2019 to 2023, where she chaired the Audit Committee and served on the Human Resources and Compensation Committee; SunOpta, Inc. (NASDAQ), a manufacturer of natural and organic beverages and snacks, from 2014 to 2019, where she chaired both the Audit and Compensation Committees; LSC Communications (NYSE), a provider of print and digital services, where she served as a director from 2016 to 2021; The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe and Jack (NYSE), an auto parts and service retailer, from 2004 to 2015, where she served terms as both Audit Committee chair and Compensation Committee chair; Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s leading drugstore retailer, from 2005 to 2012, where she served a term as chair of the Audit Committee; and Tim Hortons, Inc. (NYSE), Canada’s leading quick serve restaurant chain, where she served as a director from 2007 until its sale to Burger King/3G in 2014. Ms. Atkins also served on the board of True Value Hardware, a leading hardware wholesaler where she served as Chair of the Audit Committee, from 2010 to 2018.
Ms. Atkins is a former partner in the global consumer and retail practice at Bain & Company, the major international consulting firm. At Bain, she spent 13 years serving clients in a variety of consumer goods categories (food, health and beauty, household products, apparel and footwear) and retailers of various types including supermarkets, chain drug stores, mass merchants and specialty retailers. In her executive career she spent five years with Sears Roebuck & Company in a variety of senior roles, including general management responsibility for a $2.3 billion hardlines business which she led to record results, and running foreign sourcing for both Sears Roebuck (USA) and Sears Canada through a network of overseas sourcing offices and staff.
Ms. Atkins started her career as a public accountant with Price Waterhouse Canada. She maintains current registration as both a certified public accountant (USA) and chartered accountant/chartered public account (Canada) and has served as an SEC-designated financial expert on all of her audit committees, including in her current role as chair of the Company’s Audit Committee. She holds the highest certification as a professional independent director in both the USA (NACD.DC) and Canada (ICD.D) and is a regular speaker at corporate governance programs across North America. In 2021, Ms. Atkins received a Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute.
Ms. Atkins’ qualifications as a director include her expertise in finance and accounting and in cybersecurity, her extensive experience as a director of other publicly traded corporations, and her experience in developing and executing strategic plans for major retail organizations. As chair of the Audit Committee, Ms. Atkins leads the Committee in its oversight of the Company’s controls and procedures relating to ESG risks and disclosures, including oversight of data disclosed in the Company’s ESG reporting.
Fred Bentley, Jr.
Independent Director
Fred Bentley, Jr. is a business executive with extensive experience in the manufacturing, supply chain, and food industry. He joined the SpartanNash Board in November 2023 and serves on the Company’s Audit and Compensation Committees.
Since 2016, Mr. Bentley has been President and CEO of DexKo Global Inc., a manufacturer of highly engineered trailer running gear, chassis assemblies and related components. He oversees the Dexter and AL-KO global operations, and he has led DexKo to a leading market position with a successful growth strategy.
Prior to joining DexKo, Mr. Bentley was CEO of Maxion Wheels, a $2.4 billion global automotive equipment supplier and the world’s largest wheel company. He served as Chief Operating Officer and President of International Operations of Hayes Lemmerz, leading the company’s sale process (to Maxion) and the divestitures of non-core businesses while significantly globalizing the core business. Mr. Bentley also has significant operational experience from his time at Honeywell/Allied Signal and experience in complex operations, finance and strategy from his seven years at Frito-Lay.
Mr. Bentley currently serves on several boards including the board of directors for Aludyne, Inc. since 2013 and Grey Inc. since 2021, where he serves as a member of the Compensation Committee. Additionally, Mr. Bentley previously served on the board of directors for Versa Lift, Inc. from 2016 to 2019; SeaStar Soutions, GT Technologies and DURA Automotive (now Dura-Shiloh).
Mr. Bentley earned his undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from the University of Cincinnati and attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
Mr. Bentley’s qualifications as a director include proven operational and leadership experience as a former Chief Operating Officer and as current President and Chief Executive Officer of global companies, as well as his vast supply chain expertise in a variety of markets and geographies and highly developed distribution networks. Mr. Bentley also has a strong record of successfully leading multiple acquisitions and divestitures.
Dorlisa K. Flur
Independent Director
Dorlisa K. Flur joined the SpartanNash Board of Directors in July 2024. Her corporate and board experience spans grocery distribution, retail, warehousing and logistics for multi-unit, multi-billion-dollar enterprises operating in public, private and private equity environments. Ms. Flur serves on the Company’s Audit and Compensation Committees.
Ms. Flur has served as an independent strategic advisor to the leadership of Southeastern Grocers, Inc. (SEG), the $8.5 billion parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket, since 2018. From 2016 until 2018, Ms. Flur championed the company’s successful restructuring as SEG’s former Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer.
Prior to SEG, from 2013 to 2016, Ms. Flur was Executive Vice President, Omnichannel for leading department store chain Belk, where she was responsible for corporate strategy, supply chain, customer analytics and insights and helped guide Belk’s successful sale to private equity owners. She also served as Vice Chair, Strategy, and Chief Administrative Officer for Family Dollar Stores, Inc., then a $10 billion revenue public company, where she held five senior operating roles during her tenure from 2004 until 2012. Earlier in her career, Ms. Flur spent 16 years from 1988 to 2004 with global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company as the first female partner elected in the southeast.
Ms. Flur is as an independent corporate director on the boards of Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., United States Cold Storage, Inc., and BlueCross BlueShield NC and participates on various committees for each. From 2019 to 2024, Ms. Flur also previously served on the board of Hibbett, Inc. as an independent director. In 2020, Ms. Flur earned the NACD Directorship Certified™ credential and was recognized in Directors & Boards’ 2021 Directors to Watch and among the NACD Directorship 100™ in 2022. She earned her MBA and Bachelor of Science degrees from Duke University, majoring in economics and computer science.
Ms. Flur’s qualifications to serve as a director on the SpartanNash Board include her extensive experience in the grocery distribution, retail and logistics industries, her leadership on numerous corporate boards, and her strong record of management experience spanning more than three decades. Ms. Flur’s experience serving on the nominating and governance, compensation and audit committees for the aforementioned boards are of additional benefit in her role on the SpartanNash Board.
Kerrie D. MacPherson
Independent Director
Kerrie D. MacPherson is a business executive with extensive experience as an auditor and international business consultant. She joined the SpartanNash Board of Directors in August 2023, and serves on the Company’s Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees.
In addition to the SpartanNash Board, since 2019 Ms. MacPherson has served as an independent director for Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU) where she is Chair of the Audit Committee; a member of the Risk and Compliance Committee; a member of the Trust and Financial Services Committee; as well as a Board Liaison to the Employee Culture and Diversity Council. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the privately held Synechron Holdings Inc., where she is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, since 2022.
In 2018, Ms. MacPherson retired from Ernst & Young as a Senior Advisory Partner. She maintains current registration as a Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada) and serves as an SEC-designated financial expert on all of her audit committees.
In addition to corporate board service, Ms. MacPherson serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board and the Global Advancement Board at University of Toronto’s ROTMAN school. She also served on the Board of New York’s City Harvest from 2006 to 2023, and she was Executive Sponsor for EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women, a leadership program to assist female entrepreneurs in growing their businesses. In 2020, Directors and Boards Magazine named Ms. MacPherson a “Director to Watch.”
Ms. MacPherson earned her undergraduate degree in commerce and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the organization’s highest distinction.
Ms. MacPherson’s qualifications to serve as director include her extensive experience in financial services and auditing, her experience serving on various boards, and her CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from NACD. She has been a longstanding champion of Diversity & Inclusion, having sponsored and co-instructed a leading program for high-potential female leaders called Power.Presence.Purpose.
Julien R. Mininberg
Independent Director
Julien R. Mininberg is a business executive with extensive experience in consumer goods. He joined the SpartanNash Board of Directors in February 2022. Mr. Mininberg brings a 32-year track record of building market-leading multinational brands and businesses, transforming organizations and culture, operating expertise, and seasoned leadership skills. Mr. Mininberg serves on the Company’s Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees.
Mr. Mininberg served as Chief Executive Officer of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ), a $2 billion global consumer products company, from 2014 until retiring in March 2024. In 2017 and 2021, he was recognized by Institutional Investor magazine as the top mid-cap CEO in the Food, Beverage, Personal Care and Household Goods industry and elected to their All-America Executive Team. Institutional Investor also named Helen of Troy as one of America’s Most Honored Companies in 2021. He previously led Kaz Inc., a private equity backed company, through a major turnaround from 2006 to 2010, serving as its President and later as its CEO. Before joining Kaz, he spent 15 years at The Procter & Gamble Company, where he served in a variety of general management and marketing leadership positions with roughly equal amounts of time in roles in the United States and Latin America.
Mr. Mininberg served as a director of Helen of Troy Limited from 2014 until his retirement in 2024. Mr. Mininberg was named as a Senior Advisor to the private equity firm L Catterton in 2024. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Yale School of Management and is past President of the school’s Alumni Association. In 2021, he was recognized with Yale Alumni Association’s Leadership Award. Mr. Mininberg also served as Vice Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors in Guatemala from 2003 to 2005.
Mr. Mininberg’s qualifications as a director include his 32-year track record of building market-leading multinational brands and organizations, proven operational and financial expertise, and seasoned leadership skills.
Jaymin B. Patel
Independent Director and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chair
Jaymin B. Patel joined the SpartanNash Board of Directors in February 2022. Mr. Patel is a proven leader with more than 30 years of high-performance global operating experience in technology led gaming, consumer goods, large-scale distribution/supply chain, and manufacturing related businesses. He serves as the Chair of the Company’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and as a member of the Compensation Committee.
Mr. Patel served as the President and CFO of Clarim Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition corporation, from 2020 to 2022, and has served as Executive Chairman of Perennial Climate, Inc. (formerly known as Cloud Agronomics Inc.), a leading platform for soil carbon measurement using remote sensing technologies to underpin carbon credit offset markets, since 2019. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Patel was Chief Executive Officer and director of Brightstar Corporation, a global wireless device services company backed by Softbank (during that time). For more than two decades, he served in various executive and financial leadership roles at GTECH (now IGT), including as President and Chief Executive Officer of GTECH Corporation, from 2007 to 2015, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the publicly traded GTECH Holdings Corporation (NYSE) from 2000 to 2006.
Mr. Patel currently serves as an independent director on the board of directors of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE), a leading insurance brokerage firm, and Bally’s Corporation (NYSE), a world leader entertainment company. He also serves on the Board of Rip Van, an innovative low sugar food snacking business, and on other private company boards. Mr. Patel is the Chairman of the Foundation Board of the Community College of Rhode Island. He previously served on the Willis Tower Watson board from 2013 through 2022, where he served on the Compensation Committee; and Clarim Acquisition Corp (NYSE) from 2021 to 2022.
Mr. Patel’s qualifications as a director include his long record of leadership with consistently driven high performance within the technology sector, as well as strong supply chain experience, sophisticated business and financial acumen. Mr. Patel has been designated an Audit Committee financial expert supported by his former experience as President and Chief Financial Officer of Clarim Acquisition Corp., as well as experience overseeing a principal financial or accounting officer, controller, auditors and public accountants.
Pamela S. Puryear, Ph.D.
Independent Director and Compensation Committee Chair
Pamela S. Puryear, Ph.D. is a business executive with 35 years of global experience in financial services, consulting, healthcare and retail. She joined the SpartanNash Board of Directors in February 2022, where she serves as the Chair of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
From 2009 to 2021, Dr. Puryear held several executive leadership roles, including Executive Vice President, Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance; Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Zimmer Biomet; Senior Vice President, Chief Talent Officer at Pfizer Inc., and Vice President, Organizational Development and Chief Talent Officer at Hospira Inc.
Prior to 2009, Dr. Puryear led an independent organizational development consulting practice for 12 years working globally and across industry sectors, including consumer products, financial services, healthcare, professional services and insurance. Dr. Puryear spent her first 10 years post-MBA in financial services in the real estate investment advisor industry.
Dr. Puryear currently serves as an independent director of Standard Motor Products Inc. (NYSE) since 2021, where she serves as the Chair of the Compensation and Management Development Committee and is a member of the Audit, Nominating and Corporate Governance, and Strategic Planning Committees. Dr. Puryear also served as an independent director of Rockley Photonics Holdings (NYSE) from 2021 to 2023, where she chaired the Compensation Committee and was a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; and NextGen Healthcare Inc. (NASDAQ) from 2021 to December 2023, where she was a member of the Audit Committee.
Dr. Puryear holds a Ph.D. degree in organizational psychology; an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School; and a BA degree in psychology with a concentration in organizational behavior from Yale University. She is a recognized business and human capital thought leader, currently serving as a member of the Advisory Board, Human Capital Center at The Conference Board, a research think tank that delivers business insights to 1,000 public and private organizations in 60 countries. Dr. Puryear was also inducted into the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the preeminent member organization for Black Executives in 2019, and was named one of the 2021 “Elite 100,” recognizing black female executives changing the face of corporate America. Additionally, in 2023 Dr. Puryear was recognized as a member of the 2023 Most Influential Women Corporate Board Directors by Women Inc. Magazine.
Dr. Puryear’s qualifications to serve as a director include her proven track record of driving value creation through her expertise in human capital management, organizational transformation, innovation and operational excellence.