The NRF Foundation provides access to the education and opportunities needed for successful careers in retail, helping people build better lives and stronger communities. Our Board of Directors guides and connects our work to the companies making retail a great place to start and a great place to grow.
National Retail Federation
President and CEO
Matthew R. Shay is a trade association executive currently serving as the president and CEO of the National Retail Federation. Shay is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and The Ohio State University College of Law, and holds a master's degree in business administration from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. He also holds an honorary doctor of humane letters from Wittenberg University and an honorary degree of professional designation in merchandise marketing from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
NRF Foundation
Executive Director
National Retail Federation
Senior Vice President
Adam Lukoskie is executive director of the NRF Foundation and a Senior Vice President of the National Retail Federation. In his role, he leads all major NRF Foundation programs, including the RISE Up training and credentialing program and university initiatives, communications, content, fundraising and the board of directors.
Adam ensures alignment between the NRF Foundation and the National Retail Federation on advocacy priorities, workforce issues and research, and develops strategies, programs and activities to help the NRF Foundation provide the skills and resources people need for life-changing careers.
Prior to the NRF Foundation, Lukoskie spent 10 years in multiple leadership roles at Teach For America, one of the nation's top education nonprofits. Earlier, he worked directly with students at the YMCA and a secondary school in London.
Lukoskie volunteers as a precinct captain for the Washington, D.C., Board of Elections, as a tutor for Higher Achievement, and serves breakfast at N Street Village. He is on the Board of Director of DECA Inc., and serves as Chair of DECA's National Advisory Board.
He holds a bachelors degree in economics, leadership and management from the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.) and a master's degree in business administration from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. He studied abroad in China, England, Germany, Morocco, South Korea, Tanzania and Ukraine.
Lukoskie grew up in a small farming community in northern Wisconsin. He currently lives in Washington, D.C., with his partner James and five-year-old pit bull Nollie.
NRF Foundation
Board of Directors Chair
Goodwill Industries International
President and CEO
Steven Preston is the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, which provides services to 154 local, independent Goodwill organizations which together represent the leading provider of workforce training and development.
In 2023, Goodwill served more than 1.7 million people which range from lighter touch services to extensive training, career navigation and job placement support.
Preston has served in numerous operational and financial leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. He headed two federal agencies during times of national crisis, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA); led successful turnarounds as the CEO of two private corporations, Oakleaf Global Holdings and Livingston International; and served as the CFO of two Fortune 500 companies during times of significant change and restructuring, Waste Management and ServiceMaster.
Preston graduated with highest distinction from Northwestern University and holds an MBA from The University of Chicago. He has served on numerous boards or in other capacities for organizations supporting the needs of people with disadvantages, especially in urban centers. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Partnership for Public Service and the Board of Trustees of Wheaton College.
Macy's, Inc.
Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications
Bobby Amirshahi joined Macy’s, Inc. in December 2020 as senior vice president of corporate communications. In this role, Amirshahi leads enterprise-wide communications for the company, including crisis and issues management, media relations, colleague communications, financial communications, government affairs, corporate giving and thought leadership.
Prior to Macy’s, Amirshahi served as senior vice president of corporate communications for Univision Communications Inc. where he led all external and internal corporate communications for the company, including all business-to-business public relations campaigns. Previously, he served as vice president of public relations and communications at Time Warner Cable Inc. where he led communications teams charged with publicizing consumer and business products as well as financial communications and issues management. Before joining TWC, Amirshahi was senior director of public affairs at Cox Enterprises Inc.
Amirshahi began his career working in various public relations and corporate communications roles at Cox’s cable subsidiary, Cox Communications.
Amirshahi also led all of West Coast publicity for Viacom’s Comedy Central and Spike TV brands out of Los Angeles.
Amirshahi earned a bachelor's in History from The College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Target
Vice President of Community Impact
Ronald Brown is the vice president of community impact at Target. In his role, he directly leads Target’s efforts to develop and implement community-driven solutions and philanthropic strategies that drive the company’s community impact.
Ron joined Target in 2006 and has held numerous leadership positions within the company’s stores organization. He joined the CR Team in January 2022.
Born and raised in Florida, Ron enjoys serving as a community liaison while building an engaged, purpose-driven culture that delivers long-term, sustainable business strategies and community relationships. He is passionate about community service and served as a member of Target's pro bono leadership team. In addition, he helped create Target’s “The Great Giftogether,” where Target store teams across the country spread holiday cheer by providing gifts to families in need. He also played an integral role in establishing an Election Judges campaign in his region, an initiative through which Target team members were encouraged to register as elections judges, as well as vote.
He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two sons and serves as a board member for the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
Ron received his dual bachelor’s degrees in business administration management and marketing from the University of North Florida.
PwC
Vice Chairman, Consumer Markets
Barbra Bukovac (Barb) is the Vice Chairman - Consumer Markets for PwC. In this role, she leverages her extensive industry experience and the PwC network to enable our teams to solve complex challenges for their clients in the constantly changing landscape of Consumer Markets.
In addition to her role leading the Consumer Markets practice, Barb is dedicated to advancing women and diverse professionals at PwC and in the greater business community to help pave the way for our next generation of leaders.
With over 25 years of professional experience at PwC, she has served marquis clients within Consumer Markets and across numerous industries around the world, as both a senior relationship partner and global lead tax partner. Barb has successfully worked with many clients to deliver leading edge expertise and enable them to realize their strategic vision and thrive in a changing world. She has extensive tax experience with cross-border transactions including acquisitions, divestitures, integrations, repatriation planning, global structure alignment/value chain transformation, global tax provision and compliance reviews. She leads from the front to embrace new technology and has worked with many clients to support digital transformation.
Prior to this, Barb was the Vice Chairman for the MidCentral Region, having ultimate responsibility for every aspect of the service delivery and practice development in the region. In addition, she has served as the US Tax Sectors Leader and member of the Core Tax Leadership team. In this role, Barb ensured that our tax teams delivered a unique client experience by providing global and in depth industry expertise. Barb also served as the Tax Leader for the US Retail & Consumer Products Industry. In this role, she partnered with and facilitated relationships with PwC's clients and led specialist industry resources within PwC’s Washington National Tax Services, International Tax and State Tax network to provide critical knowledge management and thought leadership.
Barb is a graduate of the University of Illinois and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a member of the AICPA, as well as the Illinois, Massachusetts and Ohio State Societies of Public Accountants. Outside of work, Barb is the proud mother of two daughters and is active in several community organizations. She is a member of the University of Illinois Gies College of Business Dean's Business Council and serves as a Board Trustee for the Hadley Institute of the Blind and Visually Impaired. She is an active member of the Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Network, The Executives Club of Chicago and the Northwestern University Settlement House. Her civic work and professional contributions have been recognized by many prestigious organizations including: Crain's 2019 & 2020 Notable Woman Executives Over 50, the CEO Perspectives Leadership Program, Illinois Power 50 and the North Shore Women in Business Leadership Award.
Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland
Director of Undergraduate Career Programming
Ashlee Chicoine has spent her entire career devoted to transforming the college student experience at the University of Maryland. She brings more than 15 years of experience in the areas of career services, residence life, and orientation, and currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Career Programming at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
In this role, she provides strategic direction for the career preparation, education, and outcomes of Smith's 3,000 business undergraduates.
Prior to her work in career services, Ashlee worked in residence life building a student residential learning community focused on career exploration and readiness. She has taught college courses on college transition and student and leadership development and was a contributing author to the book Leadership for a Better World: Understanding the Social Change Model of Leadership Development.
Ashlee has been recognized for her work at the Smith School with the Smith Student Champion Award and the inaugural Office of Career Services SuperNova Award, and she was in the first cohort of the Smith Leadership Academy. She is a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE) and the National Careers Undergraduate Business Symposium.
Ashlee holds a Master of Education in Counseling and Student Personnel Services - College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership & Management and Spanish from the University of St. Thomas. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, their two young daughters, and their two cats.
Gap Inc. Brands
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Monica Davila is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Gap Inc.'s portfolio of brands. She leads the HR business partner organizations for Gap Inc. Brands — Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, which serves more than 73,000 employees across more than 2,400 stores.
In her role, Monica has spearheaded a one-team mentality across the organization, which is gaining momentum as she leads with a people-first approach.
Prior to her work in career services, Ashlee worked in residence life building a student residential learning community focused on career exploration and readiness. She has taught college courses on college transition and student and leadership development and was a contributing author to the book Leadership for a Better World: Understanding the Social Change Model of Leadership Development.
Ashlee has been recognized for her work at the Smith School with the Smith Student Champion Award and the inaugural Office of Career Services SuperNova Award, and she was in the first cohort of the Smith Leadership Academy. She is a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE) and the National Careers Undergraduate Business Symposium.
Ashlee holds a Master of Education in Counseling and Student Personnel Services - College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership & Management and Spanish from the University of St. Thomas. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, their two young daughters, and their two cats.
BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
EVP and Chief Financial Officer
Laura Felice is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, at BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. She is responsible for the company's finance, audit, and investor relations teams.
Laura joined BJ's in 2016 as Senior Vice President, Finance, Controller, and was named Chief Financial Officer in 2021. She has more than 20 years of experience in the retail and consumer goods space.
Prior to joining BJ's, she served as Senior Vice President, Finance, at Clarks Americas, Inc. with responsibility for financial management and control of the Americas Region.
Laura started her career in public accounting in the Boston office of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP specializing in serving public and private companies in the retail and consumer products industry.
Laura is a CPA in the state of Massachusetts and CGMA. She holds both a Master of Accounting and Bachelor of Finance and Accounting from Boston College. She is a member of the Board of Broadstone Net Lease, serving on the Audit and the Nominating and Corporate Governance committees. Laura serves as Board Chair of for the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. She is also a member of the Boston Ballet Board of Advisors.
Amazon
Vice President, People eXperience Technology (PXT)
Tonya Hallett is a highly engaged human capital professional with more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources. Tonya is the Vice President, People eXperience Technology (PXT) and she leads the PXT teams for WW Amazon Stores and General and Administrative (G&A).
Tonya proudly serves as an Executive Sponsor for the Women at Amazon (W@A), the global affinity group for women, non-binary employees and allies.
Tonya began her career with General Motors and progressed through several diverse positions in Labor Relations and field HR leadership. Her unique roles held include an international assignment in Germany leading the EU purchasing & supply chain talent strategy, as the Global Director Human Resources for the iconic Cadillac vehicle brand and in her role prior to joining Amazon, as the Executive Director Human Resources for the Global Manufacturing function, responsible for over 100,000 employees.
She holds a Master of Science in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University.
Tonya is married and a proud mom of 3 vibrant and thriving young men. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated and Jack & Jill of America, Incorporated. She is passionate about supporting initiatives for enhancing educational opportunities for at risk youth, the arts, and cancer research.
Best Buy Co. Inc.
Executive Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer
Mark Irvin is EVP, Chief Supply Chain officer for Best Buy Co. Inc. In this role, he oversees the strategy and day-today operations of Best Buy’s global supply chain that supports about 1,000 stores and Best Buy’s online customers.
Mark’s responsibilities include order management, distribution centers, domestic and international transportation, global compliance, and trade, final-mile fulfillment and reverse logistics.
Most recently, Mark served as Best Buy’s Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Talent Officer, overseeing the company’s strategy for creating and sustaining an inclusive work environment for its 1000,000 employees. He has always had a passion for people and development of leaders, dating back to his time as a captain in the U.S. Army.
Mark has spent most of his 30-year career in supply chain leadership. Prior to joining Best Buy in 2013, he held a variety of supply chain leadership roles at Target for 11 years, both in the field and at the corporate headquarters. He has also held leadership roles at Cummins Inc., Corporate Express Delivery Systems and Baxter Healthcare.
Mark has a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University in Nashville and an MBA from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. He was commissioned through the ROTC program at Vanderbilt University and served in the U.S. Armed Forces for eight years in field medical logistics.
DICK'S Sporting Goods
Vice President and Chief Talent Officer
Michael serves as vice president, chief talent officer for Dick's Sporting Goods, a role in which he blends deep expertise in human resources with a visionary approach to innovative and people-centric strategies.
He has overall enterprise responsibility for Talent Management & Development, Organization Effectiveness & Change, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Talent Acquisition, People Analytics and Labor & Employee Relations.
Michael joined Dick's in 2021 as vice president, human resources, where he led the HR business partner organization for the Dick's enterprise, serving over 50,000 teammates across 850+ retail stores, supply chain's 5 DCs and all corporate functions. Under his leadership, the company adeptly navigated post-pandemic challenges, transitioning smoothly into a hybrid work model. He also spearheaded significant advancements to the HR function itself during this time, including establishing the first-ever labor function and strategy for Dick's.
Prior to joining Dick's, Michael served as vice president of human resources at Honeywell, supporting the chief commercial officer for the global commercial line of business. Prior to that, he held various leadership positions that spanned over a decade at PepsiCo. His tenure there was marked by diverse roles across various geographies, including significant contributions as senior director of learning and development for the AMEA sector in Dubai and as vice president for the western U.S. sales division of PepsiCo's $14-billion Frito-Lay North America business unit. During that time, his initiatives were pivotal in shaping the business and HR landscape, including driving leadership development, and managing largescale organizational changes. Earlier in his career, Michael honed his HR expertise at Colgate-Palmolive, engaging with business units across the U.S. and Europe. His journey through these global corporations has equipped him with a deep understanding of the intricacies of HR management in diverse and dynamic environments.
Michael holds a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Hofstra University and a bachelor's in psychology from Loyola University, Baltimore. He also holds a certification for advanced interpretation in Hogan Assessments and completed the Advanced Human Resources Executive Program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
Michael's dedication extends beyond his professional life. He enjoys endurance running, having completed numerous long-distance events including the Cleveland and Dubai marathons. In 2022, he also achieved the rank of black belt in Shaolin Chuan Fa Kung Fu. These pursuits require dedication, resilience, and focus, qualities that Michael seamlessly translates into his role as a leader and underscore his commitment to personal growth. Most importantly, Michael is a devoted husband and father to three boys, all of whom have traveled the world with him throughout his career.
American Express
Global Client Group Vice President and General Manager
Ann Sattin is a Vice President, General Manager in the Global Client Group at American Express. She is responsible for merchant acquiring relationships with Amex's national retail partners.
Ann has held several positions across the company in Business Development, Marketing, and Product Management. Prior to her current role, she was a Vice President of Business Development in the Network, responsible for leading and growing relationships with bank issuers. Ann also held leadership roles in the Prepaid and Digital Payments division leading digital marketing, customer engagement and product management.
Ann holds a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MBA from Yale School of Management. Outside of work, Ann is a passionate advocate for the performing arts, has sat on the board of a NYC-based ballet company and is a dedicated patron.
Goodwill Industries International
Chief Mission Officer
Martin Scaglione is the Chief Mission Officer of Goodwill Industries International (GII), where he leverages his public and private sector experience to develop strategies to advance the mission of Goodwill®.
In his role at GII, he supports the work of local Goodwill organizations, engages with partners on a national level including Coursera, Google, Walmart, Accenture and Indeed, and provides vision and thought leadership for GII. He also ensures collaboration with local Goodwill organizations, the GII Board of Directors, GII executive leadership and team members.
Scaglione previously served as president and CEO of the Hope Street Group, a national nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization focused on driving economic vitality through education, workforce development and healthcare practice and policy. During his time with Hope Street Group, he forged long-term partnerships with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation. During that time, Scaglione and his team also partnered with Goodwill and Walmart Giving to launch an evidence-based career navigation initiative called Good Paths. The initiative provided career navigators with the information, processes and tools to help participants take ownership of their career paths and identify opportunities for future advancement. Best practices from this application were applied to a new learning initiative, Skilling America, which continues to train and certify Goodwill career navigators across the U.S. and Canada.
Prior to his role at Hope Street Group, Scaglione co-founded and served as CEO of Viridis Learning, an education technology platform, utilizing Human Centered AI to deliver job preparation and placement in the middle-skilled workforce. He also served as President and COO of ACT, where he launched the National Career Readiness system and helped drive President Barack Obama’s job council program, “Right Skills Now.” In addition, Scaglione served in executive roles as COO at Bosch-Siemens Household, as Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Hon Industries and as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Maytag.
Scaglione holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree, specializing in Data Science from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics and management from Drake University.
Scaglione is an advisory board member of Working Nation and the Walmart Foundation. He is the board chairman for FineTune Learning, and former board member of the Association of Community College Trustees and the Manufacturing Institute.
He lives with his family in Chicago, Illinois.
Burlington Stores
Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition
Justin Smith is a Talent Acquisition and Human Resources executive with a successful history in the development, implementation, and execution of enterprise strategies.
With over two decades working in the Retail industry, Justin has extensive experience leading teams to implement Talent Acquisition and Human Resources initiatives with impactful scope and scale. He is an accomplished leader demonstrating strong performance with a focus on team development and execution while driving results to support business growth.
Currently as Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Burlington Stores, Justin plays a pivotal role driving the strategy and execution of attracting external talent at all levels to the company. Through his commitment to this role, Justin has helped Burlington hire excellent talent across the organization during a significant growth period for the company.
Prior to his current role at Burlington Stores, Justin was the Global Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Diversity & Inclusion at Qurate Retail Group (QVC, HSN, Zulily, Frontgate, Ballard Designs, Grandin Road, and Garnett Hill). There he led the global Talent Acquisition teams across all brands within the Qurate Retail Group portfolio as well as led the company’s strategic initiatives related to Diversity & Inclusion. Before joining the Qurate Retail Group, Justin spent time in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition roles for executive search firms and additional retailers.
Justin received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University.
Personally, Justin lives near Allentown, Pennsylvania with his wife, Holly, who runs her own consulting business, and his twin daughters, Anabel and Everet, who are juniors at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. His personal passions include spending time with family, soccer, and being outdoors cycling or hiking.
Walmart
Chief Talent Officer
Lorraine "Lo" Stomski is the Chief Talent Officer for Walmart. Lorraine has over 25 years of experience in talent strategy. She joined Walmart 5 years ago and is responsible for learning, leadership, performance management, succession, selection and onboarding for the Enterprise.
Prior to joining Walmart, she was the Global Practice Leader for Assessment and Leadership at Aon Hewitt. In that role, she has worked with several large employers in the Fortune 500. Lorraine's experience includes the development of global high potential programs, talent strategy, executive assessment and succession planning. Her specialties include leadership development, retention and development of top talent, top team effectiveness, executive coaching, and increasing women's presence at the top.
Lorraine received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Stevens Institute of Technology. She is a member of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology and (SIOP) and the American Psychological Association (APA). Lorraine is a frequent speaker on the topic of best-in-class practices within the field of leadership globally. She is one of the authors in the books Strategy Driven Talent Management: A Leadership Imperative (2010), Advancing Executive Coaching: Setting the Course for Successful Leadership Coaching (2011 ), Advancing Human Resource Project Management (2014), The Handbook of Strategic 360 Feedback (2019) and the newly released book on Learning Agility (2021). She has also been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, The New York Times, HR Executive, BBC and Women 2.0.
Lorraine's team is also the proud recipient last year of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) HR IMPACT award for their work in selection along with the 2022 M Scott Myers award for store manager selection. Originally from New York, Lorraine lives in Rogers, Arkansas with her husband Curtis, shelter dogs Stickley and Ellis, and a cat that showed up at their back door, Rudy.
SAS
Vice President, Global Retail & Consumer Goods Solutions
Richard Widdowson has 25 years of leadership within diverse multi-retail environments, including mass merchants, grocery stores, national chain drug stores and department stores. He developed a portfolio of international business experience working for companies based in the UK, US and Canada, overseeing operations in 14 countries.
Widdowson led Oracle, JDA, IBM and SAS® technology implementations and business transformations to improve data and inventory management. Under his direction, those implementations applied advanced analytics that resulted in significant top- and bottom-line growth.
NRF Foundation
2025 Next Generation Scholarship Top Recipient
Miri Chan recently graduated from the Boston University Questrom School of Business with a BSBA in Marketing and Business Analytics. In August, she will be moving to New York City to begin her full time position at Ralph Lauren in the RL Iconic Rotational Program.
Throughout her time in college, she's had experiences with Tapestry, Uniqlo, and Ralph Lauren and has been involved with the NRF Foundation since freshman year. However, she began her career in retail back in high school where she ran an e- commerce jewelry business called The Ring Spot. She is beyond excited to be joining the NRF Foundation Board of Directors for the 2025 year and bringing her perspective as an early career professional in the retail industry!
