People

Joe Preston is President & CEO of New Balance Athletics, Inc., a $4 billion global sportswear brand with more than 7,500 associates and 3,500 retail locations worldwide. 

Jonathan Frankel has worked at ALDO Group for more than a decade. He is currently President of Aldo Product Services. 

Beth Cross is the co-founder and CEO of Ariat International, a performance footwear and clothing brand that emphasizes technology and innovation.

Lawrence Siff is the Chief Executive Officer of Neptune Advisors, a consulting firm focused on strategically positioning middle market companies for accelerated growth.

Shawn Osborne has led high-performing organizations in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. He has proven expertise guiding organizations through periods of growth and transformation.

Michael Atmore is the Chief Brand Officer for Fairchild Media, driving content and branding across all Fairchild Media properties, including WWD, Footwear News, Beauty, Inc., Sourcing Journal, and Fairchild Live.  

Carol Baiocchi was formerly Senior Vice President, Family Footwear at Kohls and prior to that, Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager, Women’s Footwear for Macy’s West.

Glenn Barrett is the founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of OrthoLite®. A lifelong footwear entrepreneur, Mr. Barrett founded OrthoLite in 1997 when he introduced an innovative new open-cell PU foam insole technology.

Martin Berman is the Managing Director and Founder of Micro-Pak Ltd which is the largest supplier of anti-microbial and desiccant packaging materials for the footwear industry.

Seth Campbell, a life-long New Yorker who grew up in the shoe industry, has been President of BBC International since February 2020.

Jennet Chow is the Founder & Co-CEO of Evolution Design Lab. She is also the head of Jellypop Shoes. 

Giovanna Cipriano has served as Foot Locker’s Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since May 2009 and is a member of the Executive Committee.

Jeff Espersen is a true “Shoedog” with a heart for fashion. While Zappos was his home from 2010-2022, his experience spans over 35 years in the apparel and shoe industry, holding roles in management, merchandising, product development, and brand building.  

Deborah L. Ferrée is currently Vice Chairman and Chief Product Officer at Designer Brands. She previously served as President of Camuto Group and President of Designer Brands, the parent company of DSW and Camuto Group.

Kathy Forstadt is Senior Director of Merchandising for Zappos.com, the experiential e-commerce and customer service company. She oversees the Men’s and Women’s Footwear division, with a focus on inventory optimization and vendor relationship management.

Christina Gigante is currently VP of Sales on the Domestic Wholesale team at Skechers USA Inc. She grew up in the footwear industry and has been surrounded by the Skechers family since she was eight years old.

Beverly Goldberg is the Vice President of Florsheim brand of Men’s/Kid’s Footwear for Weyco Group, Inc.  In this position, she is responsible for Business Development, Sales, E-commerce, and Product Assortment. 

James Issler currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Shoe Holdings, Inc., (BH Shoe Holdings), an operating subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. 

As president of Marc Fisher Footwear, Ms. Itzkowitz oversees all aspects of the company, including sales, business operations, digital transformation and cultivating all of the Marc Fisher Footwear brands and new business development.

Ronnie Jefferson, a native of Washington, DC, is currently Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager over Finish Line Macy’s Division of JD Finish Line.

David has complete operating responsibility for the Birkenstock brand in the Western Hemisphere including distribution, product management, and marketing.

Blake W. Krueger is currently Executive Chairman of Wolverine Worldwide, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange-listed international marketer of footwear, apparel and accessories with annual sales of approximately $2.5 billion.

Tracey McLeod is the founder and CEO of TIEM Athletic, a footwear company focused on the boutique fitness space. In 2016 Tracey saw a void in the sportswear market for functional and stylish cycling footwear—and launched the TIEM brand with the signature Slipstream indoor cycling shoe.

A third-generation Muskat in the shoe business, Danny Muskat joined his family at Deer Stags in 1999 as Ecommerce Manager and his original charge was to develop the brand’s first website and establish relationships with emerging web-based retailers.

Tsering Namgyal has held senior management positions in a variety of footwear companies over the past 30 years, including Pentland USA, Consolidated Shoe Company, Palladium USA, and Chinese Laundry.

Philippa Newman is currently President of Michael Kors Accessories & Footwear.

Joel Oblonsky is a fourth-generation “shoedog” with deep industry expertise. He is currently EVP of Rockport and Hunter Brands at Marc Fisher Footwear. He was previously President of the Anne Klein and Blondo brands at Steve Madden.

Tracy joined Deckers Brands in 2016 as Vice President of Sales for the Fashion Lifestyle Group (UGG and Koolaburra by UGG) and was promoted to VP & GM in November 2022. In her current role she oversees the U.S. marketplace and proudly supports the e-commerce, retail, wholesale, merchandising and marketing teams.

Tacey Powers is the EVP & GMM for Nordstrom Shoes and Kids Apparel. Her responsibilities include 100 Nordstrom stores in the U.S. and 7 in Canada as well as Nordstrom.com ecommerce. Prior to her current assignment she had served in many roles across the Nordstrom organization, including as EVP & GMM for Nordstrom Rack.

Gregg Ribatt is currently Chief Executive Officer of Reef. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of The Rockport Company.

Edward Rosenfeld has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Steven Madden, Ltd. since 2008.

Jim Salzano is President and CEO of Jones & Vining, Inc. Previously, he was CEO of Easy Spirit and President of Clarks Americas. Jim began his career in the footwear industry as a stock clerk for Altier Shoes in Rochester, NY.

Diane Sullivan is the Executive Chairman of Caleres, a more than $2B portfolio of global footwear brands that includes Sam Edelman, Famous Footwear, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, Vionic, and Dr. Scholl’s Shoes.

Greg Tunney is the former President & CEO of Manitobah Mukluks. Previously he was the chief architect and strategist for the turnaround and revitalization of the RG Barry Corporation (NASDQ) and Phoenix Footwear Group (AMEX), where he was President & CEO.