Board of Directors

Edward R. Rosenfeld has served as our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since August 2008 and has been a director of our Company since February 2008. Mr. Rosenfeld, who joined our executive management team in May 2005, has more than two decades of experience focused on the retail, apparel and footwear industries and possesses particular knowledge of and experience in the industry that strengthens the Board’s collective qualifications, skills and experience. His background in finance and his analytical skills gained through his years as a Vice President with Peter J. Solomon Company, an investment banking boutique, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions in the retail, apparel and footwear industries, provide the Board with insight and guidance with respect to, among other things, strategic business development matters. Mr. Rosenfeld has strong leadership skills and an in-depth understanding of our Company and its goals from his positions as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Rosenfeld serves as a director and member of the Audit & Risk Management Committee of PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH), one of the world’s largest apparel companies.

Peter Davis was appointed as a director of our Company and as a member of the Compensation Committee on January 7, 2022. Mr. Davis has over 30 years of experience in the footwear and apparel industry, having held executive leadership positions in sales and marketing with companies including Skechers, Fila, Reebok, Joy & Mario, and Dynasty Footwear. He also founded The Infamous Black Sheep Brand, an urban action sports lifestyle brand. A former player in the NBA, today Mr. Davis runs Pete Davis Basketball, a grassroots community youth basketball organization.

Al Ferrara has served as a director of our Company and as a member of the Audit Committee since July 2019. In May 2020, Mr. Ferrara became the Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. He is a certified public accountant having retired from his position as a partner with BDO USA, LLP, a major international accounting firm, in August 2016 after 25 years with the firm, most recently serving as National Director of the Retail & Consumer Products Division. Mr. Ferrara also served as a director on the firm’s Board of Directors from 2003 through 2010 and was also a director and BDO representative on the Board of Directors of BDO Capital Advisors, LLC from 2000 to 2015. Mr. Ferrara served as a member of the Board of Directors of Barnes & Noble, Inc., the nation’s largest retail bookseller, from 2016 until its sale in August 2019 and also served on its Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. In September 2020, Mr. Ferrara was appointed to the Board of Directors of VIVAKOR, Inc., a socially responsible operator, acquirer and developer of clean energy technologies and environmental solutions, where he serves as the Chairman of its Audit Committee. Mr. Ferrara’s decades of relevant experience as a certified public accountant, the director of retail practice at a major international accounting firm, and as a member of the audit committee of a public company enhance the financial oversight capabilities of our Board and its Audit Committee.

Mitchell S. Klipper has served as a director of our Company since April 2018, as a member of the Audit Committee since June 2018 and as a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee since August 2019. Mr. Klipper served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Retail Group of Barnes & Noble, Inc., the nation’s largest retail bookseller, from March 2010 to May 2015. Mr. Klipper began his career at Barnes & Noble as Chief Financial Officer of B&N College in June 1986. He subsequently held several executive positions at Barnes & Noble, Inc., including Executive Vice President, President of Barnes & Noble Development and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Barnes & Noble, Inc., Mr. Klipper was an Audit Manager with KMG Main Hurdman, a certified public accounting firm and predecessor to KPMG. He also served on the advisory board of Modell’s Sporting Goods from 2006 through 2018. Mr. Klipper’s decades of relevant experience in retail management, general business and accounting enhance the leadership and oversight capabilities of our Board.

María Teresa Kumar was appointed as a director of our Company and a member of the Corporate Social responsibility Committee on January 4, 2021. Ms. Kumar is the President and CEO of Voto Latino, America’s largest Latinx voter registration and advocacy organization, which she co-founded in 2004. She is also a regular on-air contributor for MSNBC. Ms. Kumar serves on the Boards of Emily’s List and the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Council on Foreign Relations Life Member. Ms. Kumar graduated from U.C. Davis with a B.A. in International Affairs and earned her Masters’ in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Rose Peabody Lynch has served as a director of our Company since April 2014, as a member of the Compensation Committee since June 2014, and as a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee since August 2019. Ms. Lynch formerly served on the Audit Committee from June 2014 to July 2019, when she became a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. Until recently, Ms. Lynch operated her own New York based consulting business, Market Strategies, LLC, which focused on strategic marketing and operating issues for small to medium-sized companies. She possesses over 30 years of business experience, including tenures as the President and in other senior executive officer positions of major companies in the beauty and fashion industries, and has extensive executive level financial and operating experience. Her experience serving as a director and as a senior executive for a range of companies, including Victoria’s Secret, Trowbridge Gallery (a supplier of fine art to the interior design trade) and Danskin, Inc., a leading manufacturer of women’s dance and active wear, enhances the Board’s leadership and oversight capabilities. Ms. Lynch has served on several boards, including The Harmony Group-LeRoi Princeton (a manufacturer of children’s apparel), Salant Corporation (Perry Ellis Menswear) and Frederick’s of Hollywood (a retailer of women’s apparel and lingerie). Currently, Ms. Lynch serves on the board of General American Investors Company, Inc. (NYSE: GAM), and on both its Pension Committee and Nominating Committee. She was a member of the Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committees during her tenure at Salant and chaired the Compensation Committee during her tenure on the board of Frederick’s of Hollywood. In addition, Ms. Lynch has held leadership positions with a variety of not-for-profit organizations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Princeton University Varsity Club and is President of her Princeton University class. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts. Ms. Lynch is a member of the Women and Foreign Policy Advisory Council at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Peter Migliorini has served as a director of our Company since October 1996 and has served on the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, as its Chair, since July 2004 and the Compensation Committee, as its Chair, since July 2004. Mr. Migliorini formerly served on the Audit Committee, from October 1996 until June 2018. Mr. Migliorini is the Presiding Director over all executive sessions of the independent directors. Mr. Migliorini possesses extensive executive level financial, sales and operations experience. Mr. Migliorini currently serves as a sales manager for Greschlers, Inc. Prior to joining Greschlers, Inc., Mr. Migliorini served as Director of Operations for Mackroyce Group, a construction company, from 1987 to 1994. Earlier, Mr. Migliorini held various positions of increasing responsibility from Assistant Buyer to Chief Planner/Coordinator for several shoe companies, including Meldisco Shoes, Perry Shoes and Fasco Shoes. His numerous years of business experience at various levels and in various industries provide the Board with a measure of practical orientation regarding our operations and growth endeavors. Mr. Migliorini’s early experience in the shoe industry also provides relevant knowledge and expertise in our specific industry.

Ravi Sachdev has been a director of our Company since September 2008 and has served on the Audit Committee since September 2008 and on the Nominating Corporate Governance Committee since August 2019. As a Partner of the private equity firm Clayton Dubilier& Rice, LLC since June 2015, Mr. Sachdev focuses on the healthcare sector. Earlier, Mr. Sachdev was a Managing Director and Co-Head of Healthcare Services at J.P. Morgan from November 2010 and prior to that held the positions of Managing Director at Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. from January 2009 until November 2010 and Director at Deutsche Bank from January 2007 until January 2009. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 2006 as a Vice President, Mr. Sachdev served as a Vice President at Peter J. Solomon Company, an investment banking boutique, specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare sector, from 1998 to 2006. Mr. Sachdev possesses knowledge of finance and the financial analytics used to measure business performance. His 20 years of professional experience in investment banking and private equity brings to the Board a thorough understanding of the financial issues affecting public companies and greater insights in business valuation together with a practical orientation with respect to acquisitions and integrations. Mr. Sachdev also serves on the Board of Directors and the Strategy Committee and Compensation Committee of Covetrus, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: CVET), a global animal-health technology and services company, and the Board of Directors of Agilon Health, Inc., a technology-enabled services platform for the physicians market, and naviHealth, Inc., a technology-enabled services provider in the value-based care sector.

Arian Simone was appointed as a director of our Company and as a member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee on January 7, 2022. Ms. Simone is President and Chief Executive Officer of Fearless Fund, a venture capital fund that invests in women of color-led businesses, which she co-founded in 2018. From 2004 to 2017, Ms. Simone was the owner of AR PR Marketing, a publicity and marketing strategy firm. Ms. Simone serves as a member on the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. In 2021, she was the recipient of the 15th Annual General Motors African Ancestry Network Black History Month Celebration Entrepreneurial Spirit Award and the Detroit Branch NAACP Great Expectations Award.

Robert G. Smith has served as a director of our Company since April 2014 and has served on the Compensation Committee since June 2014 and on the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, as its Chair, since August 2019. Mr. Smith formerly served on the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee from June 2014 to July 2019, when he became a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. Mr. Smith is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Phluid Project, part retail concept and part experiential platform, completely gender neutral, with a website to offer products and programs worldwide which he founded in 2018. Prior to Phluid Project and his former positions with Haddad Brands and Victoria’s Secret Direct, Mr. Smith held various senior merchandising positions at Macy’s Inc. between 1998 and 2010, beginning with Vice President, Merchandise Manager, Macy’s West and culminating with Executive Vice President, Merchandising for Juniors, Kids, Intimate Apparel, Dresses, Suits, Coats and Swimwear. Earlier, Mr. Smith was a Merchandiser for XOXO Apparel Company and held various positions with Burdine’s Department Stores. Mr. Smith possesses nearly 30 years of business experience in the fashion industry and has extensive executive level expertise in merchandising. His experience in this area further enhances the Board’s depth of understanding of the industry.

Amelia Newton Varela has been President of our Company since September 2015 and has served as a director since 2016. Prior to this tenure, Ms. Varela was Executive Vice President of Wholesale of our Company since April 2008 and Executive Vice President of Wholesale Footwear of our Company from November 2004 to April 2008. Previously, she was Vice President of Sales for Steve Madden Women’s Wholesale Division from January 2000. Ms. Varela began her career with our Company in 1998 in the role of Account Executive for Steve Madden Women’s Wholesale Division. She graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology in 1995.