RILA Welcomes Two New Members to the RILA Board of Directors 

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors following the board’s semi-annual Board of Directors meeting held Sunday in Sarasota Florida.

Joining the RILA Board of Directors are Bill Simon, President & Chief Executive Officer of Walmart Stores, and Steven Preston, President & Chief Executive Office, OakLeaf Waste Management. Mr. Simon replaces Walmart Vice Chairman and President and CEO of Global eCommerce and Global Sourcing Eduardo Castro-Wright.

“We are honored to welcome Bill Simon and Steve Preston to the RILA Board and look forward to their future involvement,” said RILA President Sandy Kennedy. “The collective expertise of this distinguished group of retail executives provides RILA with unparalleled insight into the industry’s most important issues and ensures RILA is positioned to advocate strongly on their behalf. “

The RILA Board meets twice a year to discuss the issues facing retailers and to offer insight into the opportunities and challenges confronting the industry. The RILA Board of Directors is comprised of chief executives from America's largest and most successful retail companies.

RILA's strategic focus centers on issues related to workforce, supply chain, finance, asset protection and issues that span the entire retail enterprise -- including sustainability and privacy.

The 2011 RILA Board of Directors:

William C. Rhodes, III, Chairman, President & CEO, AutoZone, Inc. (Chairman)

Gregg Steinhafel, Chairman, President & CEO, Target Corporation (Vice Chairman)

Richard W. Dreiling, Chairman & CEO, Dollar General Corporation (Treasurer)

Robert A. Niblock, Chairman & CEO, Lowe's Companies, Inc. (Immediate Past Chairman)

Francis S. Blake, Chairman & CEO, The Home Depot Inc.

William C. Crowley, Chairman, Sears Canada, Inc.

Brian J. Dunn, President, CEO & COO, Best Buy Co., Inc.

Sally Jewell, President & CEO, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)

Sandra L. Kennedy, President, Retail Industry Leaders Association

Karen A. Lowe, General Manager, Global Retail Industry, IBM Corporation

Joseph W. McClanathan, President & CEO, Energizer Household Products, Energizer Holdings, Inc.

Eugenio Minvielle, Executive Vice President Unilever, President, North America Unilever

Robert Moran, President & Chief Operating Officer, PetSmart, Inc.

James M. Myers, Chief Executive Officer, PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc.

Steven Preston, President & CEO, OakLeaf Waste Management

William S. Simon, President & CEO of Walmart Stores

Myron E. "Mike" Ullman, Chairman & CEO, J.C. Penney Company, Inc.

Gregory D. Wasson, President & CEO, Walgreen Co.

Eric C. Wiseman, Chairman, President & CEO, VF Corporation

Don Soderquist (Ex-Officio Member), Founder, Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics

For more information on RILA's Board of Directors, visit http://www.rila.org/.

RILA is the trade association of the world's largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.

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