A man of vision who has a proven record of championship success, head coach Nick Saban returned the University of Alabama to the top of the college football landscape with his commitment to building the total program. After the victory over Ohio State in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Saban passed Paul “Bear” Bryant to become the only coach to win seven national titles in the poll era of college football. Saban’s uncompromising dedication to excellence in every phase of the program resulted in six national championships since 2009. A nine-time National Coach of the Year, Saban achieved resounding success as a head coach and earned a reputation as an outstanding tactician, leader, organizer, and motivator. Those qualities sparked impressive turnarounds at every stop of his career. Saban’s consistent approach and disciplined leadership are the reasons his teams are known for exhibiting grit, determination, and resilience, often overcoming adversity to achieve victory. The 2021 season proved to one of Saban’s best coaching jobs, taking a team that lost 10 players to the NFL Draft – including eight in the first 38 picks and six in the first round – and leading them to an SEC Championship. The 2021 squad also used a victory in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl to earn a spot in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. The 2021 season saw the Crimson Tide win its eighth SEC Championship under Saban’s guidance with a dominating 41-24 win over No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta. The win earned Alabama it’s seventh College Football Playoff berth in eight years and a bid to the Cotton Bowl. The Tide dispatched of the Bearcats 27-6 in Dallas to advance to the National Championship where Georgia scored 20 fourth-quarter points for a come-from-behind 33-18 win in the CFP National Championship Game. Alabama finished with a 13-2 record and a No. 2 national ranking that included a 7-1 mark in SEC play. UA finished sixth nationally in scoring offense (39.9 ppg) and 18th in scoring defense (20.1 ppg) while ranking seventh in both total offense (488.2 ypg) and total defense (304.1 ypg). In his 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Saban compiled a 297-71-1 (.806) record, including a 206-29 (.877) mark in Tuscaloosa. His teams won 19 bowl/CFP games. Saban’s teams at Alabama have won nine SEC Championships while he has 11 SEC titles to his name (2001, 2003 at LSU) to go along with seven national championships (six at Alabama and one at LSU). Saban’s second season in Tuscaloosa in 2008, the Tide has played just three regular-season games in which it hasn’t been in contention for the national championship – the final three regular season games of the 2010 season – a staggering 163 of 166 games, while posting an astounding 176-19 (.903) record, including an 102-12 (.895) mark in regular season conference play. In Saban’s six national championship seasons at Alabama, his teams went 21-2 against top-10 opponents, and, since 2008, the Crimson Tide is 35-12 overall against top-10 teams. Alabama has also been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll for at least one week for 14 straight years, which broke the record of seven established by Miami (1986-92). In 1998, during their time at Michigan State University, Nick and Terry Saban established Nick's Kids Foundation in honor of the late Nick Saban, Sr. Since then, the Sabans have maintained and supported their charity throughout their careers at Louisiana State University, the Miami Dolphins and at the University of Alabama. As the official charity of the Saban Family, Nick and Terry invest their time in hosting luncheons, golf tournaments, scrimmages, and other events to benefit the cause. They are also active in the annual Giveaway Luncheon, which serves to distribute grants to support children, family, teacher and student causes. Nick and Terry also recently started the Saban Center, which is a first-of-itskind STEAM campus where education, experience, and innovation meet. It includes community partners at TCT and IGNITE, formerly Children's Hands-On Museum, plus public-private educational partnerships spanning the state of Alabama. Saban Center will be a hub for education training, arts participation and academic support for teachers and families alike. A native of Monongah, W. Va., Saban is a 1973 graduate of Kent State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business. He earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Kent State in 1975.

Kirsten Piacentini has served as L.L.Bean’s Chief Supply Chain Officer since June 2023, bringing decades of experience and leadership to the role. Kirsten began her journey with L.L.Bean in 1994 in information technology, and has been instrumental in shaping the company’s supply chain strategy. She earned her undergraduate degree at Smith College, and her Master’s from Loyola University. Kirsten serves as the President of Friends of Casco Bay.

Craig Jones is chief supply chain officer at On. As a customer-centric supply chain leader dedicated to meaningful transformation, he brings a strategic blend of financial acumen, data-driven insights and digital transformation expertise to build agile, resilient and customer-focused supply chain ecosystems. Jones has a deep understanding of end-to-end supply chain dynamics, having led several large-scale global operations that drive profitability and operational efficiencies. He is passionate about the power of real-time data analytics, AI and predictive modeling for improved forecasting and inventory optimization.

Kevin Kuntz is the Sr. Vice President, Logistics & Operations at Gap Inc., leading global logistics operations for all of Gap Inc's Customer Experience Centers, as well as it its Customer Contact Centers and Returns.  With a heavy focus on accelerating automation and transformation, Kevin oversees global processing, fulfillment, Returns processing and distribution across the company's entire omni channel network. During his 38 year career with Gap Inc., Kevin has executed end to end start-up operations to launch, expand and transform distribution centers internationally, including consulting on location and architectual design, onboarding and implementing automation capabilities, artifical intelligence and machine learning software, and driving efficiencies for materials handling and inventory management.  Driving significant Cost reductions in the fulfillment of both retail and on-line orders while improving speed and accuracy for the Customer. Kevin began his career at Gap Inc. at 17 years old as a seasonal merchandise handler at one of the company's distribution centers.  Since then, Kevin has held multiple roles of steadily increasing responsilbility and scope withn Gap Inc's logistics and transportation divisions. Kevin holds a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Thomas More University, and he resides in Gallatin, Tn, home of Gap Inc.'s largest Customer Experience Campus in North America.

Thomas serves as the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Meijer, where he oversees the company’s Supply Chain and Manufacturing Operations and Strategy. With three decades of leadership experience, he has held multiple supply chain roles at General Motors, Tractor Supply Company, and H-E-B before joining Meijer in 2015. Thomas earned his degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Tennessee and throughout his career has led multiple functions including inventory management, industrial engineering, network design and optimization, and large-scale distribution and logistics operations. His expertise lies in building resilient, efficient supply chain networks that drive operational excellence and support long-term business growth.

Mr. Bragg serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer, a position which he was promoted to in 2016 after 25 years with Tailored Brands. Mr. Bragg joined the Company in June 1991 and held positions of increasing responsibility in distribution, buying, and operations over the next decade before assuming the role of Vice President, Distribution in October 2005. From April 2007 to February 2011, Mr. Bragg served as SVP, Tuxedo Distribution. In March 2011, he was named Executive Vice President, Distribution. Since 2015, Mr. Bragg has served on the Executive Board of Advisors at project44, a leading supply chain visibility platform. Mr. Bragg sponsored the launch of Tailored Brands’ Vendor and Supplier Diversity initiative in 2021. Since 2023, he also has served on the Retail Advisory Board of Blue Yonder, an end-to-end enterprise resource planning and supply chain solution. In addition, he was appointed to the University of Houston’s Supply Chain and Logistics Technology Industry Advisory Board in 2023.

Hal Lawton has served as President and CEO of Tractor Supply Company since January 2020 and is a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. Tractor Supply is the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, with nearly 2,400 stores, more than 50,000 team members, and a Fortune 500 ranking of 296. The Company’s Store Support Center is located in Brentwood, Tennessee. Since joining, Hal has guided the continued expansion of Tractor Supply and advanced the Life Out Here strategy to deliver long-term, sustainable growth. Before Tractor Supply, Hal held leadership roles across retail and e-commerce, including serving as President of Macy’s and Senior Vice President for eBay North America. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade at The Home Depot in merchandising and online leadership roles, and started his career as an associate principal at McKinsey and Company. Hal grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, and holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Pulp and Paper Science Technology from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the University of Virginia. He serves on the boards of Wayfair and Sealed Air, and is also a board member of the National Retail Federation and the Business Roundtable.

Oliver is the CEO of Transcend, Tesco Groups Retail Solutions business.  He was the Strategy and Transformation Director at Tesco, one of the largest retailers in the world, recently reporting sales of £61.5bn, employing over 330,000 people and trading in five countries. Oliver has many years of experience in the Fulfilment, Distribution and Supply Chain space and his passion lies in the eCommerce aspect of customer fulfilment and in grocery more specifically – known for its huge complexities.  His customer first approach focusses on creating future-proof businesses, which balance automation with humans, and efficiency with safety and sustainability, and puts the customer experience ahead of everything.  Oliver played a leading role in Tesco’s Covid response, in which Tesco were able to double the size of their online business in just six weeks, responding to the crisis at pace, ensuring Tesco’s customers, especially their most vulnerable, had access to groceries. Oliver has previously held several leadership roles in Amazon in Fulfilment, Operations and Supply Chain.  He studied Economics and Business in Germany, his home country, and holds a PhD in Statistics. 

Carson joined H-E-B in July 2017 as part of Supply Chain before transitioning to his current role, leading the Manufacturing, Warehouse and Transportation Division. Prior to H-E-B, Carson worked for Pella Corporation in Corporate and Plant Management roles for 10 years. Additionally, he worked for Target Corporation for 11 years leading their food supply chain and distribution.  Carson is a graduate of Coe College receiving his Accounting and Business Administration Degree. He received his MBA in Business Administration from Drake University.

Colin Yankee serves as Executive Vice President/Chief Supply Chain Officer for Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO). He is responsible for the end to end supply chain, including merchandise planning, inventory management, vendor operations, transportation and distribution operations. Colin has broad supply chain experience, previously serving as the Vice President of Logistics at Neiman Marcus and in a variety of roles at Target Corporation. Prior to joining Target, Colin was a Captain in the United States Army. Colin graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, earned a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management degree from Michigan State University, and advanced management certification from Columbia Business School.