Board of Directors

Ann Torre Bates has served as a member of the Board since October 2013. Ms. Bates serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Bates has served as a member of the board of directors of Ares Capital Corporation since 2010 and currently chairs its Audit Committee. Since September 2022, Ms. Bates has served as a director and member of the audit committee of Ares Strategic Income Fund. She held a directorship at Allied Capital Corporation until it was acquired by Ares Capital Corporation in 2010. Ms. Bates also serves as director or trustee of 17 investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of mutual funds, and sits on those audit committees. Ms. Bates was a strategic and financial consultant from 1997 to 2012. From 1995 to 1997, Ms. Bates served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of NHP, Inc., a national real estate services firm. Ms. Bates previously served as a member of the board of directors of Navient Corporation from April 2014 to August 2016, and she served on the board of directors of Navient’s predecessor, SLM Corporations, from 1997 to 2014.

Ms. Bates’ professional experience and service on other boards brings valuable knowledge and insight to our Board. The Board values her experience serving on audit committees, which the Board believes her service on other audit committees provides her with the background and experience in overseeing the audits of financial statements, communicating with independent auditors and assisting with the general oversight of accounting and financial reporting processes.

Eric F. Artz has served as a member of the Board since October 2015. Mr. Artz is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee, which he also previously served on from December 2015 to September 2020. Mr. Artz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as served on the board of directors, of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (“REI”) since May 2019. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of REI from August 2014 to May 2019. In addition to this role, Mr. Artz also served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of REI from May 2012 to December 2015. Prior to REI, Mr. Artz served as Chief Financial Officer for Urban Outfitters, Inc. from February 2010 to April 2012. From August 1992 until January 2010, Mr. Artz served in various positions of increasing responsibility at VF Corporation.

Mr. Artz’s professional experience brings valuable knowledge and insight to our Board. The Board values his experience as a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, which provides him with valuable knowledge and insight regarding operations of retailers as well as the background and experience in overseeing the audits of financial statements, communicating with independent auditors and assisting with the general oversight of accounting and financial reporting processes.

Gloria R. Boyland has served as a member of the Board since January 2021 and is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Boyland is a retired senior executive of the FedEx Corporation where she served as Corporate Vice President, Operations and Service Support (beginning in 2015). Ms. Boyland led advanced operations technology initiatives, electro mobility, network and fleet automation, service quality and customer experience improvements, and new service offerings for the company. Prior to her tenure at FedEx, Ms. Boyland held leadership positions in various functions at GE Capital Corporation, including Six Sigma Quality, mergers and acquisitions and acquisition integration. She also practiced for eight years as a commercial transactions and investment attorney at GE. Ms. Boyland currently serves on the boards of directors of Vontier Corporation and Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and previously served as a member of the boards of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and UMRF Ventures, Inc. In 2016, Ms. Boyland was appointed to the U.S. DOT Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation. Ms. Boyland also served as a strategic advisor of Aurora Technologies, LLC.

Ms. Boyland’s extensive experience leading operational transformation at global companies and customer service, coupled with her leading-edge, future-focused logistics and supply chain knowledge, make her a valuable addition to our Board.

Denise M. Clark has served as a member of the Board since February 2013. Ms. Clark serves as the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Clark served as Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. from November 2012 until her retirement in March 2017. Prior to that role, Ms. Clark served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Hasbro Inc. from October 2007 to November 2012. Ms. Clark also served at Mattel, Inc., where she was Global Chief Technology Officer and later Chief Information Officer for the Fisher Price brand between January 2000 and February 2007. Ms. Clark’s previous experience includes two other consumer goods companies, Warner Music Group, formerly a division of Time Warner Inc., and Apple Inc. Ms. Clark has over 20 years of experience in the delivery of enterprise resource planning, digital platforms and innovative business transformation initiatives. Ms. Clark previously served as a director of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and as a member of the board of directors of Caesars Entertainment Corporation and as chair of its compensation committee from October 2018 to July 2020.

Ms. Clark’s extensive background, particularly her expertise involving information technology and transformation initiatives, allows her to provide the Board valuable guidance on our strategic initiatives, especially as it relates to information technology solutions.

Sandy Douglas, has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board since August 2021. He most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Staples, Inc. from April 2018 to June 2021, which included leading that company’s business-to-business distribution platform. Prior to Staples, Mr. Douglas served as President of Coca-Cola North America until February 2018, where he led the $10 billion revenue business, encompassing all aspects of its consumer and business-to-business operations. During Mr. Douglas’ 30-year tenure at Coca-Cola, he also served as Global Chief Customer Officer, and held a variety of positions across sales and marketing. Mr. Douglas began his career at The Procter & Gamble Company in sales and sales management positions. Since May 2020, Mr. Douglas has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Wawa Inc., a leading convenience retailer in the Eastern United States.

Mr. Douglas’s experience at large public companies, including his extensive experiences leading consumer and business-to-business-to-consumer distribution operations, brings valuable insight to the Board beyond the knowledge and insight he brings from being our Chief Executive Officer.

Daphne J. Dufresne, has served as a member of the Board since October 2016. Ms. Dufresne is Chair of the Compensation Committee and served on the Nominating and Governance Committee until September 2021. Ms. Dufresne has been a Managing Partner of GenNx360 Capital Partners since January 2017. Ms. Dufresne was previously a Managing Director of RLJ Equity Partners, a private equity fund, from December 2005 to June 2016. Ms. Dufresne participated in building the RLJ investment team, raising capital to fund its operations and constructing a partnership with The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm. Prior to that role, Ms. Dufresne was a Venture Partner during 2005 with Parish Capital Advisors, an investment fund for emerging and experienced institutional investors and a Principal from 1999 to 2005 at Weston Presidio Capital, a private equity organization. She also served as Associate Director in 1997 in the Bank of Scotland's Structured Finance Group. Ms. Dufresne has been a director of Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. since June 2015, and was appointed chair in May 2019.

Ms. Dufresne’s professional experience, including her role as an equity investor for over 23 years, brings valuable knowledge and insight to our Board. Ms. Dufresne is very familiar with conducting due diligence, negotiating purchase and sale agreements and leading the board during these processes. She possesses experience in owning and managing enterprises like our Company and is familiar with corporate finance, strategic business planning activity and general issues involving various types of stockholders.

Michael S. Funk has been a member of the Board since February 1996 and served as Chair of the Board from January 2003 to December 2003, and again from September 2008 to December 2016. Mr. Funk served as our President and Chief Executive Officer from October 2005 to September 2008. Mr. Funk also served as Vice Chair of the Board from February 1996 until December 2002, as our Chief Executive Officer from December 1999 until December 2002 and as our President from October 1996 until December 1999. Until January 1, 2019, Mr. Funk served as an executive advisor to us. From its inception in July 1976 until April 2001, Mr. Funk served as President of Mountain People’s Warehouse, Inc., now known as United Natural Foods West, Inc., one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Mr. Funk’s extensive knowledge of our industry through his past service as our Chief Executive Officer brings to the Board valuable insight and a strong understanding of the natural and organic products distribution business. His deep institutional knowledge of our business and industry is valuable to the Board.

 Shamim Mohammad has served as a member of the Board since February 2022.  Mr. Mohammad serves as a member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Mohammad currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer of CarMax Inc., the largest used car retailer in the United States, third largest wholesaler of used cars in the United States and a leading auto finance company, a position he has held since April 2021. He has held various senior technology roles of increasing responsibility since 2012. Prior to joining CarMax, Mr. Mohammad held information technology leadership roles at BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc., Blockbuster, Inc. and TravelClick, Inc. In 2020, MIT Sloan selected Mr. Mohammad as the recipient of the CIO Leadership Award, which recognizes CIOs who lead their organizations to deliver exemplary levels of business value through the innovative use of technology. Mr. Mohammad is a registered CPA.

Mr. Mohammad has strong financial oversight experience and brings with him a wealth of financial expertise. Mr. Mohammad’s proven track record in strategic leadership, development of forward-thinking technology solutions and business transformation make him a valuable addition to our Board.

James Muehlbauer has served as a member of the Board of Directors since April 2019. Mr. Muehlbauer serves as a member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Mr. Muehlbauer previously served as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee from May 2019 to September 2020. Mr. Muehlbauer served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for The Valspar Corporation from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that role, Mr. Muehlbauer served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Best Buy Co., Inc. from 2007 to 2013.

Mr. Muehlbauer’s extensive finance, commercial and leadership experience with complex, multinational organizations provide him with background and experience in strategic planning, financial oversight, and large-scale business transformations. Mr. Muehlbauer’s knowledge and experience in broad strategic transitions and large-scale integration efforts are a valuable addition to our Board.

Peter A. Roy has served as a member of the Board since June 2007 and served as the Lead Independent Director from September 2019 until August 2021. Mr. Roy serves as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. Mr. Roy is an entrepreneur and since 1999, Mr. Roy has served as a strategic advisor to North Castle Partners, a private equity firm focused on healthy living and aging investments. Mr. Roy has worked with many iconic brands such as Stonyfield Farms and Applegate. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Roy served as President of Whole Foods Market, Inc. and, for five years prior to that, served as President of that company's West Coast Region. Since April 2021, Mr. Roy serves on the board of Thrive Acquisition Corp.

Mr. Roy’s experience as the President of Whole Foods Market, Inc. allows him to provide the Board essential insight and guidance into the day-to-day operations of natural and organic products retailers, including our largest customer. In addition, his experience in the healthy lifestyle industry provides valuable insights and helps the Board maintain its focus on our core values, including our sustainability goals.

Jack Stahl, has served as a member of our Board since June 2019 and as Chair of the Board since August 2021. Mr. Stahl is a member of the Audit Committee, and previously served as a member of the Compensation Committee and as Chair of the Compensation Committee from September 2020 to August 2021. Mr. Stahl has served as a member of the Board and the Lead Director of Catalent, Inc., a contract manufacturing and development company for drugs, biologics and consumer health products since August 2014. Mr. Stahl served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Revlon Inc., a multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, from 2002 until his retirement in 2006. Prior to joining Revlon, Mr. Stahl served as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Company from 2000 to 2001, after previously serving in various management positions of increasing responsibility, including Chief Financial Officer, during a tenure with Coca-Cola which began in 1979. Today, Mr. Stahl also serves on the U.S. board of advisors of CVC Capital, a private equity firm. Additionally, he formerly served on the board of Advantage Solutions LLC, Schering Plough Corporation, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Saks, Inc., Coty Inc. and Ahold Delhaize, and was chairman of the board of managers of New Avon LLC.

Mr. Stahl has extensive leadership and significant Board experience. Mr. Stahl has a long-term record of profit and value driving performance in both stable and turnaround operating environments; and significant experience with complex, large, and dynamic organizations. At The Coca-Cola Company and Revlon, he gained significant skills and general management experience in building brands, maximizing customer relationships, and reducing costs.