---

News Release

Last modified: Friday, September 18, 2009

IU's second-annual Retail and Design Forum Sept. 22 at the IMU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 18, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Top executives from retailers including the Gap, Nike and Target will take part in Indiana University's second-annual Retail and Design Forum Sept. 22 at the Indiana Memorial Union in Bloomington, starting at 9:45 a.m. The event is free and open to the public and is presented by the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design's Retail Studies Organization. "

We are fortunate to be able to attract so many top leaders in the retail industry to inform and inspire our students and the IU community," said Tom Mitchell, chair of the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design. "We especially appreciate getting their insight into state-of-the-art trends in the retail industry with particular reference to how they are coping under the current difficult circumstances."

With faculty guidance from professor Rick Bomberger of AMID's Retail Design and Merchandising Group, the Retail Studies Organization provides education and leadership opportunities for students interested in careers in retailing, manufacturing and related industries and is among the Bloomington campus' largest student organizations with more than 400 members. Group members come from disciplines including apparel merchandising, business, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and many arts and sciences majors.

Student registration begins at 9:15 a.m. and continues throughout the day.

Schedule of Events

• 9:45-10:45 a.m.: Gap, Inc. and Disney stores and resorts, Cynthia Harriss, past president.
• 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: JC Penney, Clarence Kelley, executive vice president, merchandising
• 1-2 p.m.: Target Sourcing, Jennifer Warner, senior product manager
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Glenn Lyon, CEO, The Finish Line; Sam Sato, executive vice president, merchandising officer; Nike, Inc., Juliana Howard, North American sportswear sales director
• 4 p.m.: Opportunity to interact with featured speakers in an open forum.

Speaker Bios

Cynthia Harriss, Gap, Inc. and Disney stores and resorts

Harriss has served as president of Gap Brand, where she led all aspects of the business in North America, including Gap, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity and GapBaby. She has also served as president of Gap Inc. Outlet and was the first woman to serve as president of the Disneyland Resort division of the Walt Disney Co.

Clarence Kelley, JC Penney

As executive vice president and director of planning and allocation, Kelley is responsible for the flow of merchandise to stores. His past positions include senior vice president and director of planning and allocation for home, family, footwear and women's accessories.

Sam Sato, The Finish Line, Inc.

Sam Sato is executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for The Finish Line, where he is responsible for all product lines, footwear, apparel, accessories and marketing for the company. His career included 22 years with Nordstrom, Inc., where he led the company's strategic and corporate initiatives, vendor negotiations and product selection and purchasing for apparel and footwear.

Glenn Lyon, The Finish Line, Inc.

Now the CEO of The Finish Line, Glenn Lyon previously served as president and chief merchandise officer for the company, which he joined in 2001. He previously had positions as president and general merchandising manager of Modern Woman Stores, a division of the American Retail Group.

Juliana Howard, The Finish Line, Inc.

Juliana Howard was with Nordstrom for 16 years and Nike for 14 years before joining The Finish Line, where she now serves as North American sportswear sales director.

Jennifer Warner, Target

Jennifer Warner is the senior product manager for toys, sporting goods and pets for Target. Her previous positions included stints as business analyst and product manager for hardlines and softlines at AMC.

For more information about the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, see https://design.iub.edu/rdmg_home.php?nav=rdmg.

---

---