Introducing the 2019 Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience

NEWARK, N.J. — Convenience Store News will welcome 41 more female leaders into its Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) family this fall.

TWIC is the first and only convenience store industry awards program that recognizes women making outstanding contributions to their companies and the industry overall.

Now in its sixth year, the program recognizes the integral role women play in convenience retailing and encompasses four different award categories honoring the full retail spectrum, from the C-suite to the store level to the independent entrepreneur.

CSNews, with the help of the Network of Executive Women (NEW) and the 2019 TWIC Advisory Board (which includes all five 2018 Women of the Year honorees), winnowed this year's list of nominations down to the finest female executives, managers and up-and-comers working for convenience store industry retailers, distributors and suppliers.

The judging panel selected five Women of the Year, 17 Senior-Level Leaders, 14 Rising Stars and five Mentors to be inducted into the 2019 TWIC class. The honorees were chosen based on nominations received from their peers.

Drawing from achievements during the previous 12 months, nominators were asked to illustrate the candidate's innovative corporate initiatives, extraordinary financial and strategic accomplishments, astute problem-solving acumen, exceptional performance and selfless charitable participation, along with other attributes that go above and beyond the call of duty.

This year's Top Women in Convenience are:

Women of the Year

Recognized for their exceptional impact on the success or direction of their company, as well as their positive impact on the convenience store industry as a whole

• Sarah Bibbs, Vice President, Merchandising, Candy & Snacks, Eby-Brown
• Deb Hall Lefevre, Chief Technology Officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Jayne Rice, Partner, Managing Director and Director of Institutional Sales, Marketing & Investor Relations, Yesway
• JoAnn Saverino, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Saverino & Associates Inc. 
• Rebecca Troutman, Director of eCommerce, 7-Eleven Inc.

Senior-Level Leaders

Retailer, supplier and wholesaler executives at the level of director or vice president and above who have executed on a strategy and transformed their business in a positive manner

• Ericka Ayles, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Yesway
• Margaret Barron, Senior Director, Global Brand, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
• Sharon Briggs, Director of Merchandising, Mountaineer Mart
• Lauren Denault, Vice President, Customer Success, Skupos
• Ashley Englefield DeWitt, Director of Marketing, Englefield Oil Co.
• Mary Duffy, Operations Manager, Company Owned & Operated Stores, Chevron Corp.
• Gena Dunten, Director, Wholesale Fuel, Circle K
• Andrea Garrison, Senior Director, Tampa Region, Reynolds American Trade Marketing Services
• Deborah Grimes, Vice President of Fuel Procurement, Casey’s General Stores Inc.
• Candice Lafourcade, Strategic Customer Sales Executive, The Hershey Co.
• Suzanne McDonald, Division President, Core-Mark International
• Salena Sims, Senior Category Manager, GPM Investments LLC
• Alexis Strack, Senior Manager, Recruiting, Altria Group Distribution Co.
• Lisa Thomas, Vice President, Human Resources, OnCue Marketing LLC
• Nancy Todys, Senior Manager, Convenience Channel Development, Tyson Convenience
• Holly Veale, Director of Merchandising, EG America
• Amy Werth, Senior Product Director, Alcohol, Dairy, Frozen Food and Treats, 7-Eleven Inc.

Rising Stars

Women with job titles from store manager to just below vice president who are making their mark on the c-store industry even in the early stages of their careers

• Tracey Brown, Customer Category Manager, Mondelez International 
• Breann Christiansen, District Manager, Maverik Inc.
• Heather Clay, Category Manager, Cumberland Farms
• Harvey Collins, Southeast Category Manager, Adult Beverage, Circle K
• Michelle Doyle, Project Manager, ExtraMile Convenience Stores
• Katie Duncan, Director, U.S. Convenience, Southeast, The Hershey Co.
• Nancy Gallardo, Category Buyer, Snacks, 7-Eleven Inc.
• Lisa Ham, Senior Category Manager — Beer & Center Store, Yesway
• Dena Hawkins, Convenience Sales Leader, Procter & Gamble
• Amy Hobson, Texas Category Manager, Snacks & Candy, Circle K
• Dawn Letson, Category Manager, Snacks & Edible Grocery, McLane Co. Inc.
• Mary Mamalakis, Director – Packaged Beverages, General Merchandise & Services, RaceTrac Petroleum
• Holly McKown, Customer Development Manager, Convenience Retail, The Coca-Cola Co.
• Christine Vondran, National Account Manager, Convenience, BIC Consumer Products USA
• Laura White, Category Manager, Cigarettes, RaceTrac Petroleum

Mentors

Women who have made an extraordinary effort, and had an extraordinary impact, on the careers of their colleagues

• Pat Davis, Operations Supervisor, RaceTrac Petroleum
• Maurine DesJardine, Marketing Director, Pester Marketing/Alta Convenience
• Cindy Dunn, Senior Manager, Training & People Development, Circle K
• Hope LaGrone, Product Director, Confection & Regulated Beverages, McLane Co. Inc.
• Desiree Warnken, Training Manager, Rutter’s

All of the 2019 honorees will be celebrated at an awards gala on Oct. 2, taking place around the 2019 NACS Show, the largest annual gathering of the convenience store industry.

Supporters of the 2019 Top Women in Convenience program include: founding and presenting sponsor Altria Group Distribution Co.; platinum sponsors Reynolds American Trade Marketing Services and Ruiz Food Products Inc.; and gold sponsors Anheuser-Busch, BIC USA Inc., The Coca-Cola Co., and The Hershey Co.