Among several leadership changes announced Tuesday during Hy-Vee Inc.’s annual stockholders meeting, CEO Jeremy Gosch was named vice chairman of the West Des Moines, Iowa-based company’s board of directors.
In addition, Executive Director and Executive Chairman of the Board Randy Edeker shared that two longtime Hy-Vee executives – Donna Tweeten and Aaron Weise – have been promoted to president.
Tweeten, the first woman in company history to hold the title, will oversee private brands, merchandising, marketing and digital initiatives. She also will be responsible for the operations of Red Media, Hy-Vee’s new retail media network.
Wiese becomes president of Hy-Vee Inc., overseeing operations of all the company’s healthcare and retail pharmacy locations, as well as its newest subsidiary, Hy-Vee Healthcare.
Wiese also will be in charge of new technology initiatives for the company and continue leading several Hy-Vee subsidiaries, along with Hy-Vee’s supply chain and distribution operations across the company’s region.
Hy-Vee said that two other veteran leaders will also be taking on additional responsibilities as the company continues to evolve.
Kevin Sherlock will serve as chief operating officer, spearheading Hy-Vee’s retail grocery operations, while Georgia Van Gundy was promoted to chief of staff, in addition to EVP and chief customer officer.
Van Gundy also will serve as the chief administrative officer for the company, which includes oversight of human resources, government relations, community relations, communications, customer care, DEI initiatives, risk management, training and education and food safety.
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned corporation with some 80,000 employees at more than 300 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and sales topping $13 billion annually.
Gosch
Gosch started his Hy-Vee career in 1996 as a part-time clerk at the store in Coralville, Iowa, and in 2002 was named store director at Eldora, Iowa.
He held store leadership positions in several communities before joining Hy-Vee’s executive leadership team in 2012 as assistant VP of operations for the company’s northeast region.
He was promoted through various executive leadership roles in merchandising, marketing, strategy and operations before being named president and chief operating officer in December 2021. Since then, he has fulfilled several executive leadership roles in preparation for this promotion.
Tweeten
Tweeten’s career with Hy-Vee began in 2006 as assistant VP of communications. She was promoted to assistant VP of marketing in 2009, and two years later was selected as VP of brand image.
Tweeten was promoted to VP of marketing/communications in 2013. The following year, she was named SVP, chief marketing officer. In early 2016, she was promoted to EVP and elected to Hy-Vee’s board of directors. Later that year, she became EVP, chief marketing officer/chief customer officer. In 2017, she began overseeing brand experience for Hy-Vee. In 2020, she was also named chief of staff.
Wiese
Wiese’s Hy-Vee career began in 1993 as a high school student. After graduation, he managed Hy-Vee Care before becoming director of health/wellness strategic planning in 2013.
He has held various positions of increasing responsibility in Hy-Vee’s health and wellness operations, as well as at subsidiary Amber Specialty Pharmacy. In 2019, he was promoted to VP, Hy-Vee Inc.; president, Amber Specialty Pharmacy; and SVP, Hy-Vee, Inc.; president, Amber Specialty Pharmacy.
Wiese was promoted several times in 2020 and became president, digital growth, co-chief operating officer in April 2021. In December that year, he was named president, subsidiaries/supply chain. In 2022, he was named president, Hy-Vee Healthcare.
Sherlock
Sherlock’s Hy-Vee career began in 1986 as a part-time courtesy clerk at the Hy-Vee on North Dodge Street in Iowa City. After working in several markets, he was named assistant director at the Hy-Vee on Agency Street in Burlington, Iowa. He was given his first store director assignment in 1999 in Canton, Illinois.
He then went on to lead stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City before being named assistant VP of operations, for Hy-Vee’s western district in 2014. The next year, he was promoted to VP of business development. He was promoted in 2016 to SVP of merchandising/business development, and a year later to EVP of the southeast region.
In 2018, Sherlock was named EVP, merchandising/advertising, before moving to PDI in early 2019 as EVP of PDI, commissaries.
Later that year, Sherlock transitioned back into operations as EVP of the east region. In 2020, he added non-foods to his responsibilities. Later that year, he was named EVP and chief retail officer. In June, Sherlock was named EVP and chief merchandising officer, before being named chief operating officer earlier this year.
Van Gundy
Van Gundy joined the Hy-Vee leadership team in 2019 as SVP of administration, industry and government relations. She was promoted to SVP, chief administrative officer in June 2020.
Van Gundy was promoted to EVP, chief customer/talent officer in September 2020, and shortly after named EVP, chief administrative officer, chief customer officer. Prior to Hy-Vee, she served as executive director of the Iowa Business Council, an organization made up of CEOs and top executives from the 23 largest employers in the state.
Before that, she led global strategies for a Fortune 250 company and worked for nearly 10 years in various capacities of the retail industry. Van Gundy also has experience in government relations, finance and economic development.
For more information about Hy-Vee, visit hy-vee.com.
