2025 Women of Influence

The Shelby-Griffin Report presents the 20th annual tribute to Women of Influence in the food industry. For 20 years, we’ve honored the outstanding women shaping the food industry—from executives and innovators to mentors and community leaders. This year’s nominees represent a diverse range of roles, backgrounds, and regions, each making a profound impact in their careers and beyond.

Explore their stories below, and join us in celebrating their achievements.

2025 Women of Influence

2025 Women of Influence

Claudia Keyes

SVP, Operational Excellence – Acosta Sales Agency, Acosta Group

Claudia Keyes leads a team that drives the success of the internal sales organization. Her team supports more than 3,000 associates who care for more than 1,500 CPG clients and 1,000 retailers. Claudia ensures seamless processes, streamlined workflows and accurate data through advanced tools, comprehensive reports, KPIs and insightful dashboards. By collaborating cross-functionally, she leads transformational change for profitable and sustainable growth. Claudia equips sales associates and leaders with the tools they need to achieve operational excellence. Claudia implemented an enhanced client termination process via Salesforce, significantly improving adoption, execution and accuracy. She developed and delivered monthly client win/loss reports and trend analyses, providing valuable insights into why lost revenue was being redirected to other agencies. In addition, Claudia produced cost-out monthly reports using Salesforce data to capture business actions necessary for resource adjustments in partnership with sales leadership. This proactive approach ensured quarterly management of salary to revenue percentages and expenses, optimizing financial performance for the Acosta Sales Agency.

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2025 Women of Influence

Claudia Lopez

Category Buyer, Vallarta Supermarkets

Claudia Lopez has served in her current at Vallarta Supermarkets for several years with strong results. Claudia is a woman of integrity – fair, honest and committed to her vendors. She always is striving to build long-term relationships based on trust, respect and transparency. In an industry largely dominated by men, she stands out as the only female buyer at the company, and her leadership is admirable. Her performance speaks for itself, but it's her ethics, professionalism and genuine character that set her apart. She is a role model and powerful example of what women can achieve in the grocery business.

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2025 Women of Influence

Claudia Luetkemeyer

Executive Operations Strategist, PFSbrands

Claudia Luetkemeyer is a dynamic leader in the food industry, driving operational excellence and strategic growth at PFSbrands. She has played a key role in expanding the company's reach, including its acquisition of Moser's Foods, which marked a major step into the grocery sector. Her vision ensured a seamless transition while preserving the store's unique identity and strengthening community ties. Claudia is a champion of innovation and open-book management, fostering a culture where employees are empowered to contribute to the company's success. Her leadership has been instrumental in enhancing efficiencies, improving customer experiences and reinforcing PFSbrands' reputation for excellence. She is deeply invested in mentoring and developing talent, creating opportunities for employees to grow within the organization. Beyond her corporate role, Claudia is actively engaged in industry initiatives and community partnerships. She works to strengthen local economies and build sustainable business practices. Her ability to balance strategic vision with a people-first approach makes her a standout leader in the industry. With her dedication to operational success, employee empowerment and community impact, Claudia exemplifies what it means to be a Woman of Influence in the food industry.

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2025 Women of Influence

Courtney Hopcraft

Manager of Community Relations and Charitable Giving, The Giant Co.

Courtney Hopcraft is responsible for developing and implementing The Giant Co.'s community impact strategy. Her team creates plans for team member and customer giving campaigns and provides community impact guidance to team members.
Courtney regularly partners with stores, manufacturers and category, communications and marketing teams to increase the visibility of programs and tell a meaningful story.  She is responsible for overseeing The Giant Co.'s six-figure charitable giving budget.
Some of the events that Courtney and her team were responsible for executing in 2024 included a donation of $315,000 to nonprofits focused on eliminating hunger for Hunger Action Month and a donation of 15,000 turkeys and 3,000 hams to nonprofits for holiday meals.
Courtney also took on the oversight of and revised the funds policies for the company's Take Care Fund, which provides financial assistance to team members who are faced with a personal tragedy or sudden financial hardship. In addition to company contributions, the fund is financed primarily by contributions from team members. 
Courtney leads a human resources team focused on the company's initiative of employee value proposition, tasked with reviewing current practices, researching competitors and identifying best practices to develop a refreshed employee value proposition for The Giant Co.

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2025 Women of Influence

Courtney Piper

VP, Sales, Club, Natural, Frozen – Meals and Beverages, The Campbell's Company

Courtney Piper leads Campbell's Meals and Beverages business, which spans Costco U.S. and International, BJ's and natural customers such as Whole Foods, as well as Rao's and Michael Angelo's frozen portfolios throughout the U.S. Her leadership extends across retail segments, driving strategic growth initiatives, optimizing pack architecture for new channels and enhancing execution in high-impact categories.
Her expertise in strategic and tactical planning, account management and new business development continues to prove invaluable. She is a results-driven leader with a proven track record managing top customers – including Costco and ADUSA – to drive top-line and bottom-line growth. Her strengths in financial and category analytics, forecasting and customer engagement have positioned her as a key driver of business success.
Courtney is a team builder and people leader, fostering collaboration across a team of sales and marketing professionals. In addition to driving sales within club and natural, her team is responsible for the commercialization of products unique to these channels.
She serves as a mentor within Campbell's Women's Inclusion Network, helping mentees develop their professional skills and advance their careers.
She's the vice president of her children's Home and School Association and is a team parent for their basketball and flag football teams. She volunteers with her children at a local family crisis center and coordinates holiday family adoptions.

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2025 Women of Influence

Crystal Singleton

Store Manager, The Giant Co.

Crystal Singleton's goal is to build a culture that delivers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for customers by developing and inspiring a high-performing team. Since joining the company 15 years ago, she has held roles of increasing responsibility, leading up to her role managing the Union Deposit Giant in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Learning multiple key roles throughout the stores has given Crystal an understanding of how a store works. And she says that's what she has loved most about being store manager since her promotion in 2023. She is committed to helping her team members achieve their own successes, because she can relate to what they are doing.
Crystal's store recently completed a major remodel. Throughout the renovation and afterward, she and her team focused on driving performance to meet the needs of the modern consumer. This has resulted in strong sales results, doubling year-over-year performance from the start of the remodel.
Introducing the company's global flavors concept in-store has delivered consumer-focused products. Crystal and her team also have driven the store's e-commerce platform, with 40 percent growth year over year in grocery pick-up. Associate engagement survey scores also finished strong, with an eight-point increase from the prior year.

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2025 Women of Influence

Danna Robinson

Director of Corporate Affairs and Customer Relations, Harris Teeter

Danna Robinson is a transformative leader, making a profound impact within the organization and in the broader community. Danna not only excels in her role but has also become a vital force for positive change. Danna's charismatic and strategic storytelling strengthens Harris Teeter's connection to its valued associates, neighbors and stakeholders – driving engagement and fostering trust. Danna's dedication to sustainability, philanthropy and social responsibility shine through initiatives such as a recently launched food rescue program that diverted 40 million-plus pounds of food from landfills and generated six million donated meals in its first year. Danna also oversees stewardship of more than $20 million in community investments every year - significantly enriching the lives of countless individuals and organizations. Serving as co-chair of Harris Teeter's Women's Empowerment Group since 2021, Danna is passionate about empowering and advancing women. Her vulnerability, resilience and infectious positivity create an inclusive environment, empowering others to excel. Beyond her professional achievements, Danna is vice chair of the board of directors for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and serves as sponsorship chair of the Executive Leadership Council for American Cancer Society's Taste of Hope Charlotte. Danna is a remarkable mother of three, a mentor and an inspiring people developer.

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2025 Women of Influence

Deb Walker

Supervisor, Imperial Distributors

Deb Walker is a great leader in at Imperial. She goes above and beyond to help her team succeed by working with them individually on a weekly basis.
Deb also volunteers in her community. Always willing to help anyone in need, she will go out of her way to make sure everyone is taken care of.

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2025 Women of Influence

Debbie Malone

Store Manager, W. Lee Flowers

Debbie Malone is an exceptional leader and a dedicated, seasoned store manager. Her store is a cohesive unit, fostering an environment where excellence is the standard. She earned her team's respect and strives to achieve best-in-class conditions while delivering outstanding results. She brings great financial acumen while creating a clean and inviting experience for guests. Her store is well-merchandised for every season and she and her team create their own holidays and events to raise hunger awareness and make the store a fun place to experience. Debbie was recently named Store Manager of the Year for IGA 2023. She earned this recognition based on her sales-driving initiatives, team-building efforts and community events. Debbie is a hands-on manager, providing feedback and working together to achieve desired results with her team. Whether deciding what's for lunch in the hot bar or creating eye-catching displays, Debbie's involvement is invaluable. She is a mentor for other store managers, using her business savvy to train others in the business. She assists with weekly conference calls, discussing fresh department results and financial expenditures. She also mentors many future leaders, providing training support across the district. Debbie maintains great work-life balance and her greatest joy is spending time with her grandbabies.

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2025 Women of Influence

Denise Schnorrenberger

Director, Demand Generation, Upshop

Denise Schnorrenberger exemplifies transformative leadership in food retail technology marketing through strategic vision and a customer-centric approach. She oversees marketing campaigns across digital channels, ensuring value while driving qualified leads and customer engagement. Denise's impact is clear in her role during the Upshop and Invafresh merger, where she integrated lead generation teams, processes and automation tools into a cohesive unit. This earned her the 2025 One Upshop Award. Her leadership introduced industry-first digital tours in the grocery sector, revolutionizing how solutions are showcased to clients. She also launched a website aligned with enhanced brand guidelines, strengthening market positioning and customer connections. Denise's expertise in account-based marketing has transformed engagement with high-value prospects. By implementing lead scoring methodologies, she prioritizes opportunities and drives pipeline growth. Through data-driven reporting and optimization, she maximizes ROI while deepening relationships with key accounts. Outside of work, Denise has volunteered in the marketing industry since 2009. Her role as VP of public relations at Toastmasters demonstrated her ability to enhance visibility and drive membership growth, reflecting her commitment to excellence in professional and community settings.

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