The Shelby-Griffin Report presents the 21st annual tribute to Women of Influence in the food industry. For 21 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.
2026 Women of Influence
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAbie Rampy
Director of Public Relations, United Supermarkets
Read MoreAbie Rampy is a thoughtful, energetic leader whose work strengthens both The United Family and the communities it serves. In her current role, she guides communication for more than 100 stores, helping people understand what the company is and how it shows up for its neighbors. She leads external and internal messaging, serves as spokesperson and keeps team members connected through the "Spirited Culture" platform she created.
Rampy's influence reaches far beyond press releases. She oversees charitable giving, community partnerships and nonprofit relationships across all 55 United Family communities. She leads a small team focused on storytelling and community impact, ensuring the company's actions match its heart.
Over the past year, Rampy delivered standout accomplishments. She built a new system that strengthens community partnerships across all regions. She reimagined the Holiday Made Easy Expo into a hands‑on, student‑driven event that boosted store traffic and engagement. Rampy's collegiate athletics sponsorship work generated more than one million impressions from a modest investment, and she launched The Press Room to make media access easier and more accurate, contributing to significant coverage.
Outside of work, Rampy serves on university task forces, nonprofit boards and school committees. She co‑founded a major holiday event and helps lead programs that support children, families and hunger relief.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAlexandra Hickey
VP of Natural Strategic Partnerships, C.A. Fortune
Read MoreAlexandra "Alex" Hickey exemplifies the leadership, innovation and industry commitment recognized by the Women of Influence program. With nearly 20 years in the grocery industry, she has consistently delivered results while building strategies that advance her teams, clients and organizations.
Hickey is known for pairing strategic thinking with disciplined execution, translating complex challenges into clear plans that drive growth and lasting business impact. Her leadership balances accountability with empowerment, enabling teams to perform at a high level while continuing to develop professionally.
Hickey's career progression -- from merchandise coordinator to category merchant at Whole Foods Market to leading high-performing sales organizations at C.A. Fortune -- reflects both depth of expertise and intentional growth. Along the way, she has cultivated a rare blend of merchant intuition, consumer insight and commercial rigor. This perspective distinguishes her as both a thought leader and an execution-focused operator who not only anticipates where consumers and categories are heading but helps build the frameworks required to win.
Hickey brings a forward-looking approach to category strategy, retailer engagement and organizational development, ensuring her teams are positioned for success in an increasingly competitive marketplace. She recognizes that sustainable growth requires agility and alignment.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAlyson Woods
Marketing Analyst-Customer Engagement, Save A Lot
Read MoreAlyson Woods oversees the analysis and operational management of Save A Lot's loyalty program across more than 600 stores. Her work influences marketing strategy, promotional effectiveness and customer engagement at scale. While not directly managing a budget, Woods' insights guide investment decisions for loyalty campaigns and digital offers. She collaborates with cross-functional teams -- including marketing, IT and Save A Lot store owners to ensure program accuracy and performance. In addition to strategic analysis, she handles tactical responsibilities, such as configuring offers and troubleshooting store and customer issues, ensuring a seamless experience. Between March 1, 2025-February 2026, Woods helped drive more than 730,000 registrations for Save A Lot Rewards, the company's loyalty program. She also achieved the first month of double-digit percentage of identified transactions for the loyalty program. She coordinated the migration to a new loyalty coupon platform for 600-plus stores, leading to a successful launch. In addition, Woods set up contingency plans in the event there was an issue during migration. Another of her major achievements was testing multiple offer types to ensure all of them were redeemable prior to migration. She also led multiple supplier-paid media conversations as Save A Lot continues to kick off retail media use. She also helped to make herself and the marketing department more efficient by eliminating manual processes.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAmanda Emerson
Chief Innovation Officer, OWS Foods
Read MoreAmanda Emerson has evolved into one of the most effective and thoughtful leaders in the food industry. She has proved herself to be an exemplary executive who possesses the rare ability to marry data-driven strategy with deep, human-centric leadership.
In her current role, Emerson has been the architect of transformative growth. Her whole-picture leadership style was instrumental in scaling Head Country BBQ from a regional powerhouse to a national brand. Beyond the P&L, Emerson's brilliance lies in her ability to identify and maximize each team member's zone of genius. She takes it upon herself to mentor future leaders in our industry, fostering a performance culture rooted in accountability and creative freedom.
Emerson's influence extends far beyond the boardroom. Her career is marked by a deep-seated commitment to civic duty, including her impactful work with Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Burn Camp community. Whether she is serving on the board of the Made in Oklahoma Coalition or spearheading industry safety campaigns, she leads with a hands-on, all-in approach.
Emerson is the definition of a Woman of Influence: a results-oriented visionary who elevates her brands, colleagues, community and every project lucky enough to have her on board.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAmber Hook
Director of Talent Management, United Supermarkets
Read MoreAmber Hook is a compassionate leader whose work touches every corner of The United Family. In her current role, she helps guide the experience of more than 18,000 team members, from hiring and onboarding to performance support and culture‑building. Hook leads a dedicated team, supports managers through challenging situations and ensures team members are treated with fairness and respect. Her role also includes overseeing key systems, engagement programs and store visits that keep her connected to the people she serves.
Hook's influence is felt company‑wide. She partners with leaders at every level, helping shape the environment where team members work, grow and feel supported.
This past year, she played a central role in Project Unity, the transition to ACI systems. She helped prepare data, build training plans and guide store teams through a complicated change, all while keeping daily talent management operations running smoothly. Hook's team achieved a high unemployment claim success rate, negotiated a new four‑year union contract and led major hiring efforts, including bringing nearly 300 new team members onboard for the Rio Rancho Market Street opening. They also refreshed recruiting materials and awarded six educational scholarships.
Outside of work, Hook serves in leadership roles with SHRM, Kairos Prison Ministry, Lubbock Impact and Ronald McDonald House Charities and volunteers through UCrew.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAmy Wadstrom
President, Vivid Clear RX (Hy-Vee subsidiary)
Read MoreAmy Wadstrom is breaking down the complexities of pharmacy benefits one conversation at a time. At Vivid Clear Rx, a pass-through pharmacy benefit manager formed in 2020 by Midwestern grocer Hy-Vee, Wadstrom's mission is to bring greater transparency and cost-savings to employer groups across the nation. A pharmacist by trade who spent much of her career working in Hy-Vee's retail pharmacies, Wadstrom's time these days is spent sharing her expertise with employer groups, brokers and other healthcare professionals to help them better understand the hidden costs that are often associated with more traditional PBMs. Part of that includes advocating on behalf of PBM reform on the local and federal levels to bring greater accountability and clarity to the industry. Wadstrom and her team have focused their efforts around creating a seamless experience for employers and their members, from onboarding and beyond, to ensure patients have the best possible health outcomes. Leaning into her Hy-Vee roots, Wadstrom has built a strong culture of service that's powered by Vivid Clear Rx's 24/7 call center. This team includes trained pharmacy professionals whose role is to help members and employers navigate their pharmacy benefits. Each employee is trained and empowered to solve problems quickly and effectively. It's this guiding principle that's earned Vivid Clear Rx one of the highest customer service ratings in the industry.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAngel Anderson
National Wholesale Sales Director, Save A Lot
Read MoreAngel Anderson rejoined Save A Lot in October 2024 and quickly demonstrated why alternate sales is one of the company's most durable growth engines. Rather than chasing volume for its own sake, Anderson focused on building a model that scales responsibly, improves margin quality and extends access to affordable food beyond the traditional store network. In 2025, alternate sales generated $44.8 million in sales, with margin dollars increasing by about 10 percent year over year. Delivering value to customers while improving margin discipline in a persistent inflationary environment requires careful judgment and execution. These results were reviewed and validated through enterprise leadership assessments, reinforcing confidence in alternate sales as a sustainable platform. A key driver of performance has been Anderson's ability to accelerate opportunity capture through decisive sourcing. When customer needs could not be met through existing pipelines, she leveraged a global network of supplier relationships to source product, shortening timelines and converting opportunity into revenue faster than traditional processes would allow. Anderson also strengthened the economics of the channel by reshaping how volume flows through the network. Nearly 300 full truckloads moved via direct and cross-dock routes, representing about 30 percent of total volume.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAngela Ables
Store Director, Brookshire Grocery Co.
Read MoreAngela Ables leads with integrity, resilience and an unwavering commitment to excellence. She sets high expectations for herself and her team, driven by a genuine desire to deliver the very best for her store, employee-partners and customers. She does not compromise standards; she elevates them.
A proven, results-driven leader, Ables consistently delivers exceptional performance. Her store's two-year stacked sales increase is three times the company average and current-year sales are trending 2.7 percent above the banner average. She achieves these results through disciplined execution, strong team engagement and a relentless focus on operational excellence. Ables models the company's core values daily, setting the tone for accountability, ownership and high performance.
Her resilience is equally defining. Following a car accident, she demonstrated extraordinary determination. Throughout her recovery, she remained focused on her team, returning in time to support her store during the Fourth of July holiday. That commitment reflects not only her resilience but her servant leadership mindset.
Beyond store operations, Ables invests in her community, volunteering at Comanche Rehab, supporting National Night Out and contributing to an annual chili supper for local hunters. She does more than manage a store; she exemplifies courageous leadership, operational excellence and an unwavering commitment to winning a customer's business the right way.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAnna Cook
Buyers Administrative Assistant, Merchants Distributors (MDI)
Read MoreAnna Cook represents the type of service-focused leadership that strengthens relationships across the independent grocery community. Through her work at Merchants Distributors (MDI), she consistently demonstrates a commitment to putting customers at the center of every decision and interaction.
Cook approaches her role with a strong service mindset, focused on practical solutions that support both internal partners and the independent retailers MDI serves. She has built trusted relationships with key customers and her ability to anticipate needs and respond quickly helps reinforce strong partnerships with retailers.
Cook also plays an active role in identifying and resolving issues that affect operational efficiency and company profitability. She approaches challenges with a sense of ownership and collaborates with teams across departments and external partners to ensure the best outcome for both customers and the business.
Through her service-driven approach, collaborative spirit and dedication to the values that guide the organization, Cook continues to make an impact on her team and the retailers MDI serves.
-
2026 Women of InfluenceAnna Stoermer
Executive FP, Chief Merchandising and Retail Officer, Hy-Vee
Read MoreKnowing where customers are today and where they're heading next is Anna Stoermer's top priority. As one of the first female executives in company history to start her career in a store and work through the retail ranks, Stoermer brings a high level of retail expertise to her current role. Over the past 18 months, she has helped bring a renewed focus to service, pricing and quality at Hy-Vee. This included introducing a "New Lower Prices" campaign that lowered prices on more than 15,000 items to match the nation's largest discount retailers. As a result, this led to increases in basket size, customer count, units and sales, as well as a spot on Forbes' national list of Best Brands for Value. It also included a shift in Hy-Vee's production, moving fresh-made items back to stores to ensure the freshest and highest-quality product for customers. Most recently, Hy-Vee launched a new brand campaign that centers around its 95-year-old commitment to delivering helpful service. To coincide with this, Stoermer and her team rolled out new employee training to ensure every customer receives the best experience. Under Stoermer's leadership, the grocer has continued to advance its private brand and specialty food offerings and has continued to make further investments in e-commerce to meet the evolving needs of its customers.
Celebrating the Women of Influence in the food industry for 21 years!
Presented by The Shelby-Griffin Report
Share your favorite nominee!
#WOI2026 #WomenInFood
Stay updated on future WOI events!
Subscribe