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
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2026 Women of InfluenceTamara Rose
Store Manager, Save A Lot
Read MoreTamara Rose is a seasoned and respected manager whose leadership has made the Palm River Road Save A Lot one of the strongest-performing and most community-focused stores in the Tampa, Florida, market.
Over her tenure, Rose has demonstrated an exceptional ability to understand and respond to the diverse cultural needs of her customers, tailoring merchandising and product assortments to ensure that essential items for multiple backgrounds are consistently in stock. Her thoughtful approach has strengthened customer loyalty and positioned the store as a trusted neighborhood resource.
Tamara's commitment to community impact is equally powerful. She partners with local food pantries and community organizations to reduce food insecurity, expanding access to nutritious staples for underserved families. These efforts not only support the wellbeing of the community but also reinforce Save A Lot's reputation as a mission-driven, community-focused retailer.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTammy Duff
Bakery Director, Rosauers Supermarkets
Read MoreWith over 25 years of bakery experience, Tammy Duff has worked hard to ensure that both customers and stores receive the best bakery experience offered. As a scratch bakery, she makes sure that Rosauers stays ahead of the competition and is always on trend in its markets.
Duff's insights and execution have driven results, including the rollout of new programs in remodel and new store projects, as well as updated packaging and go-to-market strategies to help increase sales. Her implementation of the "Fresh First" program has continued to show bakery increases week over week and has continually increased the bakery presence in the store, as well as driving sales and margin.
Duff is a reliable and consistent go-to subject matter expert and she fosters a collaborative and positive work environment -- ensuring that all stake holders are informed. Her work ethic, positive attitude and communication make her a valuable member of the team.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTammy Durnan
President and Chief Retail Officer, Midwest Heritage (Hy-Vee subsidiary)
Read MoreIn 2025, Tammy Durnan became the first woman to serve as president of Midwest Heritage, a full-service financial institution owned by Hy-Vee, with more than $480 million in assets. Founded 95 years ago, Midwest Heritage was acquired by Hy-Vee in 1986. Today, it operates nine bank branches across the Midwest, including five within Hy-Vee stores. Midwest Heritage's retail integration provides a "one-stop shop" experience for customers, offering extended hours and a full suite of banking, mortgage, insurance and wealth management services. In her current role, Durnan is focused on driving growth across the organization while preserving Midwest Heritage's industry-leading service model. Under her leadership, Midwest Heritage has implemented a new, state-of-the-art customer relationship management platform and upgraded its loan origination systems. The organization also introduced a refreshed logo design and received its first national recognition from Newsweek, being named one of the top financial advisory firms in the nation. Most recently, Durnan has played a pivotal role in Midwest Heritage's plans to acquire Iowa Savings Bank, a community bank headquartered in Carroll, Iowa, with more than $300 million in assets. The acquisition will add a trust division to Midwest Heritage's portfolio of services, including fiduciary, estate planning, farm management and trust administrative services.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTara McDermott
Accounting Director-Assistant Controller, Save A Lot
Read MoreTara McDermott was brought into Save A Lot to help clean up and stabilize the accounting function. To do this, she had to assess the needs and capabilities of the accounting staff, as well as her operational business partners. McDermott identified several areas for improvement, including a supplier rebate program, which been managed in a suboptimal way. She identified specific improvement areas and then coordinated with the accounting and merchandise operations teams and Save A Lot's suppliers to quickly implement process and policy enhancements. These have driven efficiency and effectiveness, as well as improved satisfaction, on the parts of the merchandising and supplier teams. McDermott also was the principal lead on Save A Lot's ERP consolidation project. She managed resources and deliverables across multiple functions, including accounting, financial planning, IT, shared services, retail operations and treasury, to ensure an effective on-time cutover from the legacy ERP platform. The impact of this project was significant, as it facilitated an effective consolidation of two accounting teams, allowed for the implementation of consistent accounting policies across the enterprise, Improved the consistency of reporting to internal and external parties, address audit considerations and supported entries treasury management. The consolidation of ERP platforms was a game-changer for accounting and the business at large.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTaylor Berry
Director of Packing and Food Safety, Titan Farms
Read MoreTaylor Berry leads Titan Farms' packhouse operations with exceptional skill and dedication. She oversees a team of about 200 packhouse employees, as well as the maintenance, shipping, food safety and sustainability teams.
Berry holds numerous professional certifications, including HACCP, Produce Safety Rule Training and SQF Practitioner. A graduate of the United Fresh Produce Safety Immersion Program, she also has completed extensive food safety and crisis management training and is an alumna of Leadership South Carolina.
Over her eight years with Titan Farms, Berry has consistently demonstrated deep expertise and a strong commitment to advancing food safety and sustainability. Most recently, she played a pivotal role in developing and releasing Titan's first sustainability report, an important milestone for the organization.
Berry's passion for people truly sets her apart. She leads with enthusiasm, compassion and a genuine commitment to supporting her team. Her ability to empower others and foster a high‑performing, positive environment is evident to everyone who works with her.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTaylor Escamilla
Division Floral Specialist, King Soopers/City Market
Read MoreTaylor Escamilla plays a meaningful role in driving and elevating her team. She leads with optimism and high energy, pairing a driven mindset with a genuine commitment to supporting and elevating those around her.
Escamilla is a courageous and curious leader. Recognized by her organization as a high-potential leader, she was selected to attend the Food Industry Management program at the University of Southern California, an investment in her continued growth and future leadership impact.
Escamilla is committed to developing others and expanding her influence as a leader in the evolving food industry.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTeresa Jimenez
Sr. Director of Gonzalez Family Office of Development and Administration, Northgate González Markets
Read MoreTeresa Jimenez assists the EVP of the family office in developing and implementing programs and policies that will help the Gonzalez family group of entities meet its goal of becoming a 100-year company.
Jimenez has been part of the Northgate Market family for more than 30 years and is recognized as one of the company's success stories. She began her career as a cashier and has since held several roles across the organization, including positions in human resources, safety and risk management and operations project management. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with cross-functional teams on initiatives that have helped support operational improvements and organizational growth.
Reflecting on her career, Jimenez says she is most proud of her 30 years with Northgate Market and the opportunity to witness the company's tremendous growth. What inspires her most are the company's strong values of faith, education and wellness. She says those values create an environment that encourages associates to bring their best selves every day.
Jimenez has an MBA and a master's degree in human resources from Pepperdine University, along with several professional certifications. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, photography and exploring new places.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTeri‑Anne Colurciello
Senior Director, Business Intelligence, C.A. Ferolie
Read MoreTeri-Anne Colurciello is a visionary data and technology leader whose impact is felt across every division of C.A. Ferolie. As the architect of the company's modern analytics ecosystem, she oversees all internal reporting systems, syndicated data sources and digital infrastructure that support strategic decision‑making.
Colurciello's enterprise SharePoint reporting platform transformed how the organization accesses and applies information, creating a unified hub that brings structure, transparency and speed to processes that once required extensive manual effort. She also engineered a fully automated, retailer‑customizable inventory‑tracking model that replaces weeks of spreadsheet work with immediate, actionable intelligence, enabling teams to move faster and with greater accuracy.
Colurciello stands out not only for her technical depth but for her collaborative leadership. She excels at simplifying complex problems, partnering closely with cross‑functional teams and elevating organizational analytical maturity through education, clarity and thoughtful communication. Her influence extends beyond business intelligence; she is a trusted advisor, problem‑solver and steady force behind the company's culture of continuous improvement.
After years of designing the tools and processes that are now foundational to everyday decision‑making across the organization, 2026 is the ideal time to recognize her enduring leadership, strategic mindset and transformative contributions.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTina Kubala
Senior VP, Acosta Group
Read MoreTina Kubala delivered a transformative impact over the past year, strengthening client partnerships, accelerating financial performance and elevating the culture and capabilities of the grocery and military divisions. She exceeded all major client KPIs, surpassing sales objectives by more than $50 million and capturing 100 percent of available bonus incentives.
Through insight-led joint business plans, Kubala drove sustainable category share growth and ensured precise execution at key retail moments. A defining achievement was protecting and expanding the P&G partnership.
She launched four new customer teams, representing more than $200 million in annual sales and hired and onboarded incremental associates without disruption. She also negotiated a margin-accretive contract structure that doubled Acosta's bonus opportunity, strengthening the financial model.
In the military channel, her team earned the Coke Main Street Cup Award for superior execution and consistent KPI delivery. Retailers under her leadership outperformed national benchmarks and categories gained share due to disciplined execution and a strong focus on in-store excellence.
Kubala also advanced culture and talent by fostering an inclusive, transparent environment, encouraging healthy debate and embedding a talent-obsessed mindset. She elevated team members with deeper industry expertise during transitions, improving client satisfaction and organizational capability.
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2026 Women of InfluenceTish Mills
Senior HR Business Partner, Harris Teeter
Read MoreTish Mills is a proven, high-impact HR leader who elevates people, performance and culture across Harris Teeter's Northern Region, supporting 77-plus locations across Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.
She serves 9,000 associates and leads seven direct reports, providing strategic, hands-on partnership to district managers, regional VPs, operations, legal and HR teams. She aligns staffing, training, succession planning and performance management with business needs while strengthening compliance, consistency and risk mitigation.
With strong field presence and sound judgment, Mills resolves complex associate relations issues with empathy and fairness, fosters inclusion and engagement and supports successful leadership transitions.
Her results are measurable. She co-led the annual associate opinion survey rollout, achieving 80 percent participation and an 82 percent engagement score, up 1 percent year over year. She helped launch a comprehensive HR analytics report enabling leaders to improve compliance and morale drivers, including youth permits, I-9s, inordinate hours, turnover, missed lunches and unemployment.
Under Mills leadership, fiscal year 2025 Northern Region turnover reached a four-year low of 52.16 percent. She also played a key role in restructuring efforts that streamlined support for associates and store leaders while advancing the company's Employer of Choice strategy.
Beyond work, Mills raised more than $3,000 for St. Jude and supports the American Heart Association and UVA Breast Cancer Center.
Celebrating the Women of Influence in the food industry for 21 years!
Presented by The Shelby-Griffin Report
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