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 InfluenceKristin Alas
Category Manager, Gelson's Markets
Read MoreKristin Alas plays an integral role in shaping Gelson's product mix, guiding assortment decisions, vendor strategy and category performance across her areas of responsibility.
She brings a thoughtful blend of analytics and intuition to her work, ensuring that what lands on shelf resonates with customers while supporting the company's broader merchandising goals.
Alas partners closely with internal teams to introduce new items, refine category strategies and execute initiatives that enhance the in-store experience. Outside of her core responsibilities, she is engaged in industry events and vendor collaborations, building relationships that strengthen both innovation and execution.
Alas also is a strong advocate for Gelson's partnership with Olive Crest, supporting efforts that align business initiatives with community impact. Her ability to connect strategy, relationships and purpose makes her a steady and influential contributor to Gelson's continued growth.
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2026 Women of InfluenceKristyn Lawson
President, Preferred Sales & Marketing
Read MoreKristyn Lawson is an amazing leader in the food industry and her company is happy to nominate her.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLaura Castro
Distribution Center Safety and Compliance Manager, Northgate González Markets
Read MoreLaura Castro oversees safety and regulatory compliance, as well as the inventory control, sustainability and warehouse building maintenance departments. In this role, she helps ensure that operations at the distribution center run safely, efficiently and in alignment with company standards.
Castro's journey with Northgate Market began in 1999 at Store No. 2, where she started as a box clerk. Over the years, she grew within the company, holding roles as a cashier, front-end manager, accounting assistant and human resources clerk. She later joined the distribution center, working alongside Don Miguel González in the produce department before being promoted to human resources manager for the DC.
Castro credits the positive work environment and the respect shown to associates across the company as what motivates her most. She believes strongly in servant leadership and treating others with dignity.
Grateful for the opportunities Northgate Market has provided, Castro says it has been a blessing to grow her career with the company. She is proud to be part of the DC team and excited to contribute to the company's continued growth.
Family is also an important part of Castro's career. Her father, husband, oldest son, two sisters and two nieces are all members of the Northgate Market family.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLeAnne Romesburg
Human Resources Director, Ralphs
Read MoreWith nearly three decades of human resources experience, LeAnne Romesburg's focus is to strengthen the grocery workforce and develop leaders. For the past five years, she has served as human resources leader for Ralphs and Food 4 Less, supporting business performance and an engaged workplace culture.
Romesburg creates opportunities for associate success, including the launch of two Associate Resource Groups. EDGE ARG provides networking and professional development opportunities for female leaders. The Multicultural ARG ensures associates from diverse backgrounds have a voice and advancement opportunities.
Romesburg has implemented initiatives that reduced employee turnover while maintaining strong engagement. She empowers HR leaders to resolve issues at the store level, an approach that built trust and communication between associates and leadership.
Another key initiative was partnering to launch the English at Work program, which demonstrated the value of providing language-learning opportunities to associates whose first language is not English.
Romesburg's leadership extends into the community, where she has served on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank, Olive Crest and Orangewood Foundation.
Through a commitment to people, community and operational excellence, Romesburg demonstrates how strong leadership can positively shape the organization and the communities it serves.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLindsay Capozziello
Senior Director of Health and Wellness, Harris Teeter
Read MoreLindsay Capozziello's influence, vision and dedication make her a standout in the grocery and health industry. In her current, she leads a team driving a critical part of Harris Teeter's grocery and retail business.
She consistently pushes for pharmacy growth, improves processes for internal associates and customers and ensures a seamless experience in accessing medicine and healthcare.
Capozziello pivots quickly to changing guidelines and adapts strategies to meet evolving customer needs, demonstrating agility and innovation.
Her combination of pharmacy expertise, operational leadership and business insight enables her to develop her team, enhance performance and improve customer outcomes across the organization and the industry.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLindsey Baron
Senior Account Executive, Bay Food Brokerage
Read MoreLindsey Baron joined Bay Food Brokerage in March 2020 as an account executive. Last year, she advanced to her current role, a promotion earned through measurable impact and exceptional client service.
With more than a decade of experience in food sales and prior distribution experience, she brings deep industry knowledge and strategic insight to her work.
Focused on Publix, Baron consistently drives new account acquisition, expands brand presence and strengthens manufacturer-retailer partnerships. Her efforts have contributed to nearly 16 percent of Bay Food Brokerage's sales growth since she joined, underscoring her ability to translate strategy into tangible results.
Clients regularly praise her responsiveness, attention to detail and proactive communication, noting that she operates as a true extension of their team.
Beyond performance metrics, Baron is a respected mentor within Bay Food, guiding newer team members to elevate the organization. She leads by example, fostering collaboration and professional growth.
Lindsey Baron's influence also extends into the community. She volunteers with Feeding Tampa Bay, Metropolitan Ministries and A Kid's Place through company initiatives, supports a local dog shelter and is a member of the Specialty Food Association and the Publix GMR Florida Chapter.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLisa Ali
Senior Merchandiser, Gelson's Markets
Read MoreLisa Ali brings exceptional expertise and passion to her role, where she oversees merchandising strategy, product innovation and training across all store locations.
A nationally recognized cheese expert, she is among fewer than 100 Certified Cheese sensory evaluators in the United States and one of fewer than 50 IDDBA Certified Salumieres nationwide. These credentials reflect her deep knowledge of specialty foods.
Ali has been instrumental in elevating Gelson's specialty cheese and charcuterie programs through innovative product selections, strategic vendor partnerships and engaging customer education events. She also mentors and trains cheese mongers across the organization, helping store teams build expertise that enhances the customer experience and drives sales.
Through her leadership, industry involvement and dedication to education, Ali continues to strengthen Gelson's reputation as a premier destination for specialty cheese and gourmet foods.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLisa Lam
Retail and Data Systems Specialist, Schraad Sales & Marketing
Read MoreLisa Lam's influence comes from her ability to solve complex operational challenges while enabling others across the organization to succeed. In her current role, she designs and maintains the retail execution infrastructure that connects field activity to measurable business outcomes. Lam's work ensures field teams focus on the right stores, leadership has reliable data for decision-making and execution strategies translate into results.
In just a few years in the industry, she has demonstrated exceptional results-oriented performance. Lam led the rebuild of the company's retail execution "Route List" infrastructure, standardizing how more than 5,800 stores connect to 95 territories and multiple customer and distributor networks. This transformation reduced manual data reconciliation by about 96 percent, saving teams an estimated 15 -- 20 hours each week while improving store coverage visibility from about 60 percent to more than 85 percent.
Lam's leadership is grounded in collaboration, mentorship and clarity. She partners with sales, retail operations and analytics teams to ensure systems reflect how people work in the field. She also maintains internal documentation and mentors peers and new hires, helping preserve institutional knowledge and build solutions that strengthen the organization over time.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLisa Tiblow
Store Director, Brookshire Grocery Co.
Read MoreLisa Tiblow leads with passion, purpose and an unwavering commitment to her employee-partners, community and business. She began her career as a deli clerk a decade ago and advanced through multiple leadership roles by consistently demonstrating excellence, resilience and a servant-leader mindset.
Tiblow delivers measurable results. In her first year in her current role, she increased average weekly sales by 3.8 percent while reducing labor costs and shrink -- demonstrating her ability to balance growth with operational discipline. She sets clear expectations, builds strong teams and leads by example daily.
Tiblow's impact is most evident in the culture she has created. Under her leadership, her store achieved the highest improvement in partner turnover companywide and recorded the lowest overall turnover rate last year. She fosters accountability and creates an environment where partners feel supported, valued and empowered.
Tiblow's commitment extends beyond her store through involvement with Habitat for Humanity, local schools, Junior Achievement and other community initiatives, reflecting her belief that strong businesses build strong communities. Customer feedback consistently reflects the service culture Tiblow champions -- one rooted in care, urgency and genuine connection.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLiz Bleakley
Global Head of Public Relations and Communications, St Pierre Bakery
Read MoreLiz Bleakley joined St Pierre Groupe in 2020. Her influence spans the entire organization in markets including the UK, Ireland, UAE, Spain and the United States, where she shapes brand reputation, corporate narrative and stakeholder engagement.
Bleakley leads global PR strategy while managing agency partners, budgets and trade advertising across the UK and U.S. She develops communications that resonate with trade, consumer and B2B audiences, supporting brand perception and commercial performance.
In 2025, Bleakley delivered several high-impact projects that elevated brand visibility. She led the U.S. PR launch of the "Eat Avec Respect" platform, creating a news-led strategy built on original research into American perceptions of French culture. A filmed stunt in Venice Beach brought the story to life, generating 70 pieces of coverage across major outlets including the New York Post, Yahoo and The Sun U.S., while also providing valuable content for social channels and customer presentations.
Bleakley also played a key role in the brand's largest-ever activation at IDDBA 2025, securing 15 pieces of trade coverage with major U.S. publications, further cementing the brand's leadership within the category. Through creative thinking, strategic insight and strong leadership, she consistently delivers communications that strengthen reputation and drive commercial impact.
Celebrating the Women of Influence in the food industry for 21 years!
Presented by The Shelby-Griffin Report
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