CINCINNATI, OH - There’s a promotion party happening over at two of Kroger’s divisions, as one of the company's celebrated leaders and a retail industry veteran step up and take on new roles. This week, Kroger announced that Dana Zurcher, the current Dallas Division President, has been named President of the Columbus Division. In her place, Tom Schwilke will succeed her as the Dallas Division President.

Zurcher will step into her new role beginning today, May 1, 2019. She succeeds Dan De La Rosa, who recently took on a new role as President of the King Soopers Division. As the President of the Columbus Division, Zurcher will oversee 118 stores and more than 21,000 associates located throughout Central and Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan, and the Ohio River Valley.

Zurcher has been with Kroger since 1985 when she first joined the retailer’s store management team in Indianapolis. She then served in a number of roles in the Central Division, including store and district management and merchandising. In 2002, she became District Manager of the Fry’s Division and moved to Phoenix. In 2008, she was again promoted, taking on the role of Director of Operations for the Ralphs Division. In 2011, she once again rose through the ranks and was promoted to Vice President of Operations for the Mid-South Division before being named to the same role in 2013 for the Southwest Division. In 2015, when the Southwest Division was divided into Dallas and Houston, Zurcher became the first President of the Dallas Division.

"Dana has a long history of success throughout the Kroger Family of Companies, and we know she'll continue to serve our customers exceptionally well as the leader of our Columbus Division," said Mike Donnelly, Kroger's Executive Vice President and COO. "Her diverse operations and merchandising background will help us deliver our vision to serve America through food inspiration and uplift."

In addition to her many promotions, Zurcher also is the executive leader of Kroger’s Women’s EDGE associate resource group, which focuses on improving leadership opportunities for Kroger associates, according to a press release. She also serves on the boards of the Western Association of Food Chains and the North Texas Food Bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Ball State University.

Schwilke will also step into his new role as President of the Dallas Division on May 1, 2019. He comes to Kroger with over 35 years of merchandising and retail leadership experience, with stints at Safeway, Tom Thumb, and Randalls. In his new role, Schwilke will oversee 110 stores across the Dallas/Fort Worth, northwest Louisiana, and East Texas areas.

"We are pleased to welcome Tom to Kroger," continued Donnelly. "He is well respected throughout the retail industry, and we look forward to his proven leadership driving continued growth in our Dallas Division."

Most recently, Schwilke served as President and General Manager of the NorCal Division of Safeway, a position in which he oversaw 238 stores and 35,000 associates. Prior to that, he held a number of national leadership positions with Safeway, including President and General Manager of Perishables, Group Vice President of Produce and Floral, and President and General Manager of the Texas Division, where he was responsible for overall operations of 111 Tom Thumb and Randalls stores in Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Schwilke holds a bachelor's in Business Administration from Washington State University. In his new role with Kroger, Schwilke returns to the Lone Star State.

Congratulations to Dana Zurcher and Tom Schwilke on their new roles! For more produce promotions happening in and around our industry, keep following AndNowUKnow.

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