Caleres appoints vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion

By

Robin Driver

Published
Oct 17, 2020

Caleres, the parent company of Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman and Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, announced on Thursday that it has named Amy Hunter as its new vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, effective October 21.

 
In her new role, Hunter will drive the development and implementation of the St. Louis, Missouri-based footwear company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, a responsibility that will include overseeing the group’s affirmative action plans.
 
Furthermore, she will guide Caleres in its efforts to focus on the recruitment of diverse candidates, while also leading the assessment of the company’s current programs, partnerships and activities so as to identify opportunities in community support.

With a career spread over more than 25 years, Hunter most recently led global diversity and inclusion at Boeing Defense and Space. During her time at the company, she created racial equity tools and resources for the organization, managed its business resource groups, helped develop and implement diversity strategies in collaboration with the executive team and headed up international women’s initiatives.
 
Prior to joining Boeing, Hunter served as the manager of diversity and inclusion at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, a position in which she supported the “Forward Through Ferguson” initiatives and played a vital role in addressing healthcare disparities in the region.
 
The manager’s previous professional experience also includes stints at the YWCA Metro St. Louis, Edward Jones, Monsanto and Bank of America.
 
Hunter holds a BA from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and is currently taking part in their School of Education doctoral program focusing on social justice. She currently serves on the board of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, just one of the many organizations that she collaborates with as an active diversity leader.
 
“Earlier this year we made a commitment to our Associates, partners and customers around several initiatives to recharge our DE&I efforts. This included refining our diversity statement to use as a guide in everything we do,” explained Caleres CEO, president and chairman Diane Sullivan in a release.
 
“We were fortunate to find Amy and her extensive experience, tremendous expertise and proven track record of success will be essential as we move forward with our efforts,” she added.
 
Like many of its peers, Caleres has been feeling the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the second quarter ended August 1, 2020, the company’s net sales totaled $501.4 million, down 33.4% from the same period in the previous year. The footwear group’s quarterly net loss was $30.7 million, or $0.83 per diluted share.