University Park, Pa. -- The Penn State Smeal College of Business will welcome alumnus Jon Grosso, executive vice president and director of stores for Kohl's Department Stores, back to campus on April 16 as a guest of its Leadership in Focus: Executive Insights speaker series.
Grosso, Smeal class of 1989, will join Smeal Dean James B. Thomas for an interactive on-stage conversation at 11:15 a.m. in the Business Building's Struthers Auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public.
While on campus, Grosso will meet with Smeal faculty and students to discuss trends and issues in the retail sector, and hold a small-group session with interested students, including those who are internship alumni and prospective employees or interns.
Leadership in Focus: Executive Insights, an initiative started in the 2006-2007 academic year, is designed to complement the Smeal educational experience by bringing high-profile business leaders to the college to connect with students, faculty, and administrators to share some of their business expertise and experiences in leadership.
Grosso is the final guest on the 2009-2010 slate for Executive Insights, which also included Samuel Beiler, chairman and chief executive officer of Auntie Anne's, Inc.; Barry Salzberg, chief executive officer of Deloitte LLP; and John Surma, chairman and CEO of U.S. Steel.
Other past guests include James Clifton, chairman and CEO of The Gallup Organization; Dennis Nally, chairman and senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Karen Peetz, senior executive vice president of The Bank of New York Mellon.
For more information on the Executive Insights series, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/execinsights.
Jon Grosso, Executive Vice President and Director of Stores, Kohl's Department Stores
As executive vice president and director of stores, Smeal alumnus Jon Grosso is responsible for all Kohl's Department Stores nationwide. He leads an executive team of four senior vice presidents/territory managers, 16 vice presidents/regional managers and 104 district managers.
In addition, Grosso is an integral part of Kohl's Executive Committee, which drives the company's four strategic initiatives of Merchandise Content, Marketing, Inventory Management and Store Experience.
Grosso began with Kohl's in 2002. Prior to joining Kohl's, he spent 14 years with Federated as regional vice president of operations for the East Coast.
In addition to his business responsibilities, Grosso has been involved with multiple charitable and nonprofit organizations, including Prevention of Child Abuse in Chicago and the Suffolk County Advocacy Center in New York.
Grosso holds a bachelor's degree from Smeal in Business Management.