NRF Foundation Raises $3M for Programs

The ninth annual NRF Foundation Honors took place Sunday night at the New York Marriott Marquis to celebrate industry leaders, award student scholarships and showcase retail as an industry with unlimited opportunity. The event raised more than $3 million to fund career development programs and resources.

“Our scholarships, our case competitions and our industry-recognized RISE Up credentials — all our programs are built upon the fact that retail is a great place to start and a great place to grow,” NRF Foundation Executive Director Adam Lukoskie said. “The NRF Foundation is honored to recognize and celebrate young, aspiring and experienced retailers who are the cornerstone and the future of our dynamic industry.” 

Presented by American Express and PwC, the 2024 event included more than 800 attendees and was co-hosted by Macy’s, Inc. President and CEO-elect and NRF Foundation Board Chair Tony Spring and Walmart U.S. President and CEO and NRF Board Chair John Furner.

DICK’S Sporting Goods Executive Chairman Ed Stack was presented with The Visionary 2024 award for his leadership of the largest omnichannel sporting goods retailer in the United States.

The evening also recognized The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future 2024:

• lululemon Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President Julie Averill
• Crocs Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Cooley
• The Kroger Co. Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Yael Cosset
• Shopify President Harley Finkelstein
• Snoopslimes Founder and CEO Jungmin Kang
• Burlington Stores Inc. Senior Vice President of Leadership and Organizational Development, DEI and Community Impact Mecca Mitchell

The event also included announcements of scholarship recipients. Kev Addison of Indiana University was announced as the top recipient in the 2024 NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship presented by SAS. Aly Chew, Rajvi Dharamshi, Allie Gress and Krysta Mendoza of Drexel University were named the top team in the 2024 NRF Foundation Student Challenge competition presented by Kohl’s.

Additionally, Dublin City Schools of Dublin, Ohio, was honored as the 2024 RISE Up Partner of the Year.

Since 2015, the event has been the NRF Foundation’s signature fundraising event. More information is available at nrffoundation.org/honors.

NRF Foundation Honors event photos are available for download here.

For more news of interest to the housewares industry, subscribe to Kitchenware News & Housewares Review.