NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Father’s Day Council announced today that Marvin R. Ellison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JCPenney, has been named a 2017 “Father of the Year” Honoree. The 76th Annual of Father of the Year Awards will be presented at the New York Hilton Hotel on Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 12:00pm. As part of its commitment to support meaningful philanthropies dealing with issues affecting mothers, fathers and children, proceeds from the event will benefit Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. For tickets and sponsorship, please contact the Council office at 212-594-5977 or www.fathersdaycouncil.org.
With more than 30 years of industry experience, Mr. Ellison is a seasoned retail executive with a proven track record of improving operations and increasing revenues. As Chairman and CEO of JCPenney, he has made significant and meaningful improvements, streamlining the Company’s areas of focus in order to achieve profitability.
Prior to joining JCPenney, he served as executive vice president of U.S. stores at Home Depot where he was the senior-most operations leader for approximately 2,000 stores. Prior to that, he served in a variety of operational roles, including President of the Northern Division and Senior Vice President of Global Logistics. Before joining Home Depot, Mr. Ellison spent 15 years with Target serving in several leadership roles, including Corporate Director of Asset Protection.
In addition to serving on the board of directors of FedEx, Mr. Ellison is actively involved in philanthropic efforts including mentoring programs aimed at developing inner-city youth. As a strong proponent of achieving higher education among minority students, Ellison serves on the independent governing board at his alma mater, the University of Memphis. He earned a business administration degree in marketing from the University of Memphis and a Master of Business Administration from Emory University. Mr. Ellison and his wife, Sharyn, have two children.
“Mr. Ellison is an inspiration to our industry – a true visionary and leader who built himself from humble beginnings to become the CEO of such an iconic U.S. retailer,” said Dan Orwig, President & CEO of The Father's Day/Mother's Day Council, and Group President, ITOCHU Prominent. “We are thrilled to recognize a man who is as dedicated to his career as he is to both his family and the betterment of our community’s youth.”
The National Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council, Inc. has donated more than $30 million to date to meaningful charities nationwide.
About The National Father’s Day Council, Inc.
The National Father's Day Committee is part of the Father's Day/Mother's Day Council, Inc., a non-profit association that has as its mission the recognition and awarding of honors to role model contemporary fathers and mothers, while at the same time contributing to issues affecting the life and well-being of men, women and families. Past honorees have included Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, Generals Douglas MacArthur, Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf, retail veteran Terry Lundgren, sports notables Arthur Ashe, Jim Kelly and Michael “Coach K” Krzyzewski, and communications leaders Tim Russert and Harry Smith. To learn more about The National Father’s Day Council, visit our website at www.fathersdaycouncil.org.
About Save the Children’s U.S. Programs
Nearly 1 in 5 children in the United States lives in poverty. Save the Children works to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of children in this country by ensuring that they have the resources they need to succeed in school and life. With a grassroots network of more than 180,000 people across all 50 states, Save the Children also acts as a voice for kids by advocating for increased access to high-quality early childhood education at the federal, state and local levels. Early learning programs that begin during pregnancy and continue until the child reaches kindergarten are key to ensuring that children enter school ready for success. Save the Children served more than 250,000 children and families in the United States in 2015 alone. For more information visitwww.savethechildren.org/usa.
