Management

Name   Positions and Offices

Lorna Nagler President and Chief Executive Officer
Rodney Carter Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Susan Connell Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandise Officer
Monica L. Dahl Senior Vice President, Planning & Allocation and e-Commerce
Luke R. Komarek Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Gary Thompson Senior Vice President, Store Operations


Lorna Nagler has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since August 2007 and is responsible for the vision and direction for all Brands, including Christopher & Banks, C.J. Banks and Acorn. Ms. Nagler has an extensive fashion and retail history from Buyer to CEO. She started her career in upscale specialty store retail and department stores (including Mainstreet, a division of Federated). Next, Ms. Nagler accepted a position with Montgomery Wards as a merchandise manager. From there she took her softlines experience to Kids R Us, a division of the PARAMUS toy chain. She was responsible for merchandising as well as creating Brand strategies and Partnerships, with the bottom line responsibility of continuing and growing $700 Million in sales. Next, she moved to Kmart as SVP/General Merchandise Manager, to elevate their multi-billion dollar apparel business and build fashion credibility where there previously had been none. Ms. Nagler then served as President for Catherine's Stores, a leading plus-sized retailer with 425 stores and sales in excess of $300 Million. Under her leadership, Catherine's was able to launch a highly successful e-Commerce division as well as re-launching their private label brands. Most recently, Ms. Nagler was the President of Lane Bryant within the Charming Shoppes portfolio. With over 800 stores she not only stabilized the culture within but actually rebuilt it into a dynamic work environment, focused on Brand, growth and creativity. She laid out the Brand Blueprint which included the creation and launch of their intimate apparel stores, Cacique, creating a "new fit system" for plus sizes, brought in their first-ever outside Brands, launched e-Commerce, initiated their VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) System and significantly increased profitability.

Rodney Carter joined the Company as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in June 2009. He is responsible for managing all of the Company's financial and accounting areas, as well as the Real Estate, IT, and Supply Chain & Logistics Departments. Prior to joining Christopher & Banks, Mr. Carter was Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Zales Corporation from 2006 to January 2009, where he was responsible for the finance, accounting, real estate and IT areas. He has also held the chief financial officer or other key financial positions at PETCO, CEC Entertainment and J.C. Penney Company or its subsidiaries.

Susan Connell joined Christopher & Banks as Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandise Officer in July 2007. One of her first accomplishments was developing the Sourcing Department for Christopher & Banks' Brands. Previously, Ms. Connell was Senior Vice President and General Merchandising Manager for Lane Bryant, the most recognized plus-size retailer in the country. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President, Product Development at E Specialty Brands, where she transformed a multi-division maternity company into a cohesive fashion brand. Her history also includes a position as Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Motherswork, Inc., a specialty retailer of maternity apparel with 800 stores. Her earlier experience includes serving as Divisional Merchandise Manager for G.H. Bass & Co., an apparel, footwear and accessories retailer catering to men, women and children. There she repositioned the men's apparel brand to a more contemporary customer and grew the accessory business from $34 M to $49 M. Ms. Connell was also recruited by and reported directly to the CEO at United Retail Group. She built a thriving Product Development Department and successfully integrated 400 strip centers and 180 Mall stores into a new Brand. She served as General Merchandise Manager for Petite Sophisticate and Divisional Merchandise Manager for August Max Woman, where she started her career.

Monica L. Dahl is the Company's Senior Vice President, Planning & Allocation and e-Commerce. In this role, she has identified process improvements and strategic opportunities that have created a lasting impact on the overall success of the business. Ms. Dahl previously served as Vice President of Business Development and, upon joining the Company in May 2004, was Director of Business Development. Prior to Christopher & Banks, Ms. Dahl held various leadership posts with Wilsons Leather, a specialty retailer of leather outerwear, accessories and apparel. Her positions included Financial Planning & Analysis focusing on gross margin and store payroll; as well as Director of Sourcing, where she helped manage the product development process from raw material planning to gross margin goals. She also drove a $150 Million women's apparel business as Divisional Merchandise Manager and executed a myriad of process enhancements as Director of Merchandise Planning. Ms. Dahl started her career at Arthur Andersen LLP, where she established a strong financial background and foundation in accounting.

Luke R. Komarek has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel since joining the Company in May 2007. Three months later, he was also named Corporate Secretary. Mr. Komarek was hired to establish in-house legal function at CBK and has successfully done so at several prior employers. He also has considerable mergers and acquisitions experience, both domestically and internationally, as well as a broad public company and corporate governance background. Prior to joining Christopher & Banks, Mr. Komarek served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary at PNA Holdings, LLC & Katun Corporation, the world's leading supplier of after market supplies for office imaging systems. Previously, Mr. Komarek served as Vice President of Legal Affairs and Compliance at Centerpulse Spine-Tech Inc., a company that develops medical devices for injuries or diseases of the spine. Mr. Komarek was also with FSI International, Inc., most recently serving as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

Gary Thompson joined Christopher & Banks in June 2008 as Senior Vice President, Store Operations. He oversees the Company's field team and is responsible for store sales, customer service and training. Mr. Thompson has held several executive positions in the retail industry throughout his career. For the previous two years, Mr. Thompson served as Vice President, Stores/Operations at Charming Shoppes, where he was responsible for sales and profits for the 1000-store Fashion Bug chain. He previously assumed the roles of Executive Vice President, National Sales Manager for Organized Living and Vice President, Store Operations for Lane Bryant. As CEO of Bag'N Baggage from 2000 to 2003, Mr. Thompson utilized his leadership skills to help the Company succeed during the worst two years the travel industry has ever experienced. His earlier successes include serving as Vice President, Store Operations for Lids, Inc., where sales increased from $8 million to $125 million over three years (and store count grew from 16 to 400 during this period). He also served as Vice President, Outlet Division and Vice President, Southeast Store Operations for Cato Fashions from 1989 to 1995. Mr. Thompson is an expert at analyzing existing operations and implementing new strategies to retain top management, maximize performance and increase profitability.


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