Executive stepping down at Kroger

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co.’s first female corporate officer is retiring.

The Kroger Co. announced that group VP for corporate affairs Lynn Marmer plans to retire in early 2016, after 18 years with the company.

"Lynn has been a trusted counselor and advisor to three CEOs during a period of significant change in food retail," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. We wish her and her family all the best in retirement."

Marmer joined Kroger in 1997 as a senior attorney in the legal department. When appointed to her current position in 1998, she became Kroger's first female corporate officer.

Marmer focuses on reputation management and leveraging and protecting Kroger's brand. She leads external communications and brand public relations; media; government and regulatory affairs; corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability; community relations and customer service centers; crisis management; cause-marketing and corporate philanthropy. She also serves as president of The Kroger Foundation.

She is responsible for growing Kroger's supplier diversity program to $1 billion annually, creating a national program of fresh food rescue that donates 200 million meals annually to food banks across the U.S., and creating four award-winning cause marketing campaigns that contribute millions of dollars to Kroger's signature community programs.