There is a change at the top at Dansko, which last week announced the promotion of Kitty Bolinger to president. Current CEO Jim Fox will transition to the newly established role of executive chairman. The move becomes effective on Sept. 5.

Bolinger, who has been with Dansko since 2010, is currently Dansko’s EVP of sales & marketing. She has more than 36 years of footwear industry experience. At Dansko she began as national sales manager, and her leadership and understanding of market dynamics paved the way for a series of promotions and increasing responsibilities. As Dansko’s president, she will lead an executive team including CFO Jamey Mullin, VP of design Kelsey Jayne-Gomez, VP of marketing Christina Sewell, and VP of sourcing Susan Li.

“Kitty’s exceptional leadership of our sales and marketing teams, her extensive industry relationships, and her passion for the Dansko brand make her the ideal president to lead Dansko into the future,” stated Fox.

Fox, who came to Dansko in 2006 as the company’s CFO, successfully transitioned Dansko to 100% employee ownership in 2012. He succeeded Dansko’s co-founder, Mandy Cabot, as CEO in 2019.

“Jim’s was the steady, guiding hand that led us through both the transition to employee ownership and the uncertainty of the pandemic,” stated co-founder Cabot, currently a director on Dansko’s board. Cabot added, “Developing successive generations of leadership has always been a high priority at Dansko, and this transition underscores Dansko’s long-standing, deeply-held commitment to its employees and their careers.”