SpartanNash names Ileana McAlary as new chief legal officer

Ileana McAlary is joining SpartanNash as senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary, taking over from Kathleen Mahoney, who has retired.

Plans call for McAlary to start in the chief legal officer post on Nov. 15, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash said Monday. She will lead the grocery distributor and retailer’s legal function and report to President and CEO Tony Sarsam.

McAlary (left)comes to SpartanNash from footwear manufacturer Wolverine World Wide Inc., where she most recently served as vice president and associate general counsel and compliance officer.

“Ileana brings broad-based corporate, transactional, regulatory compliance, risk mitigation and management experience across multiple industries and international markets,” Sarsam said in a statement. “As a company that serves food retailers in all 50 states and in many overseas locations, Ileana’s expertise will be invaluable. We are thrilled to welcome her to SpartanNash as we continue building out our executive leadership team and working to advance our ‘People First’ culture for our family of 19,000 associates.”

McAlary spent just over five years at Wolverine, joining the company as associate general counsel. Before that, she served as senior counsel in a three-year stint at supercenter and grocery store retailer Meijer. Her career also includes seven years as corporate counsel III at Amway Corp. and as an attorney at law firm Miller Johnson.

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Mahoney (left) has been chief legal officer of SpartanNash since December 2015. Previously, she had served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for SpartanNash since the merger of Spartan Stores and Minneapolis-based Nash Finch in November 2013. She held the same title at Nash Finch at the time.

SpartanNash noted that Mahoney played a key role in negotiating and closing the Spartan Stores-Nash Finch merger. She also served as president of SpartanNash’s military distribution division from May 2017 to February 2020, when the company appointed David Sisk to assume that role.

“We are most grateful to our longtime leader and friend Kathy Mahoney for her service to SpartanNash,” Sarsam commented. “Her contributions to our company and industry are countless, and we offer our warmest wishes in her next chapter.”