Lee's New President

VF Corp. just announced that Joseph Dzialo will be the new president of the Lee brand. Dzialo's previous experience includes general manager of The Timberland Co.'s U.S. sales. He's also worked at Nine West Group, U.S. Shoe Corporation, Procter & Gamble and LCA-Vision. He will be succeeding Gordon Harton who retired in April after 35 years with VF Corp. (NYSE: VFC)

Straight from the horse's mouth:

As President of Lee Jeans, Dzialo will have responsibility for the continued revitalization of the Lee(R) Jeans brand in the U.S. and will report to Angelo LaGrega, President of VF's Jeanswear-Americas Coalition. Dzialo will join the company September 25 and will be based in Merriam, Kansas.

"We are extremely excited about Joe joining the Lee team and VF," LaGrega said. "Joe has 30 years of strategic development and brand building experience. His outstanding leadership qualities make him a great addition to our strong Lee management team."

From 2003 to 2005, Dzialo had responsibility for The Timberland Company's U.S. footwear and apparel business. From 1999 to 2003, he held a series of executive positions, including President and Chief Operating Officer, with LCA-Vision, a laser vision correction center business in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1991 to 1998, Dzialo served as President of the Easy Spirit Wholesale Footwear Division, first for U.S. Shoe Corporation and later for Nine West Group. Under his leadership, Easy Spirit grew to become the top brand of women's shoes sold in department stores in the U.S. From 1988 to 1990, he served as Marketing Director for U.S. Shoe's LensCrafters Division. He also held a series of brand management positions with Procter & Gamble Company from 1976 to 1988.

"With the recent launch of new, consumer-validated products backed by our new brand campaign, 'Get what fits,' this is an exciting time to be joining Lee, an iconic, global brand with a very strong management team and great culture," Dzialo said.

Dzialo received a bachelor's of science degree in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., and an M.B.A. in marketing from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lee is a division of VF Corp. whose portfolio of brands include Wrangler, Riders, Rustler, Vanity Fair, Vassarette, Bestform, Lily of France, Nautica, Earl Jean, John Varvatos, JanSport, Eastpak, The North Face, Vans, Napapijri, Kipling, Lee Sport, and Red Kap brands.

VF Corp. News Release