Johnson Outdoors Inc. has appointed former Patagonia CEO Casey Sheahan and digital marketing executive Katherine Button Bell as independent directors, expanding the board’s size to eight members.
“We are very pleased to welcome Casey and Kathy to Johnson Outdoors Board of Directors, both proven business leaders and with many years of experience in our industry,” said Helen Johnson-Leipold, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to benefiting from their insights and counsel as we
move forward in our ongoing efforts to deliver ever-increasing value to
our markets and consumers”
Sheahan is a long-time veteran of the outdoor industry. During his eight-year tenure as CEO of Patagonia and its parent company, Lost Arrow Corporation, sales increased significantly and profits tripled for the iconic outdoor wear brand. Prior to joining Patagonia, he was President of Kelty, Inc., Vice-President of Marketing for Merrell Footwear and Category Marketing Manager at Nike ACG. Over the years, he also edited for several outdoor-inspired publications including Runner’s World, Marathoner and Nordic World, and was editor and publisher of POWDER Magazine in the late 1980s. He is aligned with a number of environmental organizations and served as President of the Conservation Alliance, a non-profit organization of outdoor businesses supporting grassroots citizen-action efforts to protect wild and natural areas. Currently, he is a Senior Advisor with Backbone Media, a premier active lifestyle public relations and marketing firm. Mr. Sheahan is a graduate of Stanford University.
Button Bell has been named to B2B Magazine’s list of top marketing strategists for nine consecutive years, and was the 2013-2014 Chairwoman of the Business Marketing Association. As Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Emerson Electric Co., she oversees branding, corporate communication, advertising, public relations and digital strategies, as well as marketing training and development programs for the St. Louis-based $25 billion manufacturing conglomerate and its more than 60 businesses. She joined Emerson in 1999 from her role as President of Button Brand Development, a strategic marketing consultancy expressly for Fortune 500 manufacturers. Prior to launching the firm, she was Executive Director of Worldwide Marketing Communications for Converse Inc., Director of Advertising and Public Relations for Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and a commodities broker in the futures industry. She serves on the Foundation Board of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and is a trustee of the St. Louis Art Museum. Ms. Button Bell is a graduate of Princeton University.
