Robert J. Stevenish, who has served as president & coo of Modell’s Sporting Goods for the past four years, will receive the Man of the Year Award from the Greater NY Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) at the annual Michael S. Modell Memorial Awards Dinner on December 6 in New York City.

Stevenish will be honored at the Sheraton NY Hotel & Tower along with Arlen Kantarian, chief executive, professional tennis, of the USTA, who will be presented with the Dick Schaap Lifetime Achievement in Sports Award; and Howard Lutnick, chairman & ceo of Cantor-Fitzgerald, who will be given the Humanitarian of the Year Award.

As Modell’s president & coo, Stevenish heads up the 132-store retail sporting goods chain that boasts stores in 11 northeastern states. From September 2001 to October 2002, he served as president and coo of Trilegiant Corporation, the largest membership services and loyalty business in the US. Trilegiant is the successor to Cendant Membership Services Incorporated and Netmarket Group, where from July 1, 2000 to September 2001, Stevenish took on the responsibility of chairman, president and ceo.

From 1997 to 2000, Stevenish was president and ceo of Fedco, a retail membership company in Southern California. Prior to ‘97, he held high ranking positions with Montgomery Ward and Hills Department Store, which followed his 27 years with JC Penney in various senior management roles, including the Office of the Chairman.

In addition to his management background, Stevenish has served or presently serves on the Board of Directors of Hills Department Stores, Fedco Retail Stores, Trilegiant Membership Services, Best Transportation, One Price Clothing Stores, Modell’s Sporting Goods and Stew Leonards. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Retail Industry Leaders Association and a member of its Executive Committee, a member of the Board of Trustees of Clark University and a member of the Board of Fedco Charitable Foundation.

The CCFA-sponsored dinner is named on behalf of Michael S. Modell, the son of CCFA co-founders Shelby and Bill Modell, who died in 2001 as a result of Crohn's related illnesses.