ConAgra Foods Inc.

Janet Richardson joins Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska as Vice President of Corporate Services. Richardson comes to BCBSNE after spending 20 years with ConAgra Foods, where she rose to the position of Vice President of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities. Since leaving ConAgra in 2001, she has worked for two large national administrative outsourcing contractors, and has been responsible for outsourced facility and contract administration for such companies as Union Pacific and SBC-Ameritech.

Steven F. Goldstone has served on our Board of Directors since July of 2004. He currently manages Silver Spring Group, a private investment firm. From 1995 until his retirement in 2000, Mr. Goldstone was chairman and chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco, Inc. (which was subsequently named Nabisco Group Holdings following the reorganization of RJR Nabisco, Inc.). Prior to joining RJR Nabisco, Inc., Mr. Goldstone was a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, a law firm in New York City. He is also a director of American Standards Companies, ConAgra Foods, Inc., Retail DNA, Inc. and New Castle Hotels, chairman of Ridgefield Senior Center Foundation, chairman of the Roundabout Theatre Company (New York City) and a member of the College Board of Overseers at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gary Rodkin, chief executive officer, joined ConAgra Foods in October of 2005. Under his leadership, the company has transformed itself from a holding company for dozens of brands and businesses to a more unified operating company. In fact, Rodkin’s new vision statement for ConAgra Foods is “one company, growing by nourishing lives and finding a better way today … one bite at a time.” As CEO, Rodkin is responsible for a broad portfolio of trusted, leading consumer brands, including Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Wesson and Banquet, among others. ConAgra Foods brands are found in 96% of U.S. Households and 26 of the company’s brands are ranked first or second in their category. The company also has a very significant presence in commercial food products and ingredients. In fact, its Lamb Weston unit is the nation’s largest potato company. As part of Rodkin’s number one priority for ConAgra Foods—sustainable, profitable growth—he has led significant culture change. His work in driving simplicity—one of the company’s core operating principles—was featured in the Dec. 2007 Harvard Business Review. Prior to joining ConAgra Foods, Rodkin was chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo Beverages and Foods North America, where he led a $10 billion organization which included leading brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Quaker Foods, and Tropicana. Rodkin joined PepsiCo in 1998 after it acquired Tropicana, where he had served as president since 1995. From 1979 to 1995, Rodkin held marketing and general management positions of increasing responsibility at General Mills, with his last three years at the company as president, Yoplait-Colombo. Rodkin earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Rutgers College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also serves as a director on the boards of Avon Products, Inc., Grocery Manufacturers Association and Boys Town.

Saul Katz is Co-Founder and President of Sterling Equities. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Katz directs Sterling's day-to-day real estate operations. Mr. Katz also presides over Sterling's non-real estate affiliates and subsidiary companies, which range from financial institutions to manufacturing, consulting, entertainment and retailing enterprises. Mr. Katz is President of the New York Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones. Mr. Katz sits on the Board of Changing World Technologies that is focused on the proprietary thermodepolymerization process in the agricultural market. Mr. Katz serves as Chair of the Board of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, as well as serving as a Board member of many nonprofit organizations and institutions. He is a Certified Public Accountant with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, which he received from Brooklyn College.

Doug Knudsen was named president of ConAgra Foods Sales in 2005, providing sales leadership to the entire company, after serving as president of Retail Sales since 2001. In his role, Doug oversees the sale of many consumer-favorite brands, including Healthy Choice, Orville Redenbacher's, Chef Boyardee, and Hebrew National. Doug and his Sales team are charged with delivering on the promise of ConAgra Foods’ brands by exceeding the expectations of the company’s retail and foodservice customers, as well as those of the consumers who purchase ConAgra Foods products. Prior to becoming president of Retail Sales, Doug was president of Grocery Sales, for the ConAgra Grocery Products Company, which formerly did business under the Hunt-Wesson name. He began his career with Hunt-Wesson as a sales representative, eventually assuming several senior positions, including vice president and National Sales manager, and senior vice president of Sales. Doug serves on the sales vanguard committee of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and is an advisory board member of the Computer Science Corporation. He has a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University.

Joan K. Chow has joined ConAgra Foods as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Chow was previously senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Posted 2/26/07.)

Greg Smith, executive vice president, Supply Chain, joined ConAgra Foods in 2001. Greg's focus for the Supply Chain team examines three main areas: improving the quality of ConAgra Foods products, reducing costs and achieving exemplary, consistent service levels. His ultimate goal is to build a world-class supply chain infrastructure. Prior to his current role, he held the positions of president, executive vice president of Operations, and vice president, Manufacturing, all for the ConAgra Foods Consumer Foods Grocery operating group. He has worked with groups across ConAgra Foods to reach expedient solutions to support sustainable, profitable growth. Greg has extensive experience in operations and supply chain management, including his most recent position as senior vice president, Supply Chain. Before joining ConAgra Foods, Smith was vice president, supply chain, for United Signature Foods and held senior manufacturing and operations positions with VDK Frozen Foods. He also worked at The Quaker Oats Company for 11 years in positions of increasing responsibility in manufacturing, supply chain and marketing. Greg earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.

Pete Perez joined ConAgra Foods as senior vice president of Human Resources in 2003 and was promoted to EVP in 2007. In this role, he leads the people-focused initiatives supporting the company's ongoing business transformation. Under his leadership, ConAgra Foods has adopted a one-company approach to performance and incentives, made headway toward developing a more diverse and inclusive culture and built a foundation for more effectively delivering on its core operating principles of simplicity, accountability and collaboration. Pete directs all Human Resources functions, including compensation, benefits, recruiting, learning and development, and workforce effectiveness. Pete also is leading significant transformation, and that transformation focuses on nourishing our people to build an inclusive and winning culture. His team has established a true organizational development capability for ConAgra Foods and is launching focused efforts on building talent from within, supplemented by strong talent acquisition. Prior to joining ConAgra Foods, Pete was senior vice president, Human Resources, for W.W. Grainger. He also held senior Human Resources positions with Alliant Foodservice and Pepsi Cola General Bottlers. Pete has a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School.

Danica is the Director of Consumer Insights in the Retail sector for ConAgra Foods, where she has served since 2004. She brings extensive consumer research, marketing and business expertise, generating consumer insight and translating into business results. Prior to this role, Danica served in numerous roles at Kraft Foods from 1995-2004, including as Senior Consumer Insight Manager in Consumer Relationship Marketing, National Channels Marketing, Training and Consulting, and Brand Research Management. Prior to her career at Kraft, Danica held research and management roles at M/A/R/C and TCBY. Her proven ability to identify opportunities and solve challenges has made her a recognized business team leader, effective trainer and facilitator. Danica received her Masters Degree in Marketing Research from the University of Georgia, and her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from Arkansas State University. Danica and her husband are the proud parents of two children, Emma and Scott.

Marcella Thompson is the Director of Sustainability at ConAgra Foods Inc. and is involved with corporate sustainability initiatives. Ms. Thompson holds a BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from Emory University and is a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional. Marcella has several publications regarding sustainable business operations and presents often on these subjects. She has helped develop environmentally preferred purchasing, recycling, and sustainable business programs throughout her career.

Kelley is from Ohio and works at ConAgra Foods. She has been married to DJ since 2003 and came here with him from Iceland. She is the biggest Ohio State Buckeyes fan ever. She also likes the Browns, Cavaliers, Reds, & Blue Jackets. She also loves Christian music and ice cream.

Maria Valentin currently leads ConAgra Foods Corporate Community Affairs and The Language Access Services Departments. Under the direction of ConAgra Foods' Workforce Effectiveness, the Community Affairs Department develops, coordinates and implements events and programs in collaboration with local and national community leaders. Ms. Valentin has more than 17 years of experience in community relations, management and volunteerism. She has been with ConAgra Foods, Inc., for the last six year.

Shannon has over 8 years experience in the promotional marketing and advertising arena. As Director of Promotion, she's responsible for leading Princeton Partners' Promotional Division focusing on strategic brand marketing and promotional planning in both consumer and business-to business categories, including financial, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. Shannon's strong background in national accounts sales, marketing and promotions comes from direct experience on major accounts such as PNC Bank, McNeil Consumer and Specialty Pharmaceutical, New York City Health & Hospital Corporation, ConAgra Foods and Tyson Foods. Shannon, a 1998 Lady Bear graduate from Southwest Missouri State University, earned a BS in Marketing with an emphasis in Advertising. She is also a card-carrying member of the USGA and holds a 4.9 handicap. Anybody wanna make it interesting?

Mr. Butler served as Chairman and Chief Executive of the accounting firm, KPMG LLP, from 1996 until June 2002, when he retired. He is also a director of ConAgra Foods, Inc. and Ford Motor Company.