Corporate Governance

Donald C. Berg is currently President of DCB Advisory Services, which provides consulting services to food and beverage companies ranging from multinational conglomerates to start-up companies.

Previously, Berg spent 26 years with Brown-Forman Corporation, a US-based producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands and one of the largest companies in the global wine and spirits industry, retiring as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in April 2014. During his career with Brown-Forman, Berg held various domestic and international executive position, including President of Brown Forman Spirits Americas, the Company’s largest operating group; head of its corporate development and strategy functions; director of its mergers and acquisitions group; and had responsibility for leading Brown-Forman in to the emerging markets and management oversight of that high growth portfolio of markets (which led the Company’s globalization increasing the contribution from international markets from representing 15% OF SALES TO OVER 60% OF SALES). Prior to joining Brown-Forman, Berg held various finance, sales and marketing roles with respected national and international consumer goods and pharmaceutical firms. He began his career as a certified public accountant with Ernst & Whinney.

Berg is a member of the Board of Directors of Gildan Activewear Inc (since 2015), a publicly-held Canadian global branded apparel company, serving on the Audit/Finance, Governance/Social Responsibility, and Compensation and Human Resources (Chair) Committees.

Berg serves as Chairman of the Board of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at University of Louisville (where he has served as a director since 2002), and as Trustee of both Augustana College (since 2012) and Bellarmine University (since 2008).

Mr. Berg holds a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School (’83) of The University of Pennsylvania, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Augustana College (’77).

Tom Harty is President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his current role, Harty served as President of Meredith’s National Media Group, a position he assumed in 2010. Harty has been a major contributor to the company’s success since joining Meredith in 2004.

Harty has played a key leadership role in the development and execution of Meredith’s strategic initiatives, helping Meredith increase its connection to the American consumer through growth in magazine audience, online traffic, brand licensing and marketing services. These initiatives include the acquisition of Allrecipes.com and subsequent launch of Allrecipes magazine, as well as adding the Martha Stewart Living, Rachael Ray Every Day, FamilyFun, Parenting, EatingWell and mywedding.com brands to the Meredith portfolio.

Additionally, under Harty’s leadership Meredith has expanded its advertising and digital revenue platforms, which led to Meredith being named the No. 1 rated Media Company by Advertiser Perceptions in 2010 and 2013.

Prior to his joining Meredith, Harty served as Senior Vice President, General Manager for The Golf Digest Companies, a division of Advance Magazines. His broad media company experience includes key leadership positions with TV Guide, where he served as Vice President and Publisher; and Reader’s Digest, where he was Advertising Director. In addition, Harty has held key business positions with The New York Times Company, Forbes and Gruner + Jahr USA.

Harty is currently a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Association of Magazine Media. He holds an MBA from Iona College and a B.S. in Business Administration from Castleton University.

Joel W. Johnson has been a member of the Meredith Corporation Board of Directors since 1994. He retired as the Chairman of the Board of Hormel Foods Corporation in November 2006 and currently serves as a director of the Hormel Foundation. Johnson was named Chairman of Hormel, based in Austin, MN, in 1995, after being appointed President and CEO in 1993 and President in 1992. He joined Hormel Foods in 1991 after a 24-year career at General Foods Corporation, during which he took a three year military leave-of-absence and earned a Bronze Star as U.S. Army Captain in Vietnam.

Johnson received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hamilton College, NY, in 1965 and his Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1967. Johnson serves on the board of The Hormel Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Hamilton College.

Steve Lacy is Executive Chairman of Meredith Corporation, the leading media and marketing company reaching more than 100 million American women monthly.

Since joining Meredith in 1998, Lacy has been instrumental in transforming it into the multiplatform company it is today. He oversaw the launch of the company's digital business and the aggressive expansion of its brand licensing activities. He conceived a strategy to greatly expand Meredith Xcelerated Marketing through the acquisition of digital marketing capabilities.

Most recently, Lacy has led the acquisition of many popular media brands —including Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, Every Day with Rachael Ray, FamilyFun, and EatingWell — as well as a significant expansion of Meredith's television footprint by adding stations in the Phoenix, St. Louis and Mobile markets.

Lacy was named Advertising Age's Publishing Executive of the Year in both 2003 and 2005. He was inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in 2013.

Lacy serves on the Boards of Hormel Foods Corporation, The Advertising Council, The Association of Magazine Media and The International Federation of the Periodical Press, and is past Chair of the Board of The Direct Marketing Association. He is a member of Financial Executives International and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Lacy is also deeply involved in the Des Moines community, currently serving in leadership roles with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Downtown Des Moines Redevelopment Corporation, the United Way of Central Iowa and the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation. He is a past recipient of Drake University's Community Leadership Award, the American Jewish Council's National Human Relations Award, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Outstanding Philanthropist Award.

Elizabeth E. Tallett joined the Meredith Corporation Board of Directors in August 2008. From 2002 to 2014, Tallett was Principal of Hunter Partners, LLC, a management company for early to mid-stage pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies. She continues to operate as a consultant to early stage pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

Tallett has more than 35 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical and consumer industries. Her prior senior management experience includes serving as President and CEO of Transcell Technologies Inc.; President of Centocor Pharmaceuticals; member of the Parke-Davis Executive Committee; and Director of Worldwide Strategic Planning for Warner-Lambert Company.

Tallett was born and educated in England. She graduated from Nottingham University with two First Class Honors degrees in Mathematics and Economics.

Tallett also serves on the Board of Directors of the Principal Financial Group; Qiagen, N.V., the leading global provider of sample and assay technologies; and Anthem Inc., a health benefits company. Previously, she served on the Boards of Coventry Health Care, Inc.; Varian, Inc.; IntegraMed America, Inc.; Varian SemiConductor Equipment Associates Inc.; and Immunicon, Inc. She was a founding Board member of the Biotechnology Council of New Jersey, and is a Trustee of Solebury School in Pennsylvania.