Corporate Governance

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.

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.

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 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).

Beth Kaplan is currently the managing member of Axcel Partners, LLC investing in consumer facing early stage and growth companies. Prior to this, Beth was President and Chief Operating Officer at Rent the Runway, a fashion apparel company with a technology soul disrupting the way women get dressed. In her role, Beth worked closely with the co-founders and oversaw finance, operations, merchandising, customer insights, business development, and retail.

Prior to joining Rent the Runway, Beth served as President and Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer, and Director at General Nutrition Centers Inc. where her focus was on key strategic initiatives surrounding the marketing & merchandising of GNC stores, development of an ecommerce platform, and product development. Beth played an integral role in the company’s 2011 IPO, the most successful IPO that year. Prior to GNC, Beth served as Executive Vice President and General Manager at Bath & Body Works where she oversaw the merchandising and marketing of the new flagship store format. Prior to Bath & Body Works, Beth was the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising at Rite Aid Drugstores, and prior to that spent 16 years at Procter & Gamble, her last role being President and General Manager of the Cosmetics and Fragrance division, including Cover Girl and Max Factor.

Beth received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been recognized in the industry for her work on a number of occasions including Drugstore Marketer of the Year in 1998 and one of Advertising Age’s Top 10 “Women to Watch” in 1999. She was the keynote speaker this year at Baltimore’s Women to Watch event. In addition to Rent The Runway and Meredith, Beth is also a director of the Howard Hughes Corporation, a director of Framebridge, a director of Leesa Sleep, and a director of Car/of. She was previously a director at Blackboard (public), Sleepys (private equity), Things Remembered (private equity), Minute Clinic (venture), and The First Years (public).

Beth splits her time between New York City and Baltimore, Maryland, and is married with two sons.

Philip A. Marineau has been a member of the Meredith Corporation Board of Directors since 1998. In January 2009, Marineau became a partner at LNK Partners based in White Plains, NY. He retired from Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) in November 2006, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer since September 1999. LS&CO. is a leading global apparel company, with sales in more than 110 countries. For most of its 153 years, LS&CO. had been an apparel manufacturing company. Marineau and his leadership team transformed LS&CO. into a consumer-driven marketing company. This has included launching Levi Strauss Signature®, a worldwide brand for value-conscious consumers; overhauling the Levi’s® and Dockers® brand product ranges and marketing; and streamlining the company in order to bring products to market faster and more efficiently.

Marineau has an extensive record of achievement in consumer products marketing and management. Prior to joining LS&CO., Marineau was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi-Cola North America from 1997 to 1999. Under his leadership, Pepsi outgrew Coke in North America for the first time in years. From 1996 to 1997, Marineau was President and Chief Operating Officer of Dean Foods Company where he oversaw a substantial increase in both sales and earnings. He led the successful repositioning of milk as a beverage rather than a food item.

Prior to Dean Foods, Marineau was a 23-year veteran of the Quaker Oats Company where he held progressively more responsible positions, including President and Chief Operating Officer from 1993 to 1996. As COO, he had worldwide responsibility for the company and its brands, including Gatorade, which he is credited with growing to more than a $1 billion global powerhouse in the sports-drink industry. He also helped to build many other well-known Quaker brands around the world.

Currently, Marineau is also a board member of Shutterfly, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Holy Family Day Home, the Fritz Institute, and Georgetown University.

Marineau received his Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University in 1970. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History at Georgetown University in 1968.