Stater Bros. Markets announced a series of leadership promotions effective September 29 to position the grocery chain for future growth. Among the most notable moves are the advancement of two Hispanic women in supermarket leadership.
The leadership promotions come as Greg McNiff transitions into his new role as CEO and president of Stater Bros. on the same day. McNiff emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration among leaders to ensure the company continues to provide fresh, affordable groceries to Southern California communities.
“I look forward to working with them to build upon that collaborative spirit so that our company can continue providing fresh, affordable groceries and class-leading customer service,” McNiff said.
Bertha Luna’s Career Journey
As part of the Stater Bros. leadership promotions, the company named Bertha Luna to the position of Executive Vice President of Store Operations.
Luna began her career in the grocery industry as a courtesy clerk at Lucky Stores before joining Stater Bros. in 1999 as a store manager during the company’s acquisition of Albertson’s and Lucky Stores. She quickly advanced into supervisory roles, serving as retail grocery supervisor and later district manager.
She also worked in human resources as director of diversity before returning to retail operations in 2017. Her promotions included senior director and, later, vice president of retail operations.
In her new role as Executive Vice President of Store Operations, Luna will oversee all aspects of store operations, including labor budgeting, sales forecasting, workforce planning, and store insights.
Luna holds a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from Western Governors University and completed the USC Food Industry Executive Program.
Her rise represents the impact of Hispanic women in supermarket leadership, especially in an industry where executive diversity remains limited.
Sonia Muñoz to Lead Employee Relations
The Stater Bros. leadership promotions also elevated Sonia Muñoz to the position of Vice President of Employee Relations.
Muñoz has spent 11 years at Stater Bros., beginning as a human resources supervisor before advancing to labor relations specialist and director of labor relations. Since 2020, she has served as Senior Director of Labor Relations.
In her new position, Muñoz will oversee bargaining and non-bargaining groups, focusing on building a high-performing workforce while driving initiatives to improve engagement and productivity.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of La Verne and her MBA from California State University, San Bernardino. She completed the USC Marshall School of Business Food Industry Certification program.
Muñoz’s advancement further illustrates the growing influence of Hispanic women in supermarket leadership, a step forward in better reflecting the diverse communities Stater Bros. serves.
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Other Key Leadership Promotions
The company also announced that Rebecca Calvin, current senior vice president and chief marketing officer, will become executive vice president and CMO, with added responsibility for supply chain operations.
Calvin arrived at Stater Bros. with several years of experience in the grocery industry, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer at The Save Mart Companies, where she led merchandising, space planning, pricing, promotion execution, and their private label program.
Before joining The Save Mart Companies, she began her career in the grocery industry as a category buyer at Daymon Worldwide. She served as Vice President of Grocery, Frozen, and Dairy at Mariano’s before continuing to merchandising and category management roles in the Kroger family of companies.
Calvin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with a Minor in Business Administration and is a graduate of the Cornell University Food Executive Program.
The company also named Mike Crawford vice president of strategic insights and process innovation.
Crawford has been working for Stater Bros. for 25 years. He began his career with the company as a sales assistant. He was promoted to service manager and continued to rise through the ranks in different areas of the company. Before his latest promotion, he held the position of Senior Director Shrink and Process Improvement.
Alex Lemos has been promoted to Vice President of Accounting.
Lemos has been working in the operations department at Stater Bros. for 11 years. Before joining the supermarket chain, he served as Director of Accounting and Finance at Envoy. Lemos joined Stater Bros. as an assistant controller, and by demonstrating his skills, he rose to the position of senior controller and was eventually promoted to vice president of accounting.
“As we work toward operating ever more efficiently, these well-deserved leadership promotions are a testament to the talented teammates within Stater Bros. who are ready to assume expanded roles and responsibilities,” McNiff said. “I am proud of their accomplishments and the example of teamwork that they are setting for our organization every day.”