Two Retail Leaders Join March Of Dimes Board Of Trustees

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Dec 10, 2012, 12:42 ET

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two retail industry leaders were elected to the March of Dimes National Board of Trustees, it was announced today. March of Dimes trustees, who serve as volunteers, represent the public in governing the organization and advancing its mission. They serve five-year terms.

The new trustees are: Deidra C. Merriwether, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Kmart and Sears formats, of Sears Holdings Corporation, and Will A. Smith, senior vice president of marketing Brown Shoe Company Retail/Famous Footwear. They join a distinguished group of more than 30 trustees as the organization prepares to celebrate its 75^th anniversary next year.

More than 4 million babies are born in the United States each year and for the past 75 years, the March of Dimes has helped each and every one of them through our research, education, vaccines and breakthroughs.

Kmart is the March of Dimes' longest-standing corporate supporter and has raised more than $106 million during the 29-year partnership. Famous Footwear has supported the March of Dimes since 1997 and collaborates with Dr. Scholl's as the "Official Shoe Sponsor" of March for Babies, the March of Dimes largest fundraising event.

"Thanks to the continued support of Kmart and Famous Footwear associates and customers, we're able to improve the health of mothers and babies around the nation by offering educational programs to help women have healthy pregnancies and by supporting research to find answers to the problems that threaten babies' health," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "We're so pleased these industry leaders, who represent longstanding corporate partners, are willing to take on this new role and work with us to give more babies a healthy start in life."

Ms. Merriwether is a veteran retail industry with nearly two decades of business operations experience. She specializes in finance, business performance management, real estate and retail operations. Ms. Merriwether holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in finance and operations management from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. She is married to Jonathan Merriwether; the couple lives in St. Charles, IL with their son.

Mr. Smith has been with Famous Footwear since 2008, leading the marketing, advertising, and brand development for the store retail chain. He earned a psychology degree from Cornell University, and his masters in Business Administration in marketing from The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. He is married to Nancy Taylor Smith, and the couple lives in St. Louis, IL with their two children. Brown Shoe Company and Famous Footwear have worked with the March of Dimes since 2001 and have been an official partner since 2003. To date, they have raised over $12.2 million for the March of Dimes.

About March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies®, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Kmart
Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a mass merchandising company and part of ShopYourWay, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com. Kmart offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Sofia by Sofia Vergara, Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, Route 66 and Smart Sense. For more information visit the company's website at www.kmart.com | Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.| Facebook: www.facebook.com/kmart

About Brown Shoe Company
Brown Shoe Company is a $2.6 billion, global, footwear company that puts consumers and their needs first, by targeting the strategic Family, Healthy Living and Contemporary Fashion platforms. We have more than 130 years of experience, passion and product innovation, and when it comes to Family, Famous Footwear is the leading, branded footwear retailer. We're an authority in casual and fitness footwear, and each year, more than 110 million consumers visit our 1,100 stores and Famous.com for nationally recognized brands and the latest styles at a value. Visit brownshoe.com to learn more about us. Brown Shoe Company: feel good and live better... feet first!

SOURCE March of Dimes