(Shawn Osborne and David Kahan)
A serene early summer evening provided the ideal backdrop for Two Ten Gala attendees in New York Tuesday night. Hundreds of industry members were on hand at the Glasshouse to see David Kahan, president of Birkenstock Americas, receive the A.A. Bloom Memorial Award, which recognizes extraordinary service to advance the foundation’s mission of lifting lives in footwear.
In addition, the seven founding members of Two Ten’s Women in the Footwear Industry (WIFI) Advisory Board received the WIFI Impact Award in recognition of their leadership in reinvigorating the industry-wide affinity group/professional community that offers events and programs engaging thousands of women in footwear annually.
Kahan has served for the past decade on Two Ten’s board of directors. During his tenure as board chair, the charity transformed its fundraising model, raising almost $10 million as it shifted to an approach that emphasized building more meaningful partnerships, says Two Ten president and CEO Shawn Osborne. “David led the way as we planned for a post-Covid world,” Osborne said. “He pushed us to reimagine how the foundation operated, to think about what we needed, not just to weather a period of crisis, but to position ourselves to thrive once that crisis had passed.”
“My service on the Two Ten board has been an honor,” Kahan told the audience. “I’m humbled by not just the business talent of everyone on the board, who are some of the industry’s most successful leaders, but by the genuine care and empathy they share for those who Two Ten serves.”
The seven original members WIFI Advisory Board, formed in 2023, are: Board Chair Sarah Bloch, SVP, Footwear and Accessories, Circana; Board Secretary Jori Miller Sherer, president, Minnetonka; and board members Stephanie Berg, senior director of sales, Birkenstock USA; Eli Del Carmen, VP, Sales, Caleres; Kathy Forstadt, former senior director of merchandising, Zappos.com; Christina Gigante, VP of sales, Skechers (BOBS/BOBS Sport Divisions); and Melissa Worth, SVP Americas, New Balance. WIFI founders Carol Baiocchi, former SVP Khol’s Family Footwear, and former Caleres CEO Diane Sullivan made the presentation via video feed.
WIFI community events went on hiatus during the pandemic, interrupting the momentum that had been building prior to 2020, says Osborne. He credits the board’s leadership and commitment to making WIFI once again a “vibrant, growing community inspiring and elevating women in our industry.”
Not to be overlooked were the fundraising efforts and the generosity of many in the industry. Two Ten Board Member Ronnie Jefferson, SVP/GMM of Finish Line at Macy’s, kicked off the drive with a call to action, asking the audience to donate whatever they could. OrthoLite and Aldo got the ball rolling by donating an extra $25,000 each. Foot Locker also chipped in an extra $10,000. In addition, many in attendance made significant contributions.
That generosity enables Two Ten to fulfill its mission of helping industry members in need. Two Ten Board Chair Joe Preston, president and CEO of New Balance, anchored the mission segment of the program, reminding everyone that Two Ten exists so the industry can be there for each other, providing hope in hard times, offering opportunities to rise, and building a stronger community. Preston welcomed several Two Ten scholarship and grant recipients to join him on stage to share their stories. Seeing and hearing what Two Ten does is believing.
“This industry is one where at its highest level we can live what I call integrated lives—lives where there’s no line between the personal and the professional, where our passion is our profession,” Kahan told the audience. Two Ten provides a unique conduit for find that integrations because it sits at the center of a unique industry that comes together to support Two Ten’s mission, he says.
“I appreciate the incredible organization we have built, the family we’ve created, and your faith in me. By allowing me to be engaged with Two Ten and by getting yourselves involved, you share the ethos that is part of all we do professionally and personally. Thank you for that tap on the shoulder many years ago and thank you to everyone here to tonight,” Kahan concluded.
The founding members of Two Ten’s Women in the Footwear Industry (WIFI) Advisory Board
