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GREEN BAY, Wis.—Shopko Optical, a provider of patient-centric eyecare and quality eyewear, has announced that Lisa Cowan, Katherine Christy and Nancy Newstrom have joined the field leadership team as regional managers. They will be responsible for overall sales, profit and service performance of Shopko Optical centers in Northeast Wisconsin, Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, and Nebraska and South Dakota, according to the recent announcement. “All three of these new teammates are results oriented and servant leaders,” Shopko Optical chief executive officer Russ Steinhorst said in the announcement.

“They believe people matter and they strive to build their teams through empowering those around them to deliver the best results possible.”

Shopko Optical, which was spun out of the 2019 bankruptcy of Shopko Stores, operates more than 80 locations in the Midwest, Central and Northwestern markets of the U.S. It also is the trade name of Shoptikal LLC, an affiliate of Monarch Alternative Capital LP.  Monarch acquired Shopko Optical during bankruptcy proceedings in mid-2019.

Lisa Cowan, responsible for managing the Northeast Wisconsin Shopko Optical centers, has over 18 years of experience in retail and vision center management. She has a strong history of creating business development strategies that have achieved sustainable revenue growth in both steady and turbulent economies, as well as a notable record for growth in profit and patient base.

“Lisa is an exceptional leader within the retail and eyecare industries, and we are excited for her to oversee our Northeast Wisconsin centers,” said Rich Chapman, Shopko Optical’s vice president of sales. “She has a distinguished record of building top-performing teams with a focus on individual patient’s satisfaction and care.”

Cowan joins Shopko Optical from Stanton Optical, where she was a regional manager. In addition, Cowan has worked at America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses and LensCrafters, where she led successful teams in increasing profit margins and developing customer-centric service strategies.

Katherine Christy will manage the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin Shopko Optical centers. With more than 29 years of retail experience, including five years in vision center management, she has a comprehensive record of successful optical and retail business leadership at regional, district and store levels.

“We are thrilled to have Katherine join our team of regional managers,” Chapman said. “She is a passionate management professional with a strong commitment to patient and employee satisfaction.”

Christy held multiple positions at district and regional manager levels before joining Shopko Optical, including MyEyeDr. and Luxottica. She has a strong track record of consistently maximizing sales and profits while maintaining excellent customer satisfaction.

Nancy Newstrom, who will manage the centers located in Nebraska and South Dakota, is a dedicated leader with over 34 years of retail and sales experience, including 17 years in the optical industry. She has a proven history of strategic sales planning and execution as well as recruitment training and leadership development.

“Nancy is a great addition to our Shopko Optical regional leadership team,” Chapman said. “With her innovative mind and robust experience in management, she can add to our overall team development and center growth.”

Newstrom served as a district manager at America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses before joining Shopko Optical. While there, she led a district of 16 full-service retail vision centers. Prior to this, she held various regional and district management positions, including roles at Eye Masters and LensCrafters.