When Nordstrom announced the promotion of Alexis DePree (MBA 2007) to COO in early June, media outlets noted DePree’s expanded, end-to-end role in managing operations and customer experience in an increasingly complex retail environment. DePree joined Nordstrom in January 2020 as executive VP and chief supply chain officer, following leadership roles at Target and Amazon.

What do you like about the retail sector?
No two days are ever the same! It’s dynamic and fast-paced, which makes the work exciting and engaging. The ability to directly impact customer satisfaction and see the results of your efforts almost immediately is incredibly rewarding. Finally, I always tell my teams that retail is a team sport. We’re all working together to achieve a common goal of serving the customer, and everyone has an important role to play.

What drew you to Nordstrom?
I believe Nordstrom represents the best of retail with a compelling assortment of the best brands, inspiring stores, and a thriving digital business—with the finishing touch of exemplary customer service. The opportunity to bring what I’ve learned across my career in technology, mass retail, and digital retail to positively impact Nordstrom’s supply chain was a challenge I was excited to take on. Nordstrom’s fierce commitment to innovation and new ways of serving the customer made it the natural next step for me in my career. Plus, we sell fabulous shoes—and I’ve always loved shoes!

How is this new role a continuation of what you were doing and how will it be different?
This new role is a continuation of what I was doing in terms of building great teams, setting a vision, and ensuring we execute effectively for our customers. I still support our supply chain and transportation teams, but now my responsibilities extend from “supplier to shelf.” This means ensuring that the great products our merchants buy are available to customers both in-store and online, inspiring them to shop at Nordstrom every day.

What makes this role different and more challenging is the broader scope and the need to bring an operational, end-to-end mindset to our executive team discussions. This holistic approach allows us to optimize our processes at every stage, ensuring a seamless experience for our customers and maintaining Nordstrom’s high standards of quality and service.

What’s your morning routine?
My morning routine is pretty simple. I wake up, get ready, and head downstairs for breakfast and pre-school activities with my three kids and husband. I always start my day with a Diet Coke. Mornings are calm compared to the after school/work time when we juggle sports, schoolwork, and find time to squeeze in dinner. I’m known for fitting in my workouts on the sidelines of my kids’ sports practices—multitasking at its best!

Featured Alumni

Alexis DePree

MBA 2007

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