Board of Directors

John Swygert has been our Executive Chairman of the Board since February 2025. Mr. Swygert previously served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since December 2019. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Swygert was our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since January 2018. Mr. Swygert joined Ollie’s in March 2004 as our Chief Financial Officer and was later promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2011. Mr. Swygert has worked in discount retail as a finance professional for over 32 years. Prior to joining Ollie’s, Mr. Swygert was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Factory 2-U Stores, Inc. He held several positions while at Factory 2-U Stores, Inc. from 1992, ranging from Staff Accountant, Assistant Controller, Controller, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, Vice President of Finance and Planning, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Swygert also previously worked for PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. in Business Development and Financial Analysis. He serves on the Board of Directors of Truck Hero Holdings, Inc., a privately held company, since 2018.

Richard Zannino has served as a director since September 2012. Mr. Zannino is a Managing Director of CCMP and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining CCMP in 2009, Mr. Zannino was Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Dow Jones & Company (“Dow Jones”). Mr. Zannino joined Dow Jones as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in February 2001 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in July 2002 and to Chief Executive Officer and Director in February 2006. Prior to joining Dow Jones, Mr. Zannino was Executive Vice President in charge of strategy, finance, M&A, technology, and a number of operating units at Liz Claiborne. He originally joined Liz Claiborne in 1998 as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Zannino is a Vice Chairman of the Pace University Board of Trustees. He also serves on the Boards of Directors of Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) and IAC/InterActiveCorp. (Nasdaq: IAC) and previously served on the Board of Directors of Hillman Solutions Corp. (Nasdaq: HLMN). Mr. Zannino was selected to serve on our Board due to his past leadership experience, strong finance and management background in the retail industry, and his wide-ranging experience investing in, and serving as a director for, a diverse group of private and public companies.

Alissa Ahlman has served as a director since May 2020. Ms. Ahlman was most recently the Chief Merchandising Officer of the Home Segment of the Franchise Group, Inc., from December of 2022 through November of 2024, where she oversaw merchandising, planning, allocation, and supply chain for American Freight. Prior to joining the Franchise Group, Ms. Ahlman served as Chief Merchandising Officer and Chief Design Officer for At Home Group, Inc. (“At Home”) a high growth, national big-box retailer specializing in home décor, furniture, and seasonal products. Ms. Ahlman joined Garden Ridge in March 2008, prior to its rebranding to At Home in 2014. Ms. Ahlman was responsible for the merchandise transformation at At Home and was part of the executive leadership team that rebranded Garden Ridge to At Home, including its initial public offering in 2016. Ms. Ahlman held various roles in merchandising and merchandise planning until her retirement from At Home in December 2018. Before joining At Home, Ms. Ahlman served in merchandising roles at 99 Cents Only Stores LLC and Factory 2-U Stores, Inc. Ms. Ahlman brings extensive experience and knowledge in the fields of retail merchandising, marketing, and business operations to our Board of Directors.

Mary Baglivo has served as a director since November 2023. Ms. Baglivo currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Baglivo Group, a strategy consulting company. She has held Chief Marketing Officer roles at several universities, including Pace (2020-2023), Rutgers (2017-2018), and Northwestern (2013-2017). Ms. Baglivo previously served as Chair and Chief Executive Officer, the Americas at Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide from 2008 to 2013, and Chief Executive Officer, New York from 2004 to 2008. Prior to joining Saatchi & Saatchi, she was president of Arnold Worldwide from 2002 to 2004 and Chief Executive Officer of Panoramic Communications from 2001 to 2002. Ms. Baglivo currently serves as a Director of Host Hotels and Resorts (NASDAQ: HST) and Urban Edge Properties (NYSE: UE). Ms. Baglivo previously served as a Director of Ruth’s Hospitality Group until July 2023 and PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH) until June 2021. Ms. Baglivo has extensive knowledge and experience in the fields of global marketing, advertising, consumer branding, market research, public relations, crisis communications, and strategic planning.

Robert Fisch has served as a director since September 2015. He currently is President of RNF Group, a consulting company focused on the assessment and evaluation of retail and other business enterprises, as well as providing mentoring services to existing management of these companies, a position he has held since January 2017. Mr. Fisch is a featured ForbesBooks author, publishing his most recent book “Get A Life – A Roadmap to Rule the World” in January 2023, in addition to “FischTales: The Making of a Millennial Baby Boomer”, published in 2019. In September 2020, he joined the Fashion Institute of Technology (“FIT”) Board of Directors. Mr. Fisch has launched with FIT the Bob Fisch Graduate Student Award Program in addition to being a speaker and mentor to the students. He also served as the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of rue21, inc., a large specialty apparel retailer, from June 2001 until October 2016. Mr. Fisch served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. from June 2004 until March 2013. From February 1987 to December 1999, he served as the President of Casual Corner Group, Inc. Mr. Fisch was selected to serve on our Board due to his strategic business acumen and experience as a corporate director of publicly-traded retail companies.

Stanley Fleishman has served as a director since March 2013. Since 2017, Mr. Fleishman has been the Executive Chairman of Jetro/Restaurant Depot Group (“JRD”), a nationwide wholesale cash and carry food service distributor , since October 1992, prior to which he held the position of Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining JRD, Mr. Fleishman was the Chief Executive Officer of Dion Stores, a South African retail chain, from 1982-1985. He holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and undergraduate degrees in business and accounting. Mr. Fleishman brings broad management expertise and knowledge of the wholesale retail industry to our Board of Directors.

Thomas Hendrickson has served as a director since March 2015. Mr. Hendrickson was most recently the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Treasurer for Sports Authority Inc., a sporting goods retailer, from August 2003 until his retirement in February 2014. Prior to joining Sports Authority Inc., Mr. Hendrickson was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer for Gart Sports Company from January 1998 until the time of its merger with Sports Authority Inc. in August 2003. Mr. Hendrickson is currently a director and a member of the audit committee of the Board of Directors of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) as well as a director and the Chairperson of the audit committee of the Board of Directors of Snap One Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SNPO). Mr. Hendrickson brings financial, accounting, acquisition, and business experience to our Board of Directors.

Abid Rizvi has served as a director since November 2022. Mr. Rizvi currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of AriZona Beverages, the company behind the iconic 99¢ Big Can. He joined the company in 2016 and held various leadership positions before being appointed CEO in 2020. Mr. Rizvi also brings over 20 years of experience in consumer investment banking, serving as Managing Director and Head of Consumer and Retail Mergers & Acquisitions at RBC Capital Markets from 2014 to 2016, and the Americas Head of Consumer and Head of Consumer and Retail Mergers & Acquisitions at Jefferies from 2010 to 2014. Mr. Rizvi started his investment banking career at Merrill Lynch & Co. where he rose to the position of Managing Director. Mr. Rizvi has extensive experience in business operations, mergers and acquisitions, and banking.

Stephen White has served as a director since July 2016. Mr. White was most recently the Chief Logistics Officer at Dollar Tree, Inc. (Nasdaq: DLTR) (“Dollar Tree”) from April 2003 until his retirement in May 2016. Mr. White first joined Dollar Tree in 1994 and was responsible for building the logistics division during his tenure at the company. Prior to joining Dollar Tree, Mr. White served as Director of Transportation and Administration and held various other distribution and transportation positions at Ames Department Stores from 1986 to 1994. Prior to Ames, Mr. White held several transportation and supply chain positions with a number of companies, including LyphoMed Pharmaceuticals, Eastern Airlines, Incom International, and Shell Oil Company (NYSE: SHEL). Mr. White also consults in the field of global logistics on a part-time basis. Mr. White holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with dual majors in Transportation and Distribution Management, and Finance and Insurance from Northeastern University. Mr. White brings extensive experience in logistics and financial matters to our Board of Directors.

Eric van der Valk has been our President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director since February 2025. He joined Ollie’s as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in May 2021 and was promoted to President in June 2024 Prior to joining Ollie’s, Mr. van der Valk served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Christmas Tree Shops (“CTS”), a discount retailer specializing in seasonal, home decor, consumables, and closeout merchandise. After joining CTS in 2005, shortly after it was purchased by Bed Bath and Beyond, he assumed roles of increasing responsibility, leading to his appointment to Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and President and Chief Operating Officer in 2019. Prior to CTS, he held various financial and merchandising roles at May Department Stores Filene’s and Robinsons-May divisions including Vice President Merchandise Planning & Allocation and Divisional Controller from 1998 to 2005. Prior to this, he served as head of store operations for KB Toys. Mr. van der Valk also serves on the Board of Directors of Brightmore Brands, the largest privately held for-profit thrift store chain in North America.