Women Grocers of America (WGA)

Women Grocers of America (WGA) provides women in the grocery and food industries the chance to promote educational and professional opportunities for individuals through its Mary Macey Scholarship program. The WGA also recognizes outstanding women in the grocery industry with its prestigious Woman of the Year Award which is presented each year at NGA's annual Convention.

The WGA's objectives are:

  • To recruit and retain the next generation of successful individuals in the grocery and food industry with an emphasis on young women;

  • To develop program funds and award scholarships

  • To give visible support and recognition to the many outstanding women in the grocery and food industry whose leadership and experience have made an impact on their companies, their associates, their communities, their families and the industry.

Membership in the WGA is open to any woman affiliated with a retail, wholesale, manufacturing/service supplier company or state/local association that maintains membership in the National Grocers Association. Click on the link below to download the membership form.

WGA Membership Application Form

For further information, contact Kailee Tkacz by email ktkacz@nationalgrocers.org or direct line 703.516.8832. 

Mary Macey Scholarship - 2014 Applications coming soon! 

There is no better way to ensure a healthy future for the grocery industry than by ensuring a constant stream of talented young people who want to make a career in this fascinating and ever-changing business, particularly in the independent retail and wholesale sector.

The WGA scholarships are one-year awards for $1,500. Independent retailers and wholesalers, their employees and families, including WGA and NGA members, are eligible to apply. Applicants must attend a U.S. college or university, have a 2.0 grade point average or better and be entering sophomores or continuing students in good standing in a two-year, bachelor degree-granting institution or graduate program.

In support of NGA's mission to recruit and retain the next generation of quality managers and entrepreneurs, the Board of Directors of Women Grocers of America was pleased to announce that the 2012 Mary Macey Scholarships were awarded to the following students:

  • Maira Bermudez of Houston, Texas, is a Junior at Lone Star College and is currently majoring in Business Administration. Maira works in customer service at Food Town (Gerland Corporation) and has been with the company since 2008.    

  • Samuel Park of South Jordan, UT, is in his third year at DeVry University with a major in Network Systems Administration. He currently provides IT support for Associated Food Stores and plans to make his career with Associated once he graduates. 
2013 Award Recipients will be posted soon!


WGA’s Inaugural 5K Fun Run/Walk Presented by the Kellogg Company at the 2013 NGA Show!

Presented by:

 Kellogg

Thank to all who participated in WGA’s Inaugural 5K Fun Run/Walk Presented by the Kellogg Company. Held onsite at the Mirage Resort Property at the NGA Show, February 11, 2013; we had over 100 racers join in on the fun - thanks for making it such a big success. 

All proceeds raised went to the Mary Macey Scholarship Fund, dedicated to providing educational and professional opportunities for individuals in the independent grocery industry.  

Thank You to the WGA 5K Sponsors: Kellogg Company, Mondelez International, Sterilox Fresh, The Clorox Company, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever! 

Stayed tuned for news about WGA's 2nd Annual WGA 5K in 2014! 

WGA's 2013 Woman of the Year Award

WGA presented Debbie Dory of Newport Avenue Market with their prestigious Woman of the Year Award during the Chairman's Gala at the NGA Show in Las Vegas, NV. 

For over 20 years, Dory has been a pioneer to the industry and her community. Her award-winning Newport Avenue Market was the first IGA Plus store on the West Coast and has been voted Best Grocery Store in Central Oregon for 15 years in a row. In 2013, Newport Avenue Market became the first Boar's Head Deli of Distinction west of the Mississippi. 

But Dory's leadership extends beyond the store. Co-founder of the Hunger Prevention Coalition, her store served as the pilot store for "The Help Fill Empty Plates" program, which has raised over $429,000 for the Coalition. Despite the trying economy, her drive to create extraordinary customer service resulted in 12% growth in 2012 and movement toward a second-generation leader in her daughter, Lauren.

WGA also presented WGA's Humanitarian Award to Kathleen DiChiara, founder, President and CEO of the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, which distributed 39 million pounds of food and groceries last year. 

Frances "Chi Chi" Puhl, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Associated Wholesale Grocers, received WGA's Legend Award for her vital contributions to the growth of AWG into from a small two-warehouse wholesale cooperative into the $8 billion operation it is today.

Background on the Woman of the Year Award:

This prestigious award was established in 1996 by the WGA Board to give visible support and recognition to women in the grocery industry.  

To quality, candidates should be:

  • a woman from the retail or wholesale segment of the grocery industry, currently active or recently retired, whose leadership contributes/contributed to the success of her company;
  • a member of the National Grocers Association and other industry organizations whose participation and involvement contributes/contributed to the overall well-being of the grocery industry; and
  • a community-focused citizen committed to serving the needs of her neighbors, associates and customers through involvement in community and civic affairs.

For more information, please contact Kailee Tkacz at ktkacz@nationalgrocers.org. 


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