DeCA employees recognized among Top Women in Grocery for 2024

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Nine employees from the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) were recently honored among the Top Women in Grocery for 2024 by Progressive Grocer.

Honorees were recognized in one of three categories: Executive-Level, Rising Stars and Store Managers. The following DeCA employees are among 425 women selected this year from more than 1,150 nominees.

Senior-Level Executive Category

• Dr. Theon Danet, executive director of the Information Technology Group, DeCA Headquarters, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. Danet was also recognized as a Top Women in Grocery honoree in 2023 and 2022.

Store Manager Category

• Rosario Aydil, Store Operations Group, Incirlik Air Base Commissary, Turkey; 

• Mary Giles, Store Operations Group, U.S. Army Garrison Garmisch Commissary; Germany;

• Manuela Hamilton, Store Operations Group, Keesler Air Force Base Commissary, Mississippi; 

• Maureen McCarthy, Store Operations Group, Fort Liberty North Commissary, North Carolina. McCarthy was also recognized as a Top Women in Grocery honoree in 2022.

Rising Stars Category

• Doris Koepp, Resource Management Directorate, DeCA Headquarters, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia; 

• T’Londa Lawson, Store Operations Group, DeCA Headquarters, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia; 

• Michelyne LeBlanc, Information Technology Group, DeCA Headquarters, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia; 

• Monique Salley, Resource Management Directorate, DeCA Headquarters, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia.

Since 2007, Progressive Grocer’s “Top Women in Grocery” has recognized the best and brightest female leaders in the North American retail food industry. The winners demonstrate extraordinary achievement in leading innovative corporate initiatives, executing financial and/or strategic objectives, achieving exceptional performance benchmarks, problem-solving acumen and community outreach.

“We are so proud to once again see our colleagues among the Top Women in Grocery recipients,” said DeCA Director and CEO John Hall. “Each year, these awards recognize the great work that is being done by female leaders at the Defense Commissary Agency. We know how valuable their accomplishments are, and seeing those contributions recognized among the industry’s best is even more gratifying.”

DeCA’s winners were recognized in the June print issue of Progressive Grocer magazine, as well as on progressivegrocer.com. The magazine will further honor the winners at a celebration to be held during their Grocery Impact conference in Orlando, Florida, in November.

“Each of our DeCA honorees exhibit excellence in their respective areas, and they continue to bring dynamic leadership, superior skills and transformative results to our agency and the military community we serve throughout the world,” Hall said.

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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.