Leadership

We Lead With Innovation

Executive Leadership

Jay Schottenstein

Executive Chairman of the Board
and Chief Executive Officer

Since 1992, Jay has been a visionary leader for American Eagle Outfitters. Together, with his father Jerome Schottenstein, the two forged a path that led to the evolution of AEO from a single brand company, to a multi-brand global business. Jay has been instrumental in the successful growth of American Eagle and the launch of the Aerie brand, and has built a strong foundation for AEO’s leading market position.

Jay returned to AEO as Chief Executive Officer in 2014, a position he previously held from 1992 to 2002.

He has served as AEO’s Chairman of the Board continuously since 1992, and he remains one of our largest shareholders. Jay’s expertise across apparel merchandising, operations, retail, real estate, brand development and team management provides valuable leadership and vision for the company.

Jay also serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Schottenstein Stores Corporation. He currently is Chairman of the Board of DSW Inc., a leading footwear and accessories retailer, and previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer from 2005 to 2009.

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Jennifer Foyle

President, Executive Creative Director –
AE & Aerie

Jen joined AEO in August 2010 to lead the Aerie brand and expanded her scope to also oversee the strategic vision of American Eagle in 2020, rising to the position of President, Executive Creative Director – AE & Aerie. She has been an instrumental force in Aerie’s rapid expansion to a nearly $2 billion brand and has been the catalyst for fueling the next chapter of growth at AE. In her role, Jen leads Design, Merchandising, Marketing, Visual and Business Strategies.

In 2014, Jen revolutionized the intimate apparel industry by bringing body positivity and inclusivity to the forefront with the power of #AerieREAL. This movement has been a game-changer for the Aerie business and for millions of women and girls who have been empowered to love their REAL selves inside and out. Throughout her tenure, Jen has assembled and developed a strong bench of talent at all levels and across functions.

Most recently, Jen was recognized as one of the Top Women in Retail by Women in Retail Leadership Circle and was honored with the Vanguard Award from Delivering Good for creating positive change for those in need. In 2022, Jen was named of the 50 Women in Power by WWD x FN x BEAUTYINC for her passion and leadership in continuing to grow the American Eagle and Aerie brands, and was also recognized as Women in Retail’s Top Woman of the Year.

Jen was previously honored by AdWeek with a prestigious Brand Genius award, which recognizes exceptional talent, insight, creativity and bravery in business. Aerie’s commitment to body confidence and empowerment has also been recognized with Glossy’s Best Influencer Campaign in 2018, a Femmy Award in 2017, and the NEDA Inspires Award in 2015, among others. Jen began her career at Bloomingdales and held positions of increasing responsibility at Gap Inc. and J. Crew. Prior to joining Aerie in 2010 she was the President of the global lifestyle brand, Calypso St. Barth. Jen has nearly 30 years of experience in the apparel retail industry.

Marisa Baldwin

Executive Vice President,
Chief Human Resources Officer

Marisa joined AEO in September 2021 as Executive Vice President – Chief Human Resources Officer, overseeing all aspects of the associate experience and the company’s vibrant culture. She provides the strategic vision for the human resources team, which includes talent acquisition and retention, learning and development, total rewards, and people operations and analytics. Marisa also provides executive oversight for the AEO Foundation, ESG and IDEA. AEO’s most important asset is its people and Marisa is committed to upholding a community of belonging and purpose where associates are excited to work and grow their careers.

Marisa has more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources and most recently held the position of EVP – CHRO for Ascena retail group. Before joining AEO, she serves in leadership roles focused on growth and expansion of Starbucks and building culture of inclusion at Diageo, North America.

Sarah Clarke
Executive Vice President –
Chief Supply Chain Officer

Sarah joined AEO in October 2023 as Executive Vice President – Chief Supply Chain Officer, where she leads all aspects of the company’s global supply chain. In this role, Sarah oversees Distribution, Production and Sourcing for AEO’s portfolio of brands, and Quiet Platforms. Through her talent-first and performance driven mindset, Sarah is focused on generating operational excellence and strong commercial results with a best-in-class team.

Sarah is a strategic leader with more than two decades of extensive experience in supply chain management across several large-scale, multi-brand retail organizations. She joins AEO from PVH Corporation, where she held the role of Chief Supply Chain Officer.

Previously, Sarah led global supply chain optimization and held multiple leadership roles across the Gap Inc. brands. Since 2018, Sarah has been a member of the Executive Board of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), holding the position of Chair in 2022-2023. She also serves as a non-executive board member of American Securities.

Mike Mathias
Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer

Mike first joined the company more than 20 years ago and has a deep knowledge of AEO’s stores and operations, in both finance and operational areas including e-commerce, store finance, Aerie planning, strategy and business development. In his current role, Mike oversees numerous business areas, including Finance, Merchandise Planning, Legal, Real Estate & Construction, Global Asset Protection, Workforce Management, Internal Audit, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. Mike is a strategic leader with a unique and significant understanding of the company’s industry-leading business. His operational and financial expertise are instrumental in driving AEO’s profitable growth.

From 2017 – 2020, Mike served as AEO’s Senior Vice President – Financial Planning & Analysis. From 2016 – 2017, he departed AEO to serve as VP, Financial Planning and Analysis at General Nutrition Centers, Inc. Mike began his career at May Company.

Valerie van Ogtrop

Executive Vice President – Brand Operations

Valerie joined AEO in October 2023 as Executive Vice President – Brand Operations where she has full accountability for Brand Finance and Strategy, Merchandise Planning, Workforce Management, and AEO Stores and Store Operations throughout the U.S. and Canada. In this role, Valerie utilizes her deep industry knowledge to set the long-term vision for driving greater brand collaboration and fueling continued profitable topline and bottom-line growth across the American Eagle and Aerie brands.

Valerie joins AEO after spending 19 years with J.Crew, where she most recently led the expansion of Madewell as Executive Vice President – Brand Operations. She previously held several leadership roles at Gap Inc. in Merchandising, Merchandise Planning, and Corporate Planning.