Brother of local woman speaks in ASU series

Jack Partridge of Paradise Valley, Ariz., brother of Nancy Kemp of Rector, was on the Arkansas State University campus Monday and Tuesday of this week as part of the second annual Journalism Alumni Speakers series.

A 30-year veteran of the retail food industry and president of Partridge & Associates consulting firm, Partridge is a 1968 graduate of ASU. He spoke to several classes and interacted with students and faculty in the College of Communications during his two-day visit.

Partridge & Associates is an Arizona-based consulting firm providing advisory services in corporate communications, public policy management and corporate strategic planning. Before establishing his consulting business in 2001, Partridge served three years as vice chairman and chief administrative officer of The Grand Union Co., a $2 billion food retailer serving six northeastern states.

Partridge's service with Grand Union followed a distinguished 23-year career with Kroger Co., having served as group vice president-corporate affairs, president of The Kroger Foundation and as a member of the company's senior management committee.

He has been a leader in industry and community affairs for three decades. He served as chairman of the Food Marketing Institute's Food and Agriculture Policy Task Force and was a recipient of the Institute's Woodard Award for Distinguished Service to the retail food industry.

Partridge served for 12 years as chairman of the board of The Ohio Retail Council and was a member of the board and executive committee of the U.S. Public Affairs Council.

He was a founding member of the Board of America's Second Harvest (the U.S. food bank network) and has also served on the boards of The Urban League, the Museum Center of Cincinnati, Downtown Cincinnati, United Way of Cincinnati and as president of the Piatt Park Urban Development Corporation. Partridge serves on the board of the Scottsdale Unified School District Foundation.

In 1998 Partridge was presented the Jewish National Fund's "Tree of Life" Award in recognition of many years of community service and his leadership on a broad range of national projects to provide food to America's most needy citizens. The award was presented by Madame Jehan Sadat, the former first lady of Egypt.