Our Leadership Team

Keith Knopf

President & CEO

Keith Knopf is a senior retail executive who brings deep expertise in strategic leadership, business transformation, consumer insights, sustainability and governance.  Keith served in an executive capacity in three Fortune 200 companies (May Co., Victoria’s Secret, Kohl’s) before joining Raley’s. 

As President and CEO, Keith empowers his leadership team to undertake business transformation initiatives that have both anticipated and reacted to fundamental changes in retail.  As a purpose driven leader, he believes in multiple bottom lines, respect and inclusion.

Keith earned a Master’s in Business Administration, Finance from Saint Louis University. He annually attends Stanford’s Board of Director College. Additionally, he chairs the Management Board for Super Store Industries, a wholesale grocery distributor and full-service supply chain partner. Keith previously served on the Bay Area Council Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Jen Warner

President, Raley’s Family of Stores

As President, Jen leads the Raley’s operating company and is responsible for the performance and growth of more than 120 stores and the company’s distribution and production operations. Jen is a people-focused leader, committed to carrying forward Raley’s purpose of changing the way the world eats, one plate at a time.    

Jen joined Raley’s in 2020 as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and worked with the leadership team to deliver on Raley’s long-range strategic plan. In her role, she was accountable for the company’s Legal, Risk, ESG, Corporate Strategy and Project Management Office (PMO) functions.   

Before joining Raley’s, Jen served in leadership positions at several multinational public companies, including Con-way Inc., XPO Logistics, Inc. and Columbia Sportswear Company. Jen’s background is in law, and she began her legal career in private practice at Davis Wright Tremaine and Stoel Rives. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.  

Jen is originally from Salt Lake City, where she grew up in the grocery business, working alongside her grandfather at his corner market. She is a loving mom with two children who love sports, acting, art and skateboarding. 

Laura Croff

Human Resources

Laura Croff is a member of The Raley’s Companies executive leadership team.  As the Chief Human Resources Officer for The Raley’s Companies, she leads the organizations HR strategy and functions that include; team member relations, learning and development, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits and labor relations. Laura is passionate about enabling an inclusive, high-performance culture where team members can be their best self. 

Laura has served Raley’s for over 16 years in the areas of human resources, talent acquisition and labor relations. She has earned and maintains multiple professional certifications: Senior Professional in Human Resources (SHPR), Professional in Human Resources, CA (PHR-CA) and Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). She is certified to deliver 360-degree feedback and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Labor Relations/Negotiations program. Laura graduated from California State University Fresno with a bachelor’s degree in consumer science.

Tiffanie Burkhalter

Finance

Tiffanie Burkhalter is the Chief Financial Officer for The Raley’s Companies. She is a seasoned executive with extensive financial expertise and proven business acumen. As CFO, Tiffanie leads financial planning & analysis, accounting, tax, treasury, real estate, and risk management.

Prior to joining Raley’s, Tiffanie held executive leadership positions at VSP Vision where she served as VSP Retail CFO, VP of eCommerce, Chief Operating Officer, and ultimately President of VSP Ventures. She started her career at Ernst & Young, where she managed local and international teams serving clients spanning multiple industries. Tiffanie is an active CPA and has extensive experience with finance, accounting, treasury, strategy, mergers & acquisitions, valuations, and operations.

Tiffanie and her husband Jason have a son and daughter and enjoy the outdoors, sports, and travel. She is on the board of Glam4Good and finds tremendous joy in serving others with her family.      

Deirdre Zimmermann

Customer Experience

Deirdre Zimmermann is a marketing leader with more than 25 years of retail marketing experience, passionate about developing brands and connecting people to purpose. Zimmermann joined Raley’s leadership team in 2015 as Senior Vice President of Marketing, overseeing all touchpoints in the customer journey including advertising, loyalty and e-commerce. Promoted to Chief Customer Experience Officer in 2018, she is instrumental in shaping our team member and customer experience to continue to evolve the brand, centered around our purpose of improving the health of the people we serve.

She has served as vice president of marketing for several specialty retailers, including Brookstone and White House Black Market. She moved up through the industry, working both in-house and for ad agencies representing major brands such as Fitigues, Jil Sander, The Field Museum and Talbots.

Zimmermann and her husband have one child and share a common passion for healthy food and entertaining.

Craig Benson

Technology

Craig Benson joined Raley’s in 1999 and is the Chief Technology Information Officer.  He has served the company in various technology infrastructure, business development, enterprise architecture and information security leadership roles.

Craig’s role was expanded in 2015 to lead the Raley’s technology services team.  Under his leadership, his team has been able to transform and help drive Raley’s to becoming a strong digital business, through technology and digital-first processes.  With over 25 years in the retail industry, Craig has the innate ability to focus on the customer and simultaneously provide our team members with the tools to deliver on our mission.

Craig earned his Business Information Systems degree from the University of Phoenix, and is a current Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).  He and his wife, Dottie, have two children and reside in Northern California.

Chelsea Minor

Public Relations

Chelsea Minor is the Executive Director, Community Impact & Public Affairs for The Raley’s Companies.

Chelsea oversees The Raley’s Companies’ public image, including public relations, community impact and sustainability.  In addition, she manages the company’s public affairs program, including statewide advocacy across multiple states and local government engagement. Since joining Raley’s in 2015, Chelsea has collaborated with state and local leaders to advance Raley’s vision of changing the food system for the better.

Chelsea is also the Executive Director of Raley’s non-profit, Food For Families. For more than 36 years, Food For Families has worked with food bank partners to alleviate hunger in the communities Raley’s serves. 

Prior to Raley’s, Minor worked for KP Public Affairs, supporting California companies with public affairs and public relations services. Chelsea started in Sacramento politics as a fellow in the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program and worked in the California State Assembly. 

Chelsea graduated from California State University Stanislaus with a degree in Social Science and completed her Master’s in Business Administration for Executives at California State University Sacramento. 

Chelsea is the Chair of the Metro Chamber Political Action Committee (PAC), Chair of the California Retailers Association, Board Member for Valley Vision, serves on the Advisory Board for Sacramento State’s College of Business and a public appointee for the California Cattle Council. In 2020, Minor completed the American Leadership Forum program, which builds diverse networks of leaders focused on personal and community transformation in order to create inclusive and thriving communities.

Minor graduated from California State University Stanislaus with a degree in Social Science and completed her Master’s in Business Administration for Executives at California State University Sacramento. 

Helen Singmaster Hernandez

Legal

Helen Singmaster Hernandez serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. In this role Helen leads the company’s legal function and oversees the HIPAA Privacy Office.  She has deep expertise in corporate law, mergers and acquisition, real estate and privacy.   

Prior to joining Raley’s Helen worked as a business attorney at Downey Brand, where she handled a variety of complex transactions, including Raley’s acquisition of Nob Hill Foods.  Helen earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and obtained her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Helen is a graduate of the Executive Program at UC Davis Extension and the Food Industry Executive Program at the USC Marshall School of Business. 

As a leader motivated by ethics, Helen believes success goes beyond following the law and depends on doing what is right.   

Helen, a mom, stepmom and abuela, shares her love of fine food, swimming and the great outdoors with her husband of over 15 years, Paul. 

Matt Hilbrink

Risk & Asset Protection

Matt Hilbrink serves as the Vice President of Enterprise Risk and Asset Protection.  In this role Matt leads Enterprise Risk throughout the portfolio of operating divisions within The Raley’s Companies. Matt is responsible for Risk Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Asset Protection, and Corporate Security for retail, pharmacy, technology, distribution and logistics.   

Matt has deep expertise in risk management, asset protection in the retail and digital environment. Prior to joining Raley’s in 2016, Matt held leadership roles within E*TRADE Financial, CVS Health, and Longs Drug Stores. Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California, Davis, and a Master’s of Science from California State University, Sacramento.

Jessica Blakely

Strategy

Jessica Blakely serves as the Executive Director, Enterprise Strategy for The Raley’s Companies. In this role, Jessica leads the organization strategy and planning to help shape, prioritize and execute The Raley’s Companies strategic vision and long-range plan. Jessica works in close collaboration with senior leaders to deliver on The Raley’s Companies’ growth and transformation initiatives. 

Jessica joined Raley’s in 2014 as a Merchant Analyst supporting the Grocery Merchant team. Since then, Jessica has held various leadership roles within the Sales, Merchandising, and Pricing departments. Jessica is passionate about Private Label, and in a prior role, led a cross-functional focus to reposition and rebrand Raley’s Private Label offerings and go-to-market strategy. 

Jessica achieved her degree in Merchandise Marketing from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco and is a graduate of the USC Marshall School of Business Food Industry Management program. When not working, Jessica enjoys spending time with her family and hiking. 

Carol Barsotti

Co-CEO, fieldTRUE

Carol Barsotti leads all strategic initiatives for fieldTRUE, including further evolution of the farm-to-door online shopping experience, expansion into new markets, technology innovations, financial assessments, and product development. After starting her career with the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. and California, Carol joined the family business to challenge and modernize what consumers could expect from a farm box service. With 14 years of experience and leadership across fieldTRUE’s sales, customer experience, marketing, and technology teams, she continues to drive innovation in the areas of consumer education, e-commerce, and public relations. 

Carol serves as president of the Kathleen Barsotti Non-Profit for Sustainable Agriculture and holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business with an emphasis in Agricultural Policy from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a Master of Public Administration and Policy from American University. Carol and her husband, Freeman, have four children. 

Thaddeus Barsotti

Co-CEO, fieldTRUE

As Co-CEO of fieldTRUE and second-generation farmer, Thaddeus Barsotti continues the work his parents began as an advocate for sustainable regional food systems and inspiring people to choose organic, specialty produce and local food makers and growers.   

A well-spoken and passionate champion for a healthy agricultural landscape that connects directly with consumers, Thaddeus shares his farm experiences with fieldTRUE’s family of farm box members in a weekly farm news, serves on the board of California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), participates in panels and conferences and speaks with the media as an industry expert.   

Thaddeus leads sales and growth strategy for fieldTRUE with regional sales teams, wellness programs and corporate partners. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Thaddeus and his wife, Moyra, have three children. 

Freeman Barsotti

Chief Strategy & Integration Officer, fieldTRUE

As Chief Strategy and Integration Officer, Freeman identifies and executes on opportunities across the enterprise to enhance business operations and to support category and market expansion. During 15 years as co-CEO, his innovative technology development and strategic thinking expanded the level of convenience and service traditionally available to community supported farm box programs.  

With a commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture and local food systems, Freeman built a strong financial model and operational efficiencies that enabled farmers to aggregate and deliver produce directly to consumers. This allowed fieldTRUE’s brands to grow rapidly into new markets, successfully implement flexible home delivery and provide custom e-commerce features that connect consumers with hundreds of local sourcing relationships.  

Freeman holds a bachelor’s degree in Bio-Resource and Agricultural Engineering from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Freeman and his wife, Carol, have four children. 

Steve Mayer

Bashas’ Family of Stores

Steve Mayer is the Chief Operations Officer for Bashas’ Family of Stores. In his role, he leads sales and merchandising and store operations for stores across Arizona and New Mexico. As an industry veteran, Steve is experienced in sales, operations, pricing strategies, store layouts and merchandising plans. Recognized as one of the retail grocery industry’s “Most Valuable Buyers” by Progressive Grocer, he has held a variety of strategic leadership roles at some of the most renowned grocers across the country.   

Prior to Bashas’, Steve served as the Chief Merchant at Schnuck Markets, Inc., after serving as Group Vice President of Produce, Floral & Deli. He also served in executive roles at Meijer Corporation, Bi-Lo, Ahold USA, and Flavor 1st. 

Steve served as a business professor of both undergraduate and graduate programs at his alma mater, University of Phoenix, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, and a Master of Science in Organizational Management. He also earned a Doctor of Business Administration degree from California Coast University, and in 2011, completed the Harvard Business School’s certificate program. A transplant from the Midwest, Steve is an avid cycler and has participated in multiple father-son cycling races with his father. Steve and his wife, Jeanette, are the proud parents of three children.