Deere welcomes new board member

Deere & Company announced Dec. 8 its board of directors has elected Sherry M. Smith, an executive at SUPERVALU INC., to the board, effective immediately.

“Sherry has distinguished herself as a leader in financial management,” said Samuel R. Allen, chairman and chief executive officer, Deere & Company. “Her business insights into the value chain of agriculture will be important to Deere, and we are fortunate that Sherry has agreed to join the Deere & Company board of directors.”

Smith is executive vice president and chief financial officer at SUPERVALU INC., a $37-billion grocery company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. She has 25 years of experience in the grocery industry, progressing through various financial management positions including treasurer, corporate controller and senior vice president of finance. Smith has played a critical leadership role in several of the company’s strategic initiatives, including acquisitions and business transformation activities.

Smith is a certified public accountant. She is completing six years of service in December on the board of trustees at the Washburn Center for Children in Minneapolis. She also serves on the board of trustees for the St. Cloud University Foundation. She is a graduate of St. Cloud University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Deere & Company’s board will now total 12 members, 11 of whom are independent. In addition to Smith, the independent board members include:

Crandall C. Bowles, chairman, Springs Industries, Inc., and chairman, The Springs Company
Vance D. Coffman, retired chairman, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Charles O. Holliday Jr., chairman of the board, Bank of America Corporation
Dipak C. Jain, dean, INSEAD
Clayton M. Jones, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Joachim Milberg, chairman, supervisory board, Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) AG
Richard B. Myers, retired chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and retired general, United States Air Force
Thomas H. Patrick, chairman, New Vernon Capital, LLC
Aulana L. Peters, retired partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
David B. Speer, chairman and chief executive officer, Illinois Tool Works Inc.