Diversity of our Leadership
We Continue to Make Progress in Increasing Diversity of our Leadership.
We saw solid year-over-year growth in representation of women at the Board level with a + 20% increase and the Executive Council level with a +13% increase. Black and African American representation in management is up year-over-year by 1%.
Robin Douthitt
Vice President Procurement
Robin’s Heritage Story
Born and raised in Ohio, Robin grew up in a lower-income, blue-collar family where education was not a major priority. She was the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Wanting to further her education, Robin put herself through college by working three jobs and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology. She started her career as a management trainee at a public utility gas company in Cleveland, OH. After completion of the 2-year program, she then accepted a position in the Gas Supply Planning & Engineering department where she gained hands on experience which further developed her strong work ethic. In this role she was the only female, non-engineer in the department.
Her first child was born significantly premature, so Robin decided to take time off to raise her children. There weren’t many part-time professional opportunities available in the late 1980’s. During that time, she went back to school to earn an MBA in Finance. When her children reached grade school age Robin accepted a position at a beer company in Boston, managing packaging procurement and bottling plant operations, where she gained valuable hands-on experience in manufacturing processes. Later Robin accepted a position at an international company that supports McDonald’s worldwide with packaging, supply chain management, and logistics. In this role she managed three packaging categories and gained experience in world class strategic sourcing methodology. Robin was responsible for leading one of the company’s largest global strategic sourcing reviews.
The roles that Robin has held throughout her career have provided her with the experience for a leadership role in sourcing and procurement. Robin joined JBSS in 2007 as Director of Procurement and is now the Vice President of Procurement, Packaging, and Ingredients. She’s built a strong team, elevated the strategic sourcing process, and facilitated strong relationships with colleagues and suppliers, among many other achievements. Throughout her career and life, Robin has pioneered various initiatives having been the only woman at many tables in male-dominated industries and has paved the way for the women to follow. Robin’s leadership is an embodiment of her resilient and inclusive nature. JBSS strives to foster a culture of strong and diverse leaders— who can bring unique perspectives, voices, and understand that our differences are what make us a stronger organization.
Eric Dioneo
Operations Manager
Eric’s Heritage Story
Eric was born and raised in the city of Mandaluyong in the Philippines. Growing up, Eric’s parents instilled in him the value of being family-oriented and importance of acting in good faith. His strong moral compass has had a significant impact on how he navigates the world as it relates to his personal life and career. Eric believes in leading with a conviction to treat his team as family – family, hospitality, and compassion are important values to Filipino culture and act as the foundation to forming strong relationships. When Eric immigrated to the United States, he experienced culture shock and felt intimidated by the stark differences in local customs. Everything that he once knew in the Philippines— his culture, environment, friends, and family— were no longer in his day-to-day life. He found comfort in maintaining his cultural heritage by cooking his favorites dishes that he learned from his mother, speaking his native language of Tagalog with his wife and kids, and using technology to stay connected with friends and family in the Philippines.
Despite the culture shock, Eric was driven by his values to succeed and determination to provide for his family. In 2008, Eric began his career with JBSS as a Quality Assurance (QA) supervisor. Eric found that JBSS’ values closely aligned to his own. As a family-run company, JBSS strongly believes in fostering a people-centric environment; rooted in uplifting and supporting each other to get the job done.
Today, Eric manages our entire Operations team at our 1.1 million square foot facility in Elgin, IL. With more than six hundred people reporting through Eric, he continues to support and treat them as extension of his family. Eric’s accomplishments are a testament to his strong work ethic, determination, and strong moral compass. Reflecting on his career, he recognizes the integral part that his heritage has shaped where he is today.
