USC Marshall Honors Safeway’s NoCal Division President

The Food Industry Management Program at the USC Marshall School of Business will honor Karl Schroeder, president of Safeway’s Northern California Division, as the Food Industry Executive of the Year during its annual graduation banquet on the USC campus April 17.

Schroeder graduated from Marshall’s Food Industry Management Program (FIM) in 1990 while he was a district manager in Phoenix. “Karl Schroeder’s experience leading a group of 270 grocery stores in California, Nevada, and Hawaii makes him the perfect example and mentor for this year’s FIM class,” said Robert Hermanns, director of the Food Industry Program at the USC Marshall School of Business.

USC presents the FIM Executive of the Year award annually to a food industry executive who has shown extraordinary leadership while producing exceptional business results. Schroeder joined Safeway in 1976 as a courtesy clerk in the Phoenix Division; he was named President of the Northern California Division in 2004.

Named president and chairman of the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC) in 2010, Schroeder now advises its executive board. He also serves on the board of the Bay Area Council, and executive boards of Junior Achievement of Northern California and the California Business Roundtable.

Schroeder, who holds a B.A. in organizational leadership and behavior from the University of San Francisco, recently received the Dean’s Medal of Excellence from the McLaren School of Management.

The Food Industry Management Program at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business marked its 55th anniversary. Each year, a maximum of 35 students are chosen from a wide range of companies in the food industry to participate in the elite 14-week program. Each student accepted into the program receives a full tuition scholarship through the Western Association of Food Chains. Individuals selected must have proven records of management accomplishments with significant potential for future advancement.