Rachel Michelin has led California Women Lead for the past 16 years
Sacramento, CA – January 22, 2019 – After an extensive nationwide search, the California Retailers Association (CRA) Board of Directors has named Rachel Michelin as its new President. The search committee was seeking a new president who would best represent the Association’s diverse membership, develop effective public policy and business strategies as well as maintain CRA’s role as the unified and credible voice of California’s retail industry.
“We are thrilled that Rachel Michelin will be leading our next chapter as we embrace the changing face of retail,” said the California Retailers Association Executive Committee in a statement. “We are confident that Rachel’s leadership will continue the Association’s record of excellence in serving retail interests in the Legislature and with the new Governor’s Administration.”
“I am thrilled to join the California Retailers Association during this time of change for the industry,” said Rachel Michelin. “With a newly elected Governor and new legislative session, I look forward to advocating for the best interests of the retail industry that provides over 3.2 million jobs across every community in this state.”
Rachel Michelin is a well-respected leader in California as the CEO of California Women Lead which is a non-partisan organization of elected women for the past 16 years. During Rachel’s tenure and visionary leadership, California Women Lead experienced dramatic growth aligned with a strategic plan that connected business, tech, elected officials, Governor’s appointees and regulators. Rachel effectively developed programs that encouraged more women to run for office and worked closely with Governor Brown’s Administration to encourage more women than ever to apply and be granted gubernatorial appointments.
“Through this process, we were fortunate to have a number of well-qualified candidates from across the nation,” said the Executive Committee. “During this time of transition, the Association benefitted from the tireless work and leadership of our interim president Pamela Williams who has long been dedicated to our members and advocating for retail interests. We’re grateful for her ongoing commitment to our organization and our members”
Rachel Michelin will begin on February 19, 2019.
About the California Retailers Association
The California Retailers Association is the only statewide trade association representing all segments of the retail industry including general merchandise, department stores, mass merchandisers, restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets and grocery stores, chain drug, and specialty retail such as auto, vision, jewelry, hardware and home stores. CRA works on behalf of California’s retail industry, which currently operates over 418,840 retail establishments with a gross domestic product of $330 billion annually and employs 3,211,805 people—one fourth of California’s total employment. At the end of fiscal year 2014 the state of California collected $48.5 billion in revenue from retail sales and use taxes, representing more than 25% of the state revenue.
