WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — In 2022, Donna Tweeten was promoted to president of Hy-Vee Inc., becoming the first woman to hold that position at the 94-year-old company.

Tweeten has steadily ascended the executive ladder since she came to the company’s corporate office in 2006 as assistant vice president of communications. In her tenure at the Midwest-based grocer, Tweeten has overseen the emergence of Hy-Vee’s image, blending food, health and lifestyle to become a leading brand in the retail grocery space.

As president, Tweeten oversees marketing; merchandising; Hy-Vee’s retail media network, RedMedia; and private brands; as well as customer care, corporate communications, and celebrity and sports partnerships.

Donna Tweeten

In an industry where males overwhelmingly dominate leadership roles, Tweeten’s success has been exceptional. She credits Hy-Vee’s leadership, particularly Hy-Vee executive chairman Randy Edeker, with having made it a priority to elevate more women to senior executive positions.

“I’m very proud to be in an organization that understands the value of having a female perspective at the table at all times, no matter the topic,” says Tweeten. “It clearly makes sense when you think about the fact that the majority of our customer base happens to be female.”

Tweeten considers mentoring other women a serious responsibility and focuses on helping them navigate different challenges, such as work-life balance.

“Women are taught that you have to climb that ladder as fast as you can, but that’s not necessarily true,” says Tweeten. “I always coach women through that — becoming a parent doesn’t mean that they’re stepping off the ladder. I tell them, ‘Know you’re still on it, but understand you have to be patient and maintain your ­self-confidence.’ ”

Looking back on the time that she has been president, Tweeten can point with pride to several notable achievements, such as the evolution of Hy-Vee’s innovative loyalty programs and the launch of Seasons TV (originally Helpful Smiles TV), the first launch by a retailer of a streaming edutainment/entertainment network. In addition, the company has launched its own retail media network, RedMedia, which has already won praise as one of the top five retail media networks in the industry.

But her greatest source of pride, and the reason she has remained with Hy-Vee for so long, is the company’s core values.

“The mission that we have of making people’s lives easier, healthier and happier always guides every single decision that’s made from a board room perspective,” says Tweeten. “It also guides every decision made at retail. It’s just ingrained in our culture.”