CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. said Tuesday that it has tapped Walmart veteran Sonya Hostetler to serve as president of its Nashville division, which comprises 91 stores across middle and eastern Tennessee, northern Alabama and southern Kentucky.

Sonya Hostetler

Her appointment is effective August 1. She succeeds Zane Day, who previously announced his plans to retire from the company after nearly 45 years of service.

“We’re pleased to welcome Sonya to the Kroger family of companies,” Kroger executive vice president and chief operating officer Mike Donnelly said in a statement. “Sonya is a well-respected leader in the retail industry who’s innovative and strategic. She will help us to continue to redefine the grocery customer experience and develop talent, accelerating our Restock Kroger vision in the Nashville market.”

Hostetler has spent the past 30 years with Walmart, where she started as an hourly associate and went on to hold key leadership positions in retail, asset protection, human resources and operations. Hostetler most recently served as a vice president and regional general manager based in Dallas. In this role, Hostetler led 13 markets, 122 stores and 45,000 associates. Her previous leadership positions included corporate vice president of asset protection and safety; vice president and regional general manager based in Bentonville, Ark.; senior director for divisional loss prevention; senior people director for health and wellness human resources; and store manager.

Hostetler has served on the boards for the Arkansas Rice Depot, a local food bank, and North Texas Food Bank. She has also volunteered with the Children’s Miracle Network, Race for the Cure and American Heart Association.