Schnuck Markets Inc., the largest supermarket chain in the St. Louis area, has named Debra Ogston to head its human resources operations upon the retirement next year of Rick Frede.

"Debra has the world-class expertise we need to help set direction and bring a new perspective to how Schnucks identifies, recruits, trains and promotes world-class talent in service of our customers," Anthony Hucker, the company’s chief operations officer, said in a statement.

ST. LOUIS — Schnuck Markets Inc., the largest supermarket chain in the St. Louis area, has named Debra Ogston to head its human resources operations upon the retirement next year of Rick Frede.

Schnuck Markets Inc., the largest supermarket chain in the St. Louis area, has named Debra Ogston to head its human resources operations upon the retirement next year of Rick Frede.

As the retailer’s chief people officer, Ogston will oversee all aspects of human relations for the company and its 15,000 employees.

"Debra has the world-class expertise we need to help set direction and bring a new perspective to how Schnucks identifies, recruits, trains and promotes world-class talent in service of our customers," Anthony Hucker, the company’s chief operations officer, said in a statement.

Ogston has more than two decades of experience in human relations. She is a former vice president for human relations at Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a master’s in industrial and labor relations from the University of Wisconsin.

Schnucks operates about 100 stores, mostly in St. Louis but also in other Missouri locales as well as in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. All stores offer a full line of groceries, and most have pharmacies.