James D. White is a seasoned business leader with 30 years of industry knowledge, primarily within the consumer-packaged goods and retail sectors. Mr. White served for eight years, from 2008 to 2016, as the Chairman, President and CEO of Jamba Inc. During his tenure Mr. White, led the successful turnaround and transformation of the company from a made-to-order smoothie shop to a global, healthy active lifestyle brand.
Prior to Jamba Inc., from 2005 to 2008, Mr. White was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Safeway, Inc., a leading U.S. supermarket chain. From 1983 to 2005 Mr. White held management roles at Gillette, Nestle Purina and Coca-Cola. Additionally, Mr. White currently serves on the boards of Affirm Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFRM), The Honest Company (Nasdaq: HNST), Panera Bread Company-JAB Holdings and Schnucks. He previously served on the boards of Adtalem Global Education, Bradshaw Home, CallidusCloud, Daymon Worldwide, Hillshire Brands and Keane Inc.
His non-profit board experience includes Directors Academy, where he is a founding member and currently Board Chairman, as well as Board Chairman for Fair Trade USA. He previously served on the non-profit boards of the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, The Organic Center and the Network of Executive Women. Mr. White received a Bachelors of Science degree, with a major in marketing, from The University of Missouri and an MBA from Fontbonne University. He is also a graduate of the Cornell University Food Executive Program and was a Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute Fellow in 2018.