OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Guess & Co. Corporation has changed the management structure of the company and appointed the company's leadership team at the board and officer level. The change to the management structure was made after the Board approved new By-Laws for the corporation. The change makes the president the most senior officer of the company and the chief executive officer reports to the president. All other executives report to the chief executive officer. The Board also made changes to its leadership and advisers. "Guess & Co. Corporation continues to fine-tune our company to position us as the premier leader in rural energy, rural health care, rural technology and rural real estate as we prepare to revitalize and serve rural communities following the passage of the infrastructure bill, our leadership team includes individuals with strong backgrounds in our industry areas and in government, along with a keen understanding of rural life, particularly in the Midwestern United States, which is the heart of the country," stated Jerry D. Guess, chairman and president of Guess & Co. Corporation. The new leadership team for Guess & Co. Corporation is as follows:

Jerry D. Guess, Chairman and President

Jerry D. Guess is founder and president of Guess & Co. Corporation. Mr. Guess has 17 years of business, professional, and government experience. A serial entrepreneur, he started his first business when he was 12 years old. He launched a public relations and marketing firm at the age of 15 years old. When he was 16 years old, he started a holding company that grew rapidly within a few months. Mr. Guess began acquiring companies when he was 17 years of age. He served as president and chief operating officer of an internet service provider and successfully launched the company's platform ahead of schedule. Mr. Guess was chairman and CEO of a diversified small business consulting firm that grew to multiple offices in less than 12 months. He has been chairman and president of a general contractor focused on commercial building and high-end residential properties. His government experience includes a supervisory level position with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau in which he was in charge of field teams for statistical data collection operations.  Mr. Guess is the principal co-founder of a company that operates businesses that provide employment to disadvantaged persons including those with criminal records, welfare recipients, and individuals with disabilities. Despite his own personal setbacks, Mr. Guess decided to launch a mission-driven company when he founded Guess & Co. Corporation in 2017 as part of his second chance. Determined to positively impact society, Mr. Guess assembled a Board of Directors and management team while initially serving in a non-executive capacity as a principal and being a close adviser to the company. Mr. Guess completed business coursework at Adams State University. He is currently enrolled at University of Maryland Global Campus where he is earning a degree in a Legal Studies Degree with a minor in Economics. The Board of Directors appointed Mr. Guess to the position of chief executive officer of Guess & Co. Corporation in January of 2019 and named him chairman of the board of directors, and he assumed the president position in May of 2021. As chairman and president, Mr. Guess leads the company and oversees its direction. 

James R. Jackson, Deputy Chairman

James R. Jackson is shareholder, director and deputy chairman of the Board of Directors of Guess & Co. Corporation.  Mr. Jackson is an experienced financial professional. He retired from Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) after over 37 years of service. He began his financial career as a fiduciary tax associate for the financial institution. Mr. Jackson became a charitable trust officer for the bank and was responsible for managing over 500 accounts for the bank's wealth management clients. Following his retirement, Mr. Jackson became a partner in a private security service. In that role, he facilitated training and handled administration and business development. Mr. Jackson joined Guess & Co. Corporation initially as special adviser and worked closely with the board of directors and senior management on important matters. As a director and deputy chairman, Mr. Jackson is responsible for overseeing the governance of the company along with the chairman. Mr. Jackson served as vice-chairman prior to his current position. He was appointed deputy chairman in October 2021. He is a member of the executive committee of the board of directors. Mr. Jackson is chairman of the nominating and governance committee of the board of directors, and a member of the audit committee of the board of directors. 

Colleen Berry, Vice-Chairman

Colleen Berry is shareholder, director and vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of Guess & Co. Corporation.  Ms. Berry is an experienced public accounting professional. She began her career in public company accounting with Ernst & Young and remained with the firm until her retirement as a partner. During her time at the firm, Ms. Berry was a partner in the Assurance division, and specifically, the Financial Services Organization (FSO), Banking and Capital Markets Group Practice. Ms. Berry served as a trusted advisor to the audit committee and management teams of broker-dealers, mutual funds, and banks throughout North America and abroad. Her tenure with Ernst & Young included being based in the firm's Cincinnati, Chicago, Toronto, and McLean offices. Ms. Berry earned her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with a minor in French from the University of Dayton. She earned a Master of Science in Financial Markets from the Illinois Institute of Technology. She was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Virginia and a Chartered Accountant by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. She completed the EY Executive Management Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Ms. Berry was appointed to the board of directors in September of 2021 and appointed vice-chairman in October of 2021. As a director and vice-chairman, Ms. Berry is responsible for overseeing the governance of the company along with the chairman and deputy chairman.  Ms. Berry is a member of the executive committee, a member of the audit committee, a member of the nominating and governance committee of the board of directors.

Mitchell M. Cohen, Lead Director

Mitchell M. Cohen is shareholder, director and lead director of the Board of Directors of Guess & Co. Corporation. Mr. Cohen is a seasoned executive and corporate director. Mr. Cohen is chief executive officer at Pursuit Management LLC. He served as chief financial officer of Athenian Venture Partners. He has more than 30 years of financial, operations and general business experience as a senior executive at several public and private companies. Prior to Athenian, Mr. Cohen completed an engagement as the interim financial executive of a publicly traded asset manager. He also spent nearly five years as the CFO and secretary of Asta Funding, Inc. Mr. Cohen has also spent over seven years in public accounting with a heavy emphasis on financial audits of hedge funds and mergers and acquisitions engagements. Mr. Cohen has experience raising money in intricate PIPE transactions, reverse mergers, public offerings, and private company financings. Mr. Cohen served as the chief financial officer, executive vice-president, and secretary of Ramp Corp. from November 2003 to September 2004 and served as its principal accounting officer since November 2003. Mr. Cohen joined Ramp Corp. (Formerly Medix Resources Inc.) in November 2003. From June 2002 to October 2003, he was a financial and business consultant to three public companies. From November 1998 to May 2002, he served as chief financial officer of Siebert Financial Corp. and served as its executive vice-president. The public companies included Siebert Financial Corporation, Everything's Jake and Ehrlich Bober Financial Corporation. Mr. Cohen has taught continuing professional education classes for accountants with a focus on Securities and Exchange Commission matters and has taught continuing education classes at Hofstra University. He has also been a featured speaker at investment and industry conferences. He served as the chief financial officer of two other publicly traded companies. Mr. Cohen graduated from Queens College with a B.A. in Accounting and with a minor in Economics. As lead director, Mr. Cohen has an important oversight role for the company's board to ensure that the company adheres to high standards of governance. He is a member of the nominating and governance committee of the board of directors. Mr. Cohen is chairman of the audit committee of the board of directors.

Kevin J. Kline, J.D., Chief Special Adviser

Kevin J. Kline is shareholder and chief special adviser to the Board of Directors of Guess & Co. Corporation. Mr. Kline retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division in Connecticut. He managed over 175 employees in that field office and oversaw National Security, Intelligence and Administrative programs for the division. Prior to overseeing the New Haven FBI office, Mr. Kline was an Inspector at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for conducting compliance audits of FBI field offices and working closely with the FBI Director. During his time at FBI headquarters, he created and implemented a new method to assess the performance of FBI executives. Prior to working at headquarters, Mr. Kline was the On-Scene Commander in Afghanistan for the FBI's Counter-terrorism Division. Prior to his international assignment, Mr. Kline was Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division in Massachusetts. While overseeing the Boston division, Mr. Kline managed over 225 employees and put together joint task forces for terrorism investigations. He also led the team in successfully locating, apprehending, and securing a conviction of a Boston organized crime fugitive. As Supervisory Special Agent for the Newark Division in New Jersey, Mr. Kline led the investigation related to the 9/11 attacks in New Jersey and United Airlines Flight 93. Mr. Kline earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Education, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Canisius College. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from The Albany Law School of Union University. Mr. Kline works closely with members of leadership team and our Board of Directors to ensure effective compliance and risk management for Guess & Co. Corporation. Mr. Kline joined Guess & Co. Corporation as special adviser in December of 2020. He became chief special adviser in October of 2021. Aside from Guess & Co. Corporation, Mr. Kline is chief operating officer for The Aggeris Group, LLC an investigative and security firm.

D. Michelle Stewart, Chief Executive Officer

D. Michelle Stewart is principal shareholder and chief executive officer of Guess & Co. Corporation. Ms. Stewart is a seasoned executive and business professional with over 20 years of experience.  She has completed studies in Organizational Leadership at Colorado State University Global.  She joined Guess & Co. Corporation in 2017 after a long career in real estate investment and business financing. She served as interim executive vice-president and managing director handling corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions for the company. She served as president of the company overseeing day to day operations. She has been a member of the company's Board of Directors in a senior capacity. She returned from retirement in September of 2021 to serve as the company's chief operating officer and chief financial officer.  In December of 2021, Ms. Stewart was appointed to the position of chief executive officer. Ms. Stewart works closely with the president of the company to oversee its direction and growth and she provides leadership to the executive team.

William E. Durant, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer & Group President, Business Operations

William E. Durant is shareholder, chief operating officer, chief financial officer and group president of business operations of Guess & Co. Corporation. Mr. Durant has over 30 years of financial, manufacturing, operations, and general business experience. He has been chief financial officer as well as director of operations and finance respectively for two different manufacturing and distribution startups in consumer electronics. He helped grow both organizations into multi-million-dollar entities through growth domestically and worldwide. Mr. Durant also has entrepreneurial experience starting a construction company specializing in residential steel frame construction and his own consumer electronics sales company. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from Emporia State University and has training in Lean Six Sigma. Mr. Durant joined Guess & Co. Corporation in October of 2021. Mr. Durant was appointed chief operating officer and chief financial officer in December of 2021. As chief operating officer, chief financial officer and group president of business operations, Mr. Durant works closely with the chief executive officer of the company.  He is responsible for the day to day operations and financial affairs of the corporation including financial reporting.

Angela M. Ates, Senior Executive Vice-President, Secretary & Treasurer

Angela M. Ates is shareholder, senior executive vice-president, secretary, and treasurer of Guess & Co. Corporation.  Ms. Ates is an experienced business professional with nearly two decades of experience. She began her business career as administrator and later as a vice-president of a consulting firm where she was responsible for administration and human resources. Ms. Ates joined Sprint as a business account representative and successfully managed a portfolio of business wireless service accounts. She served as an associate vice-president for a diversified company in which she handled business development and facilitated merger/acquisition negotiations. At Manpower, Ms. Ates was a talent acquisition specialist and worked with businesses seeking employees for their operations.  Most recently, Ms. Ates was a recruiter for the residential mortgage operations at Wells Fargo. She has served as secretary and treasurer of a private holding company and has experience with corporate records and custody of assets. Ms. Ates joined Guess & Co. Corporation in August of 2021 as assistant secretary and assistant treasurer. Ms. Ates was appointed secretary and treasurer in August of 2021 and appointed senior executive vice-president in October of 2021. Ms. Ates has responsibility for corporate records including shareholder records and official records of the company, and is responsible for the custody of company assets. 

Jennifer M. Britt, Executive Vice-President, Managing Director, Deputy Secretary & Deputy Treasurer

Jennifer M. Britt is shareholder, executive vice-president, managing director, deputy secretary and deputy treasurer of Guess & Co. Corporation. Ms. Britt joined Guess & Co. Corporation in August of 2021 as a senior executive assistant to the CEO.  Prior to her current position, Ms. Britt served as corporate vice-president, executive director, assistant secretary and assistant treasurer. Ms. Britt is an experienced business professional. She has served as vice-president, secretary and treasurer of a private holding company. She has a strong legal field background. Ms. Britt began a paralegal career working for small and mid-sized law firms. She supported lawyers handling bankruptcy and civil litigation cases. In her current roles with Guess & Co. Corporation, Ms. Britt provides support to the chief executive officer and president of the company and works with other members of the leadership team to accomplish the company's objectives. She also handles special projects and initiatives throughout the company and works to ensure organizational effectiveness. 

Angela S. Purnell, Executive Vice-President & Managing Director, Corporate Operations/Corporate Finance

Angela S. Purnell is shareholder, executive vice-president and managing director of corporate operations and corporate finance for Guess & Co. Corporation. Ms. Purnell joined Guess & Co. Corporation initially in March of 2021 and was with the company as executive vice-president, corporate operations officer, and assistant secretary-treasurer She also served as special assistant to the chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Ms. Purnell has over 20 years of experience in corporate management, corporate training, and corporate administration. Ms. Purnell returned to Guess & Co. Corporation in October of 2021 to assume her current positions. In her current roles, Ms. Purnell is responsible for day-to-day corporate operations and finance including policy development and implementation, procedure development and implementation, human resources, benefits, payroll, credit/collections, accounts payable, accounts receivable, general accounting, and cash management.

About Guess & Co. Corporation

Guess & Co. Corporation is committed to revitalizing and providing stewardship to rural communities through energy, health care, technology, and real estate solutions. We commenced operations in August of 2017. We serve communities, small businesses, corporations and governments while improving the welfare of people. Guess & Co. Corporation is a registered contractor with the U.S. Government to provide solutions to federal government agencies and members of our company have active top-secret/SCI clearances. We are based in Overland Park, Kansas and we operate primarily in the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and North Carolina.

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