Kroger Health President Colleen Lindholz will retire after more than 30 years with The Kroger Co., ending a career that helped shape the grocer's health care and nutrition initiatives.
Lindholz joined Kroger in 1995 as a pharmacist in the Cincinnati-Dayton division and advanced through a series of pharmacy leadership positions before becoming president of Kroger Health in 2017, according to a community announcement.
During her tenure, Lindholz helped lead Kroger's Food as Medicine strategy and launched the Nourishing Change movement.
"Colleen is truly passionate about improving the health of communities across America," Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger's chief marketing and merchandising officer, said in the announcement. "Throughout her career, she championed
ways to help families live healthier lives by eating better-for-them foods. We appreciate her contributions to Kroger throughout her career and wish Colleen and her family well in this next chapter."
Before taking the top role at Kroger Health, Lindholz served in several pharmacy positions, including manager, coordinator, sales promoter, recruiter and merchandiser. She was promoted to director of pharmacy sales and marketing in 2013 and became president and CEO of The Little Clinic in 2015.
Awards and recognition
Lindholz received several company and industry honors during her career, including Kroger's Chairman's Award, Kroger Leadership Award and Progressive Grocer's Top Women in Grocery Rising Star Award.
She was recognized as one of the "Most Inspirational Female Leaders of the Year" by the Break the Ceiling Women in Leadership Summit in 2018 and one of the "Most Influential Women in Retailing" by Mass Market Retailers in 2020.
She also was recognized among Modern Healthcare's top women leaders in 2023 and named an MMR Influential Woman in 2024 and 2025. Under her leadership, Kroger Health was named Mass Market Retailer's Retailer of the Year in 2022, and Kroger Family of Pharmacies earned recognition as a Forbes Best Customer Service Company.
Industry and community involvement
Outside of Kroger, Lindholz served as chair of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and is executive chair of the American Heart Association's Heart Mini. She also serves as chair of the Easterseals Redwood Board of Directors of Greater Cincinnati.
Lindholz earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger Health President Colleen Lindholz retiring
