Caroline Hipple, CEO of HB2 Resources, was elected Chair of the American Home Furnishings Alliance Board of Directors during the organization’s Annual Meeting & CEO Conference in Savannah, Georgia, November 14. She is the first woman to serve as board chair in the association’s 120-year history.
Hipple, who joined the AHFA Board in 2020 while president of Norwalk Furniture, was the fourth woman to serve as a director on the board, following Amini Audi (Stickley) in 2008, Stefanie Lucas (Rowe Furniture) in 2010 and Karol Czanderna (Flexsteel) in 2015.
Melinda Whittington, CEO of La-Z-Boy, who joined the board in 2022, will serve as first vice chair in 2026. Jeremy Hoff, CEO of Hooker Furnishings, is second vice chair. Andy Bray, president of Vanguard, completes the AHFA Executive Committee serving as immediate past chair.
Executives named to new three-year terms on the Board of Directors are Mike Bradshaw, Avalon Furniture; Jamie Collins, Homelegance; Mark Franklin, Franklin Corporation; Eric Graham, Baker Furniture; Sean O’Connor, Universal Furniture; Eric Parsons, Jensen Outdoor; and Veronica Schnitzius, American Leather.
Executives who are continuing on the board with terms expiring at the end of 2026 are Doug Bassett, Vaughan-Bassett Furniture; Chad Gore, Leggett & Platt Furniture Components; Travis Wagner, Ashley Furniture Industries; and Mark Weber, Southern Motion.
Board members with terms expiring at the end of 2027 are Jeremy Copeland, Carpenter Company; Jessie Flanders, Lloyd Flanders; Fred Henjes, Riverside Furniture; and Derek Schmidt, Flexsteel Industries.
New officers and directors assume their roles in January.