Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute to Honor JCPenney Chairman and CEO with Leadership Award

New Haven, Conn., December 13, 2010 – JCPenney Company, Inc., chairman and CEO Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, will accept the Legend in Leadership Award of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute at a ceremony to be held December 16 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

The award will be presented to Mr. Ullman by Liz Claiborne chairman Kay Koplovitz, Levi Strauss & Co. chairman Richard L. Kauffman, and NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer at the 65th gathering of the Yale CEO Summit of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, the nation’s first CEO college.

Ullman has served as chairman of the board and CEO of JCPenney Company, Inc. since 2004. He was directeur general, group managing director of LVMH Möet Hennessy Louis Vuitton from 1999 to 2002. Ullman previously served as group chairman and CEO of DFS Group Limited (1995–1999) and as chairman and CEO of R.H. Macy & Co., Inc. (1992–1995). He was appointed a White House Fellow by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Ullman serves on the boards of Starbucks Coffee Company and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He serves on the Retail Industry Leaders Association Board of Directors. Ullman is also chairman of the board of Mercy Ships International, a global medical and human services charity, and also is on the board of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a charity that sponsors robotics competitions designed to motivate youth to pursue education and careers in science and technology.

Conference organizer Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean of the Yale School of Management, commented:

“Mike Ullman is a retailer’s retailer and a wizard of wisdom on consumer behavior. He has triumphantly transformed four consumer marketing powerhouses. Presently, Mike is leading JCPenney brilliantly into its second century by embracing style while also rediscovering its value-loving roots. Just this season we have seen JCPenney enjoy its best Black Friday sales in its history with same-store sales up 9.2% over analyst estimates of 3.1%. Wherever Mike has worked, he has left a lasting impact on his immediate community as well, such as in Hong Kong where he started an orphanage and health related philanthropy. Mike epitomizes the mission of this coveted leadership award.”

While the discussions of the Yale CEO Summit are off the record, the press is invited to attend the Legend in Leadership Award presentation to Ullman on Thursday, December 16, at 5:00 p.m. in the Empire Room of the Waldorf Astoria, 301 Park Avenue. Advance registration is required.

The conference theme is “Courageous Calls vs. Reckless Risk: Leading through the Unknowable & Triumphing the Unknown.” Distinguished global corporate leaders from across industries will engage in lively, candid discussions at this invitation-only leaders’ conference hosted by the Yale School of Management.

Among the expected conference participants are: David Abney, chief operating officer, UPS; John Bogle, founder, the Vanguard Group; Ashton Carter, undersecretary, U.S. Department of Defense; Prabhu Dayal, consul general of India, New York; Mickey Drexler, CEO, J. Crew; Mark Fields, president, Americas, Ford Motor Company; Mohammed I. Al Hammadi, CEO, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation; Robert D. Hormats, undersecretary, U.S. Department of State; Robert Kelly, CEO, BNY Mellon; Jeffrey Kindler, former CEO, Pfizer; Jerold Mande, deputy under secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Hon. Jed S. Rakoff, United States district judge, Southern District of New York; Stephen Roach, non-executive chairman, Morgan Stanley Asia; Stephen Schwarzman, CEO, the Blackstone Group; John Whitehead, retired co-chairman, Goldman Sachs; and James Quigley, CEO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Conference sponsors include Alvarez & Marsal, CNBC, Deloitte, IBM, North Highland, Russell Reynolds Associates, UPS, and Volt Information Sciences.

The Legend in Leadership Award was created to honor current and former CEOs who serve as living legends to inspire chief executives across industries, sectors, and nations. Past recipients of the award include Ratan Tata of Tata Sons; Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani; Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase; Roger Iger of the Walt Disney Company; Stephen Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group; Roger Enrico of PepsiCo; John Pepper of Procter & Gamble; Don Keough of the Coca-Cola Co.; McKinsey founder Marvin Bower; Jim Kelly of UPS; Richard Teerlink of Harley-Davidson; Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson; Lou Gerstner of IBM; and Anne Mulcahy of Xerox.

The Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute was founded in 1989 to provide original research on top leadership and lively, current educational forums through peer-driven learning for accomplished leaders across sectors. Visit the Yale CELI website for more information.

For an interview with Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, or to register for the Legend in Leadership Award presentation and closing reception, please contact:

Joseph DeLillo: joseph.delillo@yale.edu, +1 404-307-6146
Bonnie Blake: bonnie.blake@yale.edu, +1 203-915-4783
Dan Mullins: dan.mullins@yale.edu, +1 770-605-5032