10 Hy-Vee operations leaders
Group Vice President, Fast & Fresh Operations, Vice President Operations and Regional Vice President are among the current titles held by these Hy-Vee operations leaders, alongside assistant vice presidents of operations and Chief Operating Officer FDI. A reader can learn how operations leaders work at Hy-Vee from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Angela Waltz
LinkedInExperience: Group Vice President, Fast & Fresh Operations · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Angela Waltz has been Group Vice President, Fast & Fresh Operations at Hy-Vee, Inc. since October 2022, in Dallas County, Iowa. At Hy-Vee, Inc. they were Vice President, Market Grille (2021–2022), Group Vice President, Restaurant Development (2019–2021) and Assistant Vice President, Restaurant Development (2012–2019).
Angie Nelson
LinkedInExperience: Former Vice President, Pharmacy Operations · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Angie Nelson is a former Vice President, Pharmacy Operations at Hy-Vee, Inc., a role held from January 2019 to November 2020, in the Des Moines area. Angie Nelson has been Senior Vice President, Pharmacy at Hy-Vee, Inc. since November 2020 and was Vice President, Health, Wellness, and Business Development there in 2020.
Brad Auge
LinkedInExperience: Regional Vice President · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Brad Auge has been Regional Vice President at Hy-Vee, Inc. since April 2025, based in Springfield, Missouri. At Hy-Vee, Inc. they were District Store Director (2023–2025), Regional Vice President (2022–2023), District Vice President in 2022 and District Store Director (2010–2022).
Chris Strub
LinkedInExperience: Assistant Vice President Operations · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Chris Strub has been Assistant Vice President Operations at Hy-Vee, Inc. since October 2025, a role the profile places in Sioux City, Iowa, in the Operations department. Chris Strub also lists a District Vice President role at Hy-Vee, Inc. that ended in November 2025, and the location line reads Louisville, Kentucky.
Debra Riedel
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer FDI, GVP Hy-Vee Inc. · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Debra Riedel has been Chief Operating Officer FDI, GVP Hy-Vee Inc. at Hy-Vee, Inc. since April 2017, based in Ankeny, Iowa, in the Des Moines area. The profile says the role oversees the operations of Florist Distributing, and the title also names a group vice president role at Hy-Vee Inc.
Eric Gharst
LinkedInExperience: Assistant Vice President Operations Lincoln · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Eric Gharst has been Assistant Vice President Operations Lincoln at Hy-Vee, Inc. since July 2025 and President D&D Foods at Hy-Vee, Inc. since January 2025, in the Omaha area. At Hy-Vee, Inc. they were Regional Vice President (2022–2025), District Vice President (2021–2022) and Store Director (2016–2021).
Jason Wagner
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Operations · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Jason Wagner has been Vice President Operations at Hy-Vee, Inc. since October 2020, in the Omaha area, and the profile headline reads Vice President, Operations D&D Foods, Subsidiary of Hy-Vee Inc. They were Assistant Vice President of Operations D&D Foods at Hy-Vee, Inc. (2016–2020), Market Manager at Hy-Vee, Inc. (2013–2016) and Meat Manager at Publix Super Markets (2009–2013).
Jeff Mueller
LinkedInExperience: Former Executive Vice President, Retail Operations · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Jeff Mueller is a former Executive Vice President, Retail Operations at Hy-Vee, Inc., a role held from January 2025 to July 2026, and has been Chief Supply Chain Officer at Hy-Vee, Inc. since July 2026, in the Des Moines area. Jeff Mueller was also Executive Vice President Operations, North at Hy-Vee, Inc. (2024–2025).
Tom Crocker
LinkedInExperience: Former Senior Vice President Perishable Operations · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Tom Crocker is a former Senior Vice President Perishable Operations at Hy-Vee, Inc., a role held from April 2022 to January 2023, based in Clive, Iowa. At Hy-Vee, Inc. Tom Crocker was also Senior Vice President Illionis Region (2021–2022), Senior Vice President Center Store in 2021 and Senior Vice President Ecommerce (2019–2021).
Wade Leppert
LinkedInExperience: Assistant Vice President Operations, Madison · Hy-Vee, Inc.
Wade Leppert has been Assistant Vice President Operations, Madison at Hy-Vee, Inc. since May 2026, based in West Des Moines, Iowa. At Hy-Vee, Inc. they were Vice President, Private Brands (2025–2026), Regional Vice President (2024–2025) and District Store Director (2020–2024), and they list a Board Member role at Hy-Vee, Inc. in 2024.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's part of the operation to the decision you face, since regional store, prepared foods, subsidiary, pharmacy and perishable operations roles see different parts of the work. Weigh how recently someone held the role against the depth of the roles they held around it.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What does your operations role own day to day, and how does it work with the store and merchandising teams around it?
- 02What did you change first when you took on your operations role, and why?
- 03What would you tell someone stepping into an operations leadership role at a large grocery chain for the first time?
Reaching Hy-Vee operations leaders
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.