Title: 1) Managing Partner; 2) Retired Chief Executive Officer
Company: 1) The Sierra Institute; 2) Zales
Location: Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States
Theo M. Killion, Managing Partner at The Sierra Institute and Retired Chief Executive Officer at Zales, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Human Resources.
Mr. Killion has garnered a robust background in the human resources sector over the past four decades. Throughout his tenure, he has held leading corporate positions with organizations, beginning in 1975 as a senior vice president of human resources at R. H. Macy & Company Inc. (now Macy’s Inc.), where he served for two decades. More recently, Mr. Killion was affiliated with Zales as the executive vice president of human resources, legal and strategy in 2008, president from 2008 to 2010, and chief executive officer between 2010 and 2014.
Throughout his remarkable career, Mr. Killion has been active with numerous other organizations in various capacities. Since 2016, he has focused his time on The Sierra Institute as a managing partner. The organization is devoted to supporting chief human resources officers (CHROs). The exclusive membership requires referrals, offers groups to no more than 30 CHROs nationwide at any given time, and hosts two in-person meetings per year to discuss significant topics within the field. In his role, Mr. Killion continues to support efforts relating to the human resources sector in retirement.
Among other affiliations, Mr. Killion has been the vice chair of A Better Chance in New York City since 2016. The nonprofit holds a special significance to him, as it was founded over 60 years ago during the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, recognizing the need for diversity in education. Mr. Killion has also been active on the board of directors for Claire’s in Illinois since 2018, a board of director member for Torrid in California since 2021, and a board of advisors member for arts and sciences at Tufts University since 2021. Earlier, Mr. Killion was active in various other board positions with EXPRESS, Libbey Inc., Herbert Mines Associates and Tailored Brands, among others.
After leaving Macy’s Inc., Mr. Killion garnered numerous high-level positions. He was acquired by the Home Shopping Network as the senior vice president of human resources from 1995 to 1996. He then joined Lane Bryant as the vice president of human resources between 1996 and 1999, Limited Brands in the same capacity from 1999 to 2004, Tommy Hilfiger as the executive vice president of human resources between 2004 and 2006, and Berglass Grayson as an executive search consultant from 2006 and 2008 before being recruited by Zales.
During his tenure in his field, Mr. Killion was responsible for numerous accomplishments. Most notably, he was involved in turning around a company facing bankruptcy, preserving the jobs of 13,000 individuals.
Mr. Killion’s success has earned him an interview by The History Makers in 2022. He also received several accolades, including a Visionary Merchant Award from Texas A&M University in 2012, a Dreambuilder Award and a Benjamin Mays Award from A Better Chance in 2013 and 2020, respectively, and an Outstanding Career and Service Award from Tufts University in 2018. In preparation for his future, Mr. Killion received a Bachelor of Arts in English and history and a Master of Arts in education from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1973 and 1975, respectively.
Looking toward the future, Mr. Killion aims to continue working with The Sierra Institute, now focusing on artificial intelligence’s impact and other relative issues. He also intends to organize Zoom meetings throughout the year to open the dialogue surrounding these topics.
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