Traceability & Sustainability Conference

Meet our Keynote Speakers

Todd Corley, SVP of Inclusion, Sustainability and Community, Carhartt, Inc.

Todd Corley is Carhartt’s SVP of Inclusion, Sustainability and Community. In this role, he leads the 135-year-old global workwear brand’s strategy on environmental and social impact. 

As a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission, he advances policy changes that will secure equitable access to nutritious, sustainable food and root out discrimination across America’s food supply chain to improve the welfare of farmers, consumers, and the environment.

A life-long learner, he has supported the next generation of inclusive leaders by co-creating two DE&I strategy graduate programs. His pioneering work as Abercrombie & Fitch’s chief diversity officer is the subject of the Netflix documentary, White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch. He is the inaugural recipient of the Claes Nobel World Betterment Award, presented by the family that established the Nobel Prize, for his contribution in promoting peace and global unity. 

Todd has an MBA from Georgetown, completed executive education at Dartmouth and MIT. He is a board member for Snarky Elephant Productions, a media company focused on producing films about and by underrepresented groups, whose lived experiences are often ignored. 

Gretchen Valade, Director of Sustainability, Carhartt, Inc.

Representing the 5th generation of Carhartt, Inc., the iconic 130+ year old Dearborn, MI-based apparel manufacturer, Gretchen R. Valade has immersed herself in all aspects of the family business starting from a young age. From consumer insights to product conception, from garment creation to product delivery, Gretchen’s value lies in her intimate knowledge and insight into all aspects of the retail manufacturing process.

Gretchen’s most recent project was leading the development and 2023 launch of Carhartt Reworked, Carhartt’s resale and take-back program, which was an expansion on Carhartt’s circularly efforts following her leadership of the 2021 launch of Carhartt Repair. In 2020 she lead the launch of the Carhartt Workshop, a community space offering a free tool lending library, free community meeting spaces, and a brand history and storytelling experience, located on the floor above Carhartt’s flagship store in Detroit, MI. In addition to launching The Carhartt Workshop, she also led the build out of the Industrial Sewing And Innovation Center’s (ISAIC) pilot factory on the floor above. Gretchen sits on ISAIC’s Board of Directors, and in addition to working closely on the build out of the factory she is also a member of their Sustainability Committee. She is also a member of The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Board of Trustees.

At Carhartt, Gretchen is currently the Director of Sustainability. No stranger to hard-work or hard-working people, Gretchen continues to seek opportunities to expand her knowledge while looking for new and exciting ways to serve both customers and the community at large. She owns a women’s boutique, named Eugenie, located in Detroit Michigan that focuses on sustainable products and education on responsible production in the apparel industry.