Ms. Baekgaard co-founded Vera Bradley in 1982 and served as Co-President from 1982 through June 2010. In May 2010, she was appointed Chief Creative Officer and served in that post through August 2017 when Beatrice Mac Cabe assumed that role. She still serves as an active brand ambassador with the Company. She also currently serves as a board member of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center Development Board and the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.

As Co-Founder of Vera Bradley, Ms. Baekgaard serves a key leadership role on our Board of Directors and provides the Board with a broad array of institutional knowledge and historical perspective. Since our founding, Ms. Baekgaard has provided leadership and strategic direction in our brand’s development by providing creative vision to areas such as marketing, product design, assortment planning and the design and visual merchandising of our stores.