As Johnston & Murphy continues to see growth, the 176-year-old footwear company is making a few changes to its team.

On Monday, the brand noted that it had promoted Deanna Grubbs to senior vice president of product strategy and development and has hired Jay Lodico as its new vice president and general manager of wholesale.

In her new role, Grubbs will now lead strategic direction across footwear, apparel and accessories, helping drive a more unified approach to the brand’s product offering. She will also partner across design, sourcing and commercialization teams to deliver differentiated products and further strengthen Johnston & Murphy’s position in the premium lifestyle market, the company said.

Grubbs has been with Johnston & Murphy since 1999, when her journey with the company began as the wholesale marketing and public relations manager. Over the years, Grubbs has also held the roles of director of marketing, director of retail merchandising and vice president of apparel product development at the footwear firm.

As for Lodico, the company noted that he will work to drive the wholesale business, focusing on growth, retail partnerships and expanding the brand’s presence across channels.

Lodico joins Johnston & Murphy from Converse, where he most recently served as commercial director of the brand’s Amazon and Target business. The executive also served at Kontoor Brands as senior vice president of global merchandising and general manager of North America for the company’s Lee Jeans label. Lodico was also global vice president and general merchandise manager at Timberland.

Danny Ewoldsen, president of Johnston & Murphy, said in a statement that he is “delighted” to work with these two executives to help lead the brand’s next chapter of growth.

“Deanna is a proven leader and has played an important role in shaping the Johnston & Murphy apparel product offering for many years, while Jay brings deep experience growing brands, building wholesale partnerships and leading teams across the footwear and apparel industry,” Ewoldsen.

Johnston & Murphy also noted on Monday that Dave Moore has retired from his role as vice president of wholesale following a distinguished career spanning nearly five decades in the footwear industry.

The company noted that Moore got his start in the business during his high school and college years selling shoes at Chernins Shoes in Chicago. He later served as general manager and buyer for The Footery, a three-store independent family footwear retailer in Chicago’s western suburbs, before advancing into senior sales and executive leadership roles with globally recognized footwear brands, including Keds and Frye.

“Dave’s career is a testament to his passion for the footwear industry, his leadership and the relationships he built throughout nearly 50 years in the business,” added Ewoldsen. “We are incredibly grateful for his contributions to Johnston & Murphy and wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”

This news comes days after Johnston & Murphy parent company Genesco reported a better-than-expected start to the year. The Nashville-based footwear saw net sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 increase 3 percent to $487.03 million compared to $473.97 million in the same year-ago period.

The company said the growth was driven by an increase of 5 percent at Journeys, an increase of 6 percent at Johnston & Murphy and a 4 percent increase at Genesco Brands, partially offset by a decrease of 5 percent at Schuh.

On the company’s first quarter earnings call on Friday, Genesco president, chief executive officer, board chair and interim chief financial officer, Mimi Vaughn explained that Johnston & Murphy has seen its brand awareness “continue to trend up” in the months since its tie-up with NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was announced, especially among younger consumers with demand from new customers up double digits.

“There’s no question that Peyton has been really beneficial to us,” the CEO said.