NATIONAL OFFICERS
John Chapman, President
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My career with JCPenney began at age 16 in my hometown of Columbus, GA. It was intended to be a three-month summer job but ended up lasting over 37 years. My first job was pumping gas on the Auto Center Gas Island. My final assignment was Store Manager in Little Rock, AR. In between were assignments in 10 stores, 1 district office, and 1 special assignment.
Those assignments spanned 8 markets across the states of Georgia, Delaware, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Each time, we worked with many great partners and made many lifelong friends. Those partners are the exact reason that I value our great HCSC Alumni Club.
After retirement, I spent 7 years working with the Arkansas State Fair Association while also serving as a ministry leader in our local church. About a year after retirement, I found that I really missed my Penney partners and joined the Alumni Club. During my 16 years in the club, I had the honor of serving a term as Southeastern RMG Second Vice President followed by a year as President. After about an 18-month break, I have accepted the invitation to serve as your National First Vice President.
About 7 years ago, my wife Becky and I moved back to the beautiful Northeast Tennessee area which was one of our duty stations along the way. She has been by my side over 50 years and was the glue that held it all together during those relocations. My best decision ever was getting to know that pretty girl that worked in Sportswear while I was working in the Auto Center.
Besides the joy of our Alumni Club activities, we have been blessed with some great travel opportunities including being able to attend the Golden Rule Day celebration in the town of Kemmerer, WY where Mr. Penney operated his first store. What a thrill it was to walk through his home alongside two of his granddaughters.
As we move forward, my hope is to gather as much input as possible on ways that we can make our club even more meaningful and valuable, thus increasing both our membership and participation. Your suggestions and input will always be appreciated. Together, our legacy of partnership continues.
Manny Fernandez, 1st Vice President
1969
I was in the DECA program at Miami Springs Sr High, which is when my career at
JCPenney. I started in September of 1969 at the Flamingo Plaza store in Hialeah,
Florida. Yvonne, who would become my wife 3 years later, was also a DECA student, who started working at JCPenney in 1968, she was responsible for recruiting me. Yvonne’s mom also worked for the store as our alterations associate.
1972
The Flamingo store was closed, and we were all transferred to the Westland Mall store. I worked in the Men’s Department. Yvonne was the switchboard operator.
I had a diverse journey through the company, working at 4 Penney stores in the Miami area and then promoted to the Miami Buying office.
1989
After promotions in Miami, Dallas, New York and the Plano Home Office. I was the
Buyer for Women’s Dresses & Handbags and Jr. Sportswear in Miami, Western Wear in Dallas, and Women’s Footwear in New York.
At the Plano Home Office I was promoted to Sr. Buyer of Athletic Footwear for Men’s & Women’s, for Retail Stores and Catalog, growing the business to over $4 Billion dollars, as part of the Simply for Sports Department. At the Home Office I also had the opportunity to work as Sr. Director of Sports Marketing, along with Sr. Director of Multicultural Marketing, for Hispanic, Asian and African American customers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Mexico. My final role at the Home Office was as Sr. Director of Inclusion and Diversity, resulting in JCPenney being recognized as the No.1 Department Store in the U.S. for I&D in the
country, by DiversityInc..
2011
I retired at the end of 2011, as Sr. Director of Inclusion &; Diversity for all Penney stores in the U.S., including Puerto Rico. I was also profiled in the Summer 2022 edition of Partners Magazine, which can be viewed online, if you are interested in reading a more in-depth version of mine & Yvonne’s careers at JCPenney.
2026
Currently I serve as 1st Vice President of the JCPenney HCSC National Alumni Group.​​
Clara Miller, 2nd Vice President​
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​It seemed my career with Penney’s started long before I had my first actual job, as my father was an employee during my childhood and our family moved to different cities every few years. I had several jobs with JCPenney during high school and college, but my career formally began
in 1978. As soon as I graduated from Randolph Macon I began to apply for retail management jobs and was fortunate to land one with JCPenney. I started as a management trainee in Store 19 52 in Richmond, Va and remained at this store for 8 years working in different departments. In those days, we were buyers as well as managers, and that was a challenge I loved. In 1986
was promoted and transferred to Va Beach as a General Merchandise Manager, which was a great job that allowed me to train young merchants and also focus on customer service.
After 2 years in Va Beach I was transferred back to Richmond, Va, where I had several jobs that included GMM, and Operations Manager in the Richmond Market. After doing these assignments for several years I was given the opportunity to manage 3 different stores in Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina. All 3 store assignments had their own challenges, but they prepared me to become a District Manager. In 2001, I was offered the District Manager position for the state of Kentucky, where I remained for 5 years. I loved this job for many reasons, including the opportunity to travel and see that beautiful state.
In fact, I loved every job I had with JCPenney and my career gave me the chance to meet so many great people along the way who helped me to achieve my success. JCPenney became my life and family for 30 years and a great life it was.
In 2006 I retired early from JCPenney to help start a family business and move closer to my parents. I had the opportunity to work with my Dad and brother in a self-storage business with 7 locations in Jacksonville and Atlanta. I managed the facilities for 6 years and finally decided to really retire, hoping to travel and play some golf. Those plans changed in 2012 when I was asked to join the Boys & Girls Clubs Board in our local community. I have been involved with the organization now for 12 years and have served in several positions, including Chair of the
Annual Gala for 5 years and Board President for 3 years. I continue to serve on this Board today and several others, including my HOA Board.
I plan to make travel a priority now and, in fact, took my first trip to Europe this past summer to Italy with several members of my family. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to other overseas trips over the next several years.
I do still enjoy serving on different local boards that serve our community. When ask by John and HCSC to join their board, I saw the opportunity to give something back to the company that has been so important in my life and gladly accepted their offer.
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Karen Bell, Treasurer
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Tina Potter, Secretary/Director​
During her distinguished 34-year career with JCPenney, Tina White Potter advanced through a series of leadership roles, culminating as Director of Customer and Strategic Insights. In this capacity, she led strategic planning and customer insight initiatives for the Men’s, Children’s, and Home divisions, driving growth, profitability, and long-term competitiveness. Leveraging advanced research tools such as NPD, Tina translated customer and market data into actionable strategies that shaped merchandising, marketing, and operational direction. She successfully guided cross-functional teams in launching innovative concepts, revitalizing underperforming categories, and executing initiatives that increased sales, market share, and profitability. Her leadership on projects such as the Ralph Lauren/American Living and The Foundry Big & Tall initiative exemplified her ability to turn insights into measurable business results.
Tina began her JCPenney career as a Management Trainee in Lake Charles, Louisiana, quickly rising through positions of increasing responsibility including Merchandise Manager, Assistant Buyer, and Associate Buyer across a variety of product categories. Her early experience in merchandising, buying, and financial planning built the foundation for her strategic and analytical leadership approach. Throughout her tenure, Tina earned a reputation for connecting customer understanding with corporate strategy by collaborating across departments and delivering sustained business success. Her contributions were recognized with multiple honors, including being a two-time recipient of the Chairman’s Award for excellence in leadership and performance.