35. Lece Lohr, Consumer Business President, Highlights

Lece Lohr hasn't met much of the leadership team at Columbus-based Highlights for Children Inc. in person. That's because Lohr started her new job as the company's president of consumer business in April, just a few weeks after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic sent most of us home from our offices. "I was completely uncertain of how it would be becoming a new president via Zoom," Lohr said during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast. She's met CEO Kent Johnson in person, as well as the company's head of human resources. But the remainder of her interactions have all been virtual – and she says they've gone well. "I have to say that the team did such a wonderful job of really setting up my onboarding for me to be successful," Lohr said. Her start date was pushed back slightly to give the team time to adjust to the new work-from-home world, and then her onboarding process was extended for three months in order to not "put too much of a burden on the team," Lohr said. "And everything was so well thought out in terms of how I would meet the team, how I would integrate into the processes and the business meetings," Lohr said. "So it was just really has been a really wonderful experience." Lohr comes to the children's media company from Columbus' retail industry, having most recently served as president of tween fashion brand Justice. Check out the full podcast to find out how her background informs the work she's doing today at Highlights, and what she hopes to accomplish during her tenure.Mentioned in this episode:Let Crate Media help uncover your company's story and amplify your messaging with a branded podcast. Get a free one-hour casting session at crate.media/cbf