Board of Directors

The man who revolutionized the floral industry grew up with a bare patch of lawn outside his home occupied not by flowers, but by weeds. How ironic that Jim McCann would go on to take a single flower shop on Manhattan’s East Side and turn it into a billion-dollar omni-channel retailer, and one of the world’s leading gourmet food and floral gift providers. It was Jim’s belief in the universal need for social connections and interaction that led to his founding of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and today as a highly successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, public speaker and published author, Jim’s passion remains the same – to help people create better more meaningful relationships.

Jim’s willingness to embrace new technologies that enhanced customer engagement, such as 800 phone numbers and e-commerce, often long before other retailers, has consistently kept 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. ahead of the curve and positioned it as a leading innovator in the marketplace. His strategy for growth has included an effective combination of birthing and acquiring new businesses and brands that resonate with customers for their gifting and celebratory occasions. The company’s offerings include such iconic brands as Harry & David®, PersonalizationMall.com®, Wolferman’s Bakery®; Cheryl’s Cookies® and The Popcorn Factory®, as well as Simply Chocolate®, Things Remembered®, 1-800-Baskets.com®, and SmartGift Inc. among others.

Jim is also deeply involved in philanthropy and is especially devoted to helping individuals with developmental disabilities.  This includes Jim’s continued work as Founder and Chairman of Smile Farms Inc., a 501c3 not-for-profit organization established in 2015. Smile Farms provides meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities, allowing them to master new skills, experience teamwork, contribute to their community and, importantly, take home a paycheck. Today, Smile Farms has several campuses and serves hundreds of people and their families.

In addition to his roles as Founder and CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and Chairman of Smile Farms, Jim also serves as Chairman of Worth Media Group, which celebrates organizations and leaders who are using their influence and success to have a positive impact on society.  Jim also serves on a variety of other private and not-for-profit boards and is Vice-Chairman, Lead Independent Director for International Game Technology PLC. 

Chris McCann, the CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Chris McCann joined 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. in 1984, helping to lead the disruption of the flower industry with the company’s innovative use of 800# watts-line technology and subsequently transforming the company with the adoption of online technology as a pioneer in e-commerce. A member of the Board of Directors, Chris served as President of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. for several years and served as CEO from 2016 to 2023.

Chris has played a pivotal role in building the reputation of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. as one of the leading e-commerce and mobile commerce retailers in the country. He is well-known for embracing technology innovations that enhance customer engagement, particularly in the areas of social, mobile, artificial intelligence, and conversational commerce. Through his efforts, he has continually reinvented the company to maintain its leadership position in the e-commerce industry and lead in the world of AI to further enhance the customer experience.

As a result of his leadership in driving a culture of innovation at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., Chris was named to the National Retail Federation's "The List of People Shaping Retail's Future” in 2018. Additionally, the company was recognized among the top 5 on the National Retail Federation’s 2021 Hot 25 Retailers list, which ranks the nation’s fastest-growing retail companies. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. was also named to the Fortune 1000 list in 2022 as it grew to more than $2 billion in annual revenue.

Chris currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Kinexion, the management service organization for a network of not-for-profits dedicated to the enrichment of the lives of people with disabilities, a cause that is near to his heart. In 2005, together with his brother Jim, he helped found Smile Farms Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing meaningful work opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in agriculture and hospitality. Today, Smile Farms operates 13 campuses and employs and empowers more than 375 individuals with disabilities.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees of Marist College in 2000, Chris serves as the Chairman of the Technology Committee in addition to being a member of the Board’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Finance Committee, and Executive Committee. Chris previously served as the Vice Chairman of the Board.

Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marist College.

Celia Brown, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Celia R. Brown has been a director of the Company since June 2016. Ms. Brown served for five years as EVP, Group HR Director of Willis Group, a multi-billion dollar global, risk management and insurance brokerage company with operations in more than 120 countries. At Willis, Ms. Brown was an advisor to the CEO, compensation committee and Board of Directors on talent strategy, succession planning, reward strategy (including executive compensation), culture and diversity. Upon the 2016 merger of Willis and Towers Watson, Ms. Brown served as an integration advisor to the combined company until her retirement in June 2016. Prior to joining Willis, Ms. Brown was with XL Capital Ltd. and its predecessor company from 1988 through 2009 where she held numerous positions culminating in EVP, Head of Global HR and Corporate Relations. Ms. Brown has been a member of the Board of Directors of VOLT Information Sciences and Chair of their Compensation Committee since 2019.

James A. Cannavino, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

James A. Cannavino has been a Director of the Company since June 2007. Mr. Cannavino served as Chairman of the Board of Direct Insite from 2000 through 2011 and was Chief Executive Officer from December 2002 until May 2011. He continues to serve as a director. Direct Insite is a global provider of financial supply chain automation across procure-to-pay and order-to cash business processes. From September 1997 through April 2000, he was elected non-executive Chairman of Softworks, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Direct Insite, formerly Computer Concepts), which went public and was later sold to EMC. Mr. Cannavino was also the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cybersafe, Inc., a company specializing in network security. Prior to Cybersafe, Mr. Cannavino was President and Chief Operating Officer of Perot Systems Corporation; he was elected to serve as Chief Executive Officer through July 1997. Mr. Cannavino retired from IBM in 1995, a career that spanned 30 years, where he was Senior IBM Company Vice President for Strategy and Business Development. Mr. Cannavino is an emeritus member the Board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Mr. Cannavino is one of the founding members and is the immediate past Chairman of The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children Retired. He is a past chairman of the Board of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York and continues to serve on the board and the executive committee.

Chairperson Chair of the Technology & Cybersecurity Committee
Dina Colombo, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Dina Colombo is the COO & CFO of GreyLion Capital LP, a private equity firm that focuses on investing in high-growth businesses in the lower middle market. Prior to joining GreyLion Capital LP, she was the CFO & Managing Director of CCMP Capital Advisors. Previously, she held a variety of responsibilities at JPMorgan Partners, including investor reporting, investment structuring, portfolio management, financial control, and valuation. Ms. Colombo began her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where she worked in Consumer Markets & Real Estate Business Assurance practices. She received a B.B.A. from Hofstra University in Accounting. Ms. Colombo is a co-founder and board member of Parents Against Vaping ecigarettes, a not-for profit advocacy and education organization powered by parent volunteers to fight the youth vaping epidemic.

Eugene DeMark, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Eugene F. DeMark has been a Director of the Company since January 2012. Mr. DeMark worked for KPMG LLP, a global professional services firm, from June 1969 until his retirement in October 2009. He served as the Advisory Northeast Area Managing Partner at KPMG from October 2005 until his retirement. During his career with KPMG, he served in various leadership positions including Area Managing Partner of the Information, Communications and Electronics Practice as well as Managing Partner of the firm’s Long Island office. While on special assignment at KPMG he worked on the research staff of the Commission on Auditors Responsibilities (the predecessor of the Treadway Commission) that was formed to assess increases in fraudulent financial reporting and developed KPMG’s first study guide on SEC reporting. Since his retirement, Mr. DeMark has been an independent consultant. Mr. DeMark has served on the Board of Directors of BankUnited, Florida’s largest independent bank, from 2010 to 2019 and was the chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. He also served on the Governance and Compensation committees of the Bank’s Board and was the Lead Director. Mr. DeMark has been on the Board of Directors of MSG Networks from October 2015 through December 2016 and was the Chair of their Audit Committee and served on the Compensation Committee. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Leonard Elmore, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Leonard J. Elmore has been a Director of the Company since October 2002. Mr. Elmore has been a NCAA commentator for CBS Sports and ESPN for over 31 years. Mr. Elmore was the Chief Executive Officer of iHoops, the official youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and NBA from May 2010 until October 2011 and served as a Board Member from its inception in April 2009 until May 2010. Prior to joining iHoops, he was a Partner with the law firm of Dreier LLP in its New York City headquarters from September 2008 until February 2009. Prior to his employment with Dreier LLP in September, 2008, Mr. Elmore served as Senior Counsel with LeBoeuf, Lamb, et. al. (subsequently, Dewey & LeBoeuf) from October 2004 until March 2008. Prior thereto, he served as the President of Test University, a leading provider of internet-delivered learning solutions for pre-college students, from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Elmore has served on the Board of Directors of Lee Enterprises, Inc. from February 2007 until January 2020. He was a member of the Lee Audit Committee. After twelve years of public service, Mr. Elmore recently rotated off as a Commissioner on the John and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (“KCIA”) but was re-appointed in March 2020 where he now serves as Chair of the Commission’s Racial Equity Task Force and is a member of the KCIA Leadership Committee. In July 2017, he entered academia as Senior Lecturer in Discipline in Sports Management in the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University. In July 2020, Mr. Elmore was appointed to the Board of Advisors of The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland College Park Merrill School of Journalism.

Adam Hanff, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Adam Hanft has been a Director of the Company since February 2019. Mr. Hanft is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hanft Projects LLC (“Hanft Projects”), a strategic consultancy that provides marketing and branding services to leading consumer and business-to-business companies, including many digitally-native brands. Hanft writes broadly about business and consumer subjects for many different channels and is frequently interviewed for print and broadcast outlets; additionally, he co-authored “Dictionary of the Future.” Prior to starting Hanft Projects, Mr. Hanft served as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hanft Unlimited, Inc., a marketing organization created in 2004 that included an advertising agency, strategic consultancy and custom-publishing operation. Hanft also sits on the Board of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a leading marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, as well as Sensory Cloud, a private company that is focused on delivering new olfactory experiences for b2b and b2c applications, including the hospitality and wellness markets.

Stephanie Hoffman, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Stephanie Redish Hofmann holds a leadership role on the Agency & Brand Solutions team at Google  focused on partnership across a portfolio of client teams including the Publicis agency holding  company, Consulting Partners, US Multicultural and Industry Relations.

A thirteen year Google veteran, Steph previously launched and led Google's Shopping Solutions team  dedicated to developing digital solutions that enabled retailers and manufacturers to win the shopping  moments that matter.  Other prior roles at Google include Director of Agency Development for WPP  and IPG, Specialty Agency partners, and leading the Agency learning & development team.  Before  joining the Agency team, Steph was Head of Industry Marketing for Google's CPG vertical where she  led research efforts focused on proving the efficacy of digital advertising for CPG manufacturers.

Prior to Google, Stephanie spent 16 years working in brand marketing and consumer promotion  agencies on CPG brands including Clorox, Nestle’, Revlon, among others and started her career in  non-profit fundraising and development.

Steph is an undergraduate of The Pennsylvania State University and received her Masters in  Communications from Seton Hall University. She's an avid sports fan, (more student of the game than  athlete), former marathon runner, and passionate wife and mom of Cooper (11 years) and Emerson (7 years).

Christina Shim has served as the Global Head of Product Management and Strategy for IBM Sustainability Software since January 2023 and served as the Vice President and Head of Strategy and Sustainability of IBM Sustainability Software prior to her current role beginning in November 2021. At IBM, Ms. Shim oversees the growth, business development, venture, and partnership strategy, as well as leading IBM’s sustainability platform for technology. She also serves on IBM’s Artificial Intelligence Ethics Board and on the Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Executive Steering Committee. Prior to joining IBM, Ms. Shim was Managing Director and Head of New York for Palladium International, a global impact firm, from November 2017 through October 2021. From November 2012 until October 2017, Ms. Shim served in various leadership positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, including Director of Corporate and Growth Innovation Strategy. Ms. Shim previously was a senior targeting analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington D.C. from November 2007 through June 2010. Ms. Shim has also served as a board member and advisor to a number of fintech and climate technology startups, accelerators, and not-for-profits, as well as to Princeton University and Columbia University.

Member Member of the Technology & Cybersecurity Committee
Larry Zarin, a member of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc

Larry Zarin has been a director of the Company since March 2009. Mr. Zarin was Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Express Scripts, a Fortune 25 company that was acquired by Cigna in 2018 for $67.0B. He joined Express Scripts in 1996 and during his tenure, he had a leading role in the successful integration of the company’s numerous major acquisitions, including, the $29.1 billion purchase of Medco. At Express Scripts, Mr. Zarin was responsible for Corporate Communications and  Marketing. His  work around the alignment of culture and strategy was instrumental in the company’s successful M&A strategy and historic growth. Mr. Zarin was a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events and helped the company pioneer a leadership position with the application of the behavioral sciences to Healthcare. Prior to being recruited to healthcare, Zarin worked  in Entertainment Marketing where he developed  large, integrated and award-winning marketing initiatives for major corporations including Kellogg, Anheuser Busch, MTV, Lever Brothers, and General Foods, among others. Since retiring from Express Scripts, Mr. Zarin  heads Zarin Consulting where he leads strategic growth initiatives for select organizations spanning the spectrum from startups to the Fortune 100.