Macy’s Hires Legal Chief Steeped in Diversity Battles (Correct)

Macy’s Inc. hired Tracy Preston, a veteran retail lawyer experienced in corporate diversity battles, to head its in-house legal team as the company faces pushback over allegedly illegal hiring quotas.

Preston, recently elected chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s global board of directors for 2024, is set to join New York-based Macy’s Jan. 8. She’s currently chief legal and compliance officer and corporate secretary for HanesBrands Inc., having joined the clothing company in 2021 after spending nearly a decade as the top lawyer for luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group Inc.

At Macy’s, Preston succeeds former legal chief Elisa Garcia, who retired Oct. 31. Preston, like Garcia, has been an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal field and broader corporate world.

During her career, where she’s also been a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and chief counsel for human resources, litigation, and global supply chain at jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co., Preston has helped companies establish, explain, and track workforce diversity goals.

She prepares to join Macy’s after former Trump administration official Stephen Miller’s America First Legal targeted the company. Miller’s organization, whose revenue jumped 600% last year, has asked the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate Macy’s and more than 20 other companies for policies it claims discriminate on the basis of gender and race.

Macy’s and Preston declined to comment. The company’s statement announcing her hire said she will be responsible for a “broad range of legal affairs, litigation, and compliance,” including commercial and regulatory matters, employment, enterprise security, internal audit, and real estate.

Preston will report to Macy’s president and CEO-elect Tony Spring, who assumes leadership of the retailer next year. Spring said Preston has a “track record of aligning legal and risk mitigation approaches with business objectives and brand missions.”

HanesBrands didn’t make Preston one of its five highest-paid executives in fiscal 2022, according to its most recent proxy statement. Preston’s employment agreement with the company shows that she earns $630,000 in annual base salary. HanesBrands didn’t disclose who will replace her as its legal chief.

Miranda Fields Stephani, a former interim legal chief at Kontoor Brands Inc., joined HanesBrands last year as a deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary. Christopher Fox, another former deputy general counsel at HanesBrands, is now the company’s chief sustainability officer.

Wendy Schmidt Beadles, a veteran Macy’s lawyer who served as interim legal chief following Garcia’s retirement, will resume her role as vice president of legal business operations, the company said.