Until January 2007, Chow, 46, was senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Sears, Roebuck & Co., where she led all aspects of the company's marketing efforts. Prior to joining Sears in 1998, she spent seven years at Information Resources, Inc., where she built top-performing client services teams and led the development of a consumer-packaged goods trade promotion planning tool for IRI customers. Chow began her career in 1986 at Johnson & Johnson Products, Inc. where she brought strong results and market share gains as a leader of several product lines.

"Joan Chow is a multi-dimensional marketer with a proven ability to lead across large organizations," said Rodkin. "She has in-depth experience in reaching consumers through a variety of marketing mixes and channels, as well as critical expertise in insights-driven marketing strategies. We look forward to Joan applying her knowledge and commitment to results at ConAgra Foods."

Chow earned her MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor's degree in linguistics from Cornell University.