J. C. Penney Company, Inc. announced the appointment of Therace Risch as executive vice president, chief information officer, effective immediately. Risch joins JCPenney from COUNTRY Financial, and succeeds Scott Laverty. In her previous role as EVP and CIO at COUNTRY Financial, Risch was responsible for all aspects of consumer technologies to support the insurance and investment needs of over one million households and businesses.

She was also responsible for all technology strategies and planning, as well as data security. Prior to COUNTRY Financial, Risch spent 10 years at Target Corporation in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, including vice president of technology delivery services. Risch's appointment further reinforces the Company's commitment to becoming a world-class omnichannel retailer, adding to a skilled team of industry leaders who recently joined JCPenney, including Michael Amend, executive vice president of e-commerce and omnichannel, and Mike Robbins, senior vice president of supply chain.