King Kullen names Tracey Cullen first female president, COO in company history

King Kullen appointed its first female president and chief operating officer in the grocery chain's 96-year history, its chairman said Thursday.

Tracey Cullen, who is a great-granddaughter of founder Michael J. Cullen and previously served as senior vice president of company operations, succeeds Joseph W. Brown, the company announced in a news release following Thursday's board meeting.

"This is a special day for the King Kullen organization as Tracey takes the helm of the company founded by her great-grandfather 96 years ago," said chairman James A. Cullen Jr.

Brown, who retired following a 53-year career with the company, served as president and COO for the past five years, the news release said.

Tracey Cullen, who is also an attorney, has been a part of the company for 16 years. Cullen graduated from Boston College and earned her juris doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She resides in Amityville.

"As King Kullen's first female president," Cullen Jr. said in the release, "her appointment represents an important milestone for our company and reflects the respect she has earned throughout the organization."

In the release, Tracey Cullen noted the company's longstanding presence on the Island. "It is an incredible honor to assume this role at a company that has meant so much to my family for four generations. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the values that continue to define King Kullen, including hard work and a deep commitment to the communities we serve across Long Island," her statement read in part.

King Kullen was founded in 1930 and has 24 supermarkets on Long Island. The grocery chain also owns Wild By Nature; the natural foods store has four locations in the region. Long Island's largest family-owned grocery chain, King Kullen is headquartered in Hauppauge.

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.