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Pet supply chain PetSmart, Inc., calls all of its animal-owning employees "pet parents."

Its new senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary will fit right in: Emily Dickinson is a "pet parent" to a yellow labrador named Maggie, a cat named Pumpkin, and a red-eared slider turtle, Greenback, all of whom she hopes will enjoy moving with her to sunny Phoenix, where the company is headquartered. No word yet on whether she has any feathered friends, but as another Emily Dickinson taught us, "hope is the thing with feathers."

Dickinson, 50, is well versed in the retail chain business. She comes to PetSmart from Hannaford Bros. Co., which runs a chain of grocery stores and supermarkets along the Eastern seaboard. (Hannaford is owned by Delhaize Group, which operates supermarkets in Europe.)

She was senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary for Hannaford for nearly 20 years (the last eight years as vice president for legal matters at Delhaize). After Delhaize bought the U.S. chain, she was responsible for employment, compliance, and other matters. Now she'll bring her expertise to the ever-growing PetSmart, which has over 1,000 stores across the United States and Canada.

She succeeds Scott Crozier, who retired in April. "Emily is a smart, visionary leader with the perfect blend of retail experience and broad legal expertise," PetSmart president and CEO Robert Moran said in a press release. "She has proven results in managing strategy, corporate governance and corporate filings, litigation, government relations, and regulatory compliance." Dickinson declined to comment.

Dickinson graduated from Bowdoin College and earned a law degree at Boston University School of Law, arriving at Hannaford after stints at law firms in Boston and in Portland, Maine.

— V.Y.

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