Retail-technology consulting firm NexChapter continues to widen its leadership team.
The Des Moines, Iowa-based company on Tuesday announced the addition of four new team members that will support its capabilities across convenience, grocery and the broader commerce ecosystem.
Darrin Samaha (pictured above), who previously led marketing and merchandising at Parker’s Kitchen, Savannah, Georgia, and marketing at Yesway, Fort Worth, Texas, will now support NexChapter’s marketing and strategic communications initiatives.
Doug Thomason (pictured above) joins NexChapter as director of operations. He will lead project management and operations across client engagements. Thomason will also help scale NexChapter’s internal AI capabilities and operational infrastructure to support continued growth and innovation. Previously, Thomason led the project management office (PMO) at Tallwave, a digital agency based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Prior to that he led the enterprise PMO team at Casey’s, Ankeny, Iowa.
Jessica Bardon (pictured above), who previously led marketing and public relations at McIntosh Energy, Fort Wayne, Indiana, will support NexChapter’s loyalty and customer engagement practice. She will help NexChapter clients evolve loyalty strategies, deepen personalization efforts and create more connected customer experiences powered by data, digital engagement and AI-driven insights.
Claire Sanchez (pictured above), who previously led partnership marketing at Leap Media Group, Pennsylvania-based Giant Eagle’s retail media network, joins NexChapter’s retail and commerce media practice. She will support clients across retail media strategy, activation, partnerships, measurement and the growing intersection of media, customer data and AI-enabled targeting.
“At NexChapter, we believe the future of commerce will be shaped by stronger collaboration between retailers, brands, and technology partners,” said Art Sebastian, NexChapter founder and CEO. “Across convenience and grocery, the industry is evolving rapidly as AI, customer data, loyalty, retail media and commerce continue to converge. We’re intentionally building a team that combines operational credibility with forward-looking capabilities to help clients navigate that transformation with confidence.”
Sebastian, who has held leadership roles at Casey’s and grocery chain Meijer, founded NexChapter in 2023 with a focus on digital transformation in retail. He serves as chairman of CSP’s C-StoreTEC Advisory Board.
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