Debra Whitted papers, 1979-1988

Debra Whitted has considerable experience in retail management, first working as a buyer for Nordstrom and a buyer in 1976 and store manager at Eberhard's Sport Shop in 1980. In 1983, she became the assistant store manager for REI's flagship downtown Seattle retail store where she would later serve as the Retail Director responsible for all aspects of design concept development. In 1987 the outdoor retailer tapped Debra to be the opening store manager for the first East Coast REI store built in College Park, Maryland and the REI store in San Diego in 1988. In 1990 she became the East Coast and Southwest corporate retail director.