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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Kathleen M. Mazzarella was appointed Graybar’s president effective June 1, 2012, after serving as the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Graybar announced the appointment on December 8, 2011; a later company filing confirms that she was elected president and CEO in June 2012.
When did Kathleen Mazzarella become Graybar’s president and CEO?
Graybar announced Mazzarella’s appointment as president on December 8, 2011, with the change scheduled to take effect June 1, 2012. At the time of the announcement, she was executive vice president and COO, a position she had held for the previous year. Graybar’s 2017 SEC information statement later confirmed that she was elected President and CEO in June 2012.
The distinction matters: the 2011 announcement named her to the presidency for a future effective date; the later filing confirms the President and CEO title after the transition.
Succession timeline
- December 8, 2011: Graybar announced Mazzarella’s appointment as president, effective the following June. Graybar’s announcement.
- June 1, 2012: The appointment took effect. Robert A. Reynolds, Jr. became executive chairman and remained involved in company strategy and executive guidance. Graybar’s announcement.
- January 1, 2013: Mazzarella became chair of Graybar’s board, according to the company’s SEC information statement. Graybar’s 2017 information statement.
Who did Mazzarella succeed, and what did the role involve?
Mazzarella succeeded Reynolds in the company’s top leadership transition. Reynolds did not immediately leave Graybar: he became executive chairman, remained active as lead executive, oversaw strategy and guided the executive team. Graybar described the president’s responsibilities as setting sales and marketing direction and overseeing day-to-day business operations.
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In announcing the appointment, Reynolds praised Mazzarella’s record at the company, saying she had shown “a passion for the business, a commitment to Graybar’s values and an exceptional ability to achieve results.” Mazzarella said she looked forward to learning from his experience during the transition. These were the two executives’ comments in Graybar’s announcement.
What was Mazzarella’s career path before becoming CEO?
Mazzarella joined Graybar in 1980 as a customer service representative. Her career progressed through sales, field management, marketing, product management and senior leadership before she became COO and then president and CEO.
- Customer service representative, followed by quotation and sales positions, including senior sales representative and field sales manager.
- District marketing manager for commercial and communications markets, then national product manager and director of sales.
- Vice president of corporate accounts and international.
- Senior vice president roles in human resources and strategic planning, and in sales and marketing.
- Executive vice president and COO, before becoming President and CEO in June 2012.
Graybar’s SEC filing lists her education as an associate degree in telecommunications engineering, a bachelor’s degree in applied behavioral sciences and an MBA from Webster University. It also notes executive education programs at Harvard, the University of Michigan, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago Booth and Kellogg; the filing passage does not give graduation years.
What was Graybar’s business and later transformation agenda?
Graybar described itself in the 2011 announcement as a distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products, as well as a provider of related supply-chain management and logistics services. Its release cited nearly 240 North American distribution facilities and products from thousands of manufacturers at that time; those are historical company figures, not current operating counts.
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Later reporting provides context for how the company’s work evolved. Graybar’s 2024 annual report, published in April 2025, describes Graybar Connect, a multi-year transformation project begun in 2023. The stated aims included bringing technologies, including a new SAP version, into a single interface and automating routine work to improve employees’ access to data. That report describes a company initiative; it does not establish that Mazzarella personally led every component.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do company reports say about her title now?
Graybar’s April 2025 annual report identifies Mazzarella as Chairman, President and CEO. A 2025 compensation disclosure for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 lists the same title. Those documents support the title for their respective reporting periods; they do not establish her status after those periods.
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- Author: Bungay Stanier, Michael.
- Publisher: Page Two
- Pages: 244
- Publication Date: 2016-02-29
- Edition: 1
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