Board of Directors

James L. Janik currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Interim CEO of Douglas Dynamics. He has served as Chairman since 2014 and became Interim CEO in July 2024. Mr. Janik has been a director of the Company since 2000 and is also a member of the Board of Directors of Jason Industries LLC.

Mr. Janik’s extensive career at Douglas Dynamics began in 1992 when he joined as the Director of Sales of Western Products. He also served as General Manager of the Western Products division from 1994 to 2000 and was Vice President of Marketing and Sales from 1998 to 2000. From 2000 to 2018, Mr. Janik served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Before joining Douglas Dynamics, Mr. Janik was the Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Sunlite Plastics Inc. and spent eleven years at the John Deere Company in various key marketing, sales, and production management positions.

Mr. Akolawala has served as a director since 2022. He is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Pella Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of windows and doors for both residential and commercial applications.

Prior to joining Pella, Mr. Akolawala was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer – International at Walgreens Boots Alliance from 2019 to 2020, based in London, U.K.

From 2014 to 2019, Mr. Akolawala held a variety of IT and finance roles at Mondelez International, including Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer, and Senior Vice President, Global Finance.

Prior to Mondelez International, Mr. Akolawala spent 23 years at Kraft Foods Group, now part of The Kraft Heinz Group, where he held a variety of finance and leadership positions in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.

Mr. Akolawala received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering in Pune, India, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

Lisa Rojas Bacus previously served as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Cigna Corporation, a global health care services company. Prior to joining Cigna, Ms. Bacus was the Executive Vice President and chief marketer at American Family Insurance Group, a personal and commercial property and casualty company. Earlier in her career, Ms. Bacus spent 22 years with the Ford Motor Company, where she held a number of executive leadership positions, including Executive Director of Global Market Research and Insights, Executive Director of Global Marketing Strategy, and head of marketing for Ford in Mexico. Ms. Bacus currently serves on the boards of publicly traded companies Teradata and Selective Insurance, privately held Culver Franchising System, Inc. Ms. Bacus received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Margaret Dano has been serving as a director since 2012. She also serves on the Board of Directors and Chairs the Governance Committee of Neenah Paper NYSE: NP since 2015. Ms. Dano retired as Vice President, Worldwide Operations of Garrett Engine Boosting Systems, a division of Honeywell International, Inc.  Prior to Honeywell, Ms. Dano served in executive or management roles with Avery Dennison, Black & Decker, and General Electric. Ms. Dano previously served as Chair and member of the Board of Directors for Superior Industries International NYSE: SUP.  She also has served on the Board of Directors of Industrial Container Services Inc., Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., and Anthony International Equipment Services Corp. Ms. Dano's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include her leadership experience at both public and private manufacturing companies and her background in the manufacturing industry as a member of senior management teams with responsibility for global operations.

Mr. Krueger has been serving as a director since 2011. He also is the Chairman of the Board for Manitowoc Company, Inc., and served as the interim Chief Executive Officer from October 2015 through March 2016. Mr. Krueger additionally serves as a director and Chairman of the Audit Committee for Albany International Corporation.

From May 2006 until August 2009, Mr. Krueger was the Chief Operating Officer of Bucyrus International, Inc. and has significant management experience during his career in the manufacturing industry. Prior to assuming his role at Bucyrus, Mr. Krueger was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of A.O Smith Corporation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Krueger held various positions of increasing responsibility at Rockwell Automation over a sixteen-year period that culminated in his role as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Krueger holds a BBA Degree in Accounting and MIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Sturdivant has served as a director since 2010. Mr. Sturdivant is also an operating partner with Tru Arc LLC, a middle market private equity firm. He most recently served as the Chairman of the Board at Brook & Whittle Corporation and serves as Chairman of The Board   at Teasdale Latin Foods. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of FleetPride, Inc., from June of 2015 through March of 2016 and served as a director at FleetPride from 2014 - 2016. Mr. Sturdivant was the Chief Executive Officer of Marietta Corporation from 2009 through 2015. He also served on the Board of Directors at Serta Simmons Bedding Company from 2010-2012.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Sturdivant held various executive leadership roles including Chief Operating Officer at Altivity Packaging and Division President roles at Graphic Packaging International and Fort James Corporation. Mr. Sturdivant holds an MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a B.S. from the University of Maine and served as a Chemical Corps Officer in the United States Army.