By Natalie Mojica
On Feb. 13, the executive president of Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss & Co., Jennifer Sey, announced her resignation.
Sey held multiple offices at Levi since the start of her career as assistant marketing manager in 1999. She went from marketing director to chief marketing officer and then global brand president in 2020. As the first woman to have this position at Levi, she felt it was important to remain dedicated to her political advocacy cause for children, which has always been a highlight of her career.
Unfortunately, Sey said her pushback against shutting down public schools during the pandemic led to her eventual resignation.
Sey said she “felt—and still do[es]—that the draconian policies would cause the most harm to those least at risk, and the burden would fall heaviest on disadvantaged kids in public schools, who need the safety and routine of school the most.”
One of the events that incited all the backlash against Sey was her decision to join a group of parents local to the San Francisco area that opposed schools shutting down and organizing rallies against the policies. She even went as far as relocating her family so that her children could experience in-person classes in Denver.
Sey was also very public of her meetings with the office of Mayor London Breed and made an appearance on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show to publicize her decision to move her family. Her guest appearance greatly upset the company’s chief executive, Chip Bergh, who told her it was “untenable” for her to stay.
Sey recalled multiple warnings from the executive team to stop being so public about her controversial views, especially given the company’s policies surrounding COVID restrictions and their commitment to respecting local issues.
Sey was surprised by the insistence that she shouldn’t voice her thoughts because Levi has been open about other political issues in the past. Bergh called for federal legislation to prevent gun violence in 2019, solidifying the company’s stance on gun control.
Levi Strauss & Co. has yet to comment on the situation but has confirmed that Sey has resigned. Seth Ellison, Chief Commerical Officer, will temporarily take over her duties until an official replacement is hired. Sey claimed she turned down a million-dollar severance package because she didn’t want to be further silenced with a nondisclosure agreement.
