Jennifer C. Niemann

Jenny is president, chief executive officer and owner of Forward Space, an independent Steelcase dealership in Chicago. In her role, she is responsible for the strategic leadership of the company and for providing guidance and leadership in support of client needs.

Prior to her role with Forward Space, Jenny was chief executive officer of Red Thread, a Steelcase dealership in New England. In 2011, she led the acquisition and integration of three dealerships that merged to form Red Thread.

Before establishing Red Thread, Jenny spent 20 years with Steelcase in various leadership positions. She was responsible for the continued development of the Steelcase dealer network in North America and also held roles in marketing, product development, information technology and operations. Jenny began her career with Accenture (Andersen Consulting), where she advised businesses on the design, test and implementation of information systems.

Jenny serves as a trustee on the board of the Chicago Architecture Foundation. She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business and B.A. degrees in mathematics and economics from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.