Rue 21 has announced a series of hires at the corporate level. The business is based in Warrendale.

WARRENDALE — A business headquartered in the Cranberry area has restructured its leadership positions.

Rue 21, which has its home office in Warrendale, appointed Laurie Van Brunt as president and chief executive officer effective June 25. The clothing company also named Michele Pascoe as its senior vice president and chief financial officer, and Stephen Sommers as its senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Van Brunt, who is joining the company after serving as president of Soma Intimates for Chico's FAS Inc., takes over the position from Michael Appel, who was named interim CEO in October. He will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

“We are very pleased to have Laurie join rue 21 to lead our management team,” Appel said. “She is a proven results-oriented leader within all aspects of the business who has successfully led, built and turned around specialty store apparel brands. With our increased financing in place, Laurie's leadership, our new senior team, and the utilization of innovative data analytics to drive our business, we are confident that rue 21 will be an even stronger brand that delivers outstanding growth and profit.”

Van Brunt has also served in high-level positions at J.C. Penney Co., Chadwick's of Boston, Lane Bryant and Casual Corner-Petite Sophisticate.

Pascoe most recently worked for Alvarez & Marsal, a financial consulting firm, and has worked in the fashion industry for nearly 30 years. She succeeds Stephen Coulombe, who was named interim CFO in March.

“Michele is a savvy financial executive experienced in delivering financial and operational improvements and leading change initiatives,” Appel said. “Her innovative financial leadership in high volume, highly competitive multiunit retail environments, and direct, hands-on experience will be invaluable as we move rue 21 financially and operationally to the next level.”

Sommers, meanwhile, recently served as chief marketing officer at Vineyard Vines, a specialty retail and wholesale apparel brand. He also served as vice president of global brand marketing for Under Armour, and has worked at businesses in the electronics industry.

“Steve's has the strong ability to create brands, drive growth, and build teams and motivate talent,” Appel said. “As our marketing leader, Steve has the ideal combination of creative marketing skills and savvy analytics to build the rue brand and engage our target customers.”

Rue 21 operates 752 stores in 45 states, including three in the Pittsburgh region. The company's store at the Cranberry Mall in Cranberry Township was closed in 2017 along with nearly 400 other stores nationwide.