[4] Jill Soltau started her career at Carson Pirie Scott before moving into senior level positions at Sears and Kohl's.
[8] As CEO, she opposed President Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods and testified in front of the administration in opposition due to American manufacturers not being able to meet Jo-Ann's quality or volume needs.
[9] On October 15, 2018, Soltau began as CEO[10] and a member of the board of JCPenney following Marvin Ellison's departure and the decline of the struggling company.
Soltau moved to close stores, exit the appliance market, remodel fitting rooms and introduce workshops for customers.
[16] On May 14, 2020, after layoffs and furloughs of more than 80,000 employees and missing two payments on J.C. Penney debt, it was reported that Jill Soltau would receive a $4.5 million bonus.