Orva names Jason Short as general merchandising manager

New York-based e-commerce accelerator Orva, which serves the footwear, apparel, and broader consumer goods industries, has named Jason Short as senior vice president and general merchandise manager to grow its footwear portfolio.

Short, who has more than 30 years of consumer-centric merchandising experience, has been brought on to advance Orva’s footwear merchandising strategy, tasked with building long-term partnerships with leading footwear brands.

He joins the company from Famous Footwear, the 1.6 billion US dollar division of Caleres, where he worked on the executive team and partnered with leading global brands like Nike, Adidas, Birkenstock, Skechers, Crocs, New Balance, and Under Armour to deliver elevated, on-trend assortments that delivered improved gross margin return on inventory.

Prior to Famous Footwear, Short spent nearly 19 years at Finish Line, rising from sales associate to the divisional merchandise manager of footwear during a period of growth from 80 to more than 700 stores.

Jeff Espersen, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Orva, said in a statement: “Jason brings over three decades of invaluable merchandising experience to Orva following successful tenures at major retailers, including Famous Footwear and Finish Line.

“We look forward to benefiting from his strong merchant skills and deep industry relationships as we continue to attract the next generation of customers.

“The addition of Jason will further strengthen Orva’s position as a market-leader within the footwear industry and e-commerce. We are excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to what we’ll accomplish together.”

Short’s appointment follows other recent senior-level appointments at Orva, including Solomon Hedaya as chief strategy officer and executive vice president in 2025.