# Don Nolan

> Don Nolan is executive chair and CEO of Apogee Enterprises, a role he assumed on October 31, 2025 after joining its board in 2013 and becoming chair in 2020. His career spans leadership at Valspar, Avery Dennison and Kennametal, followed by board roles in specialty adhesives and polymers. He holds engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Michigan.

- **Role:** Executive Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at Apogee Enterprises, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Apogee Enterprises, Inc., Kennametal Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation, Valspar Corporation, Loctite Corporation, Ashland Chemical Company, General Electric Company, Latrobe Steel, Meridian Adhesives Group, Polytek Development Corp.
- **Education:** BS, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Michigan, MS, Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MBA, University of Michigan
- **Known for:** Led Avery Dennison’s Materials Group, described as a $4.5 billion business in Kennametal’s November 2014 appointment announcement., Received the University of Michigan MSE Department Alumni Merit Award in 2015., Served as Apogee board chair from 2020 before appointment as executive chair and CEO in 2025.

## Career timeline

- **—** — Started his career at Latrobe Steel; early roles also included sales and marketing at General Electric, Ashland Chemical and Loctite.
- **1996-2008** — Served in executive roles at Valspar, culminating in senior vice president of Global Packaging and Automotive Coatings.
- **2008** — Joined Avery Dennison as group vice president, Roll Materials, effective March 3; later led its Materials Group.
- **2013** — Elected to Apogee’s board on June 26 and assigned to its audit committee.
- **2014** — Appointed president and CEO of Kennametal on November 17.
- **2015** — Received the University of Michigan MSE Department Alumni Merit Award.
- **2016** — Kennametal tenure ended on February 3; Ronald De Feo became CEO the following day.
- **2018** — Identified as interim CEO and board chair of Meridian Adhesives Group, and as chair of Polytek’s board in acquisition announcements.
- **2020** — Became independent chair of Apogee’s board in January.
- **2023** — Joined Apogee colleagues at Nasdaq’s opening-bell ceremony celebrating 40 years of the company’s listing.
- **2025** — Became Apogee CEO and executive chair, effective October 31.
- **2026** — Led Apogee during the completion of the Kalwall and Groglass acquisitions.

## Achievements

- Led Avery Dennison’s Materials Group, described as a $4.5 billion business in Kennametal’s November 2014 appointment announcement.
- Received the University of Michigan MSE Department Alumni Merit Award in 2015.
- Served as Apogee board chair from 2020 before appointment as executive chair and CEO in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 6, Apogee reported fiscal 2027 second-quarter sales of $391.1 million, up 9.2%, and raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance. Nolan remained executive chair and CEO.
- **2026-09** — Groglass joined Apogee, adding anti-reflective coating capabilities.
- **2026-07** — Apogee completed its Kalwall acquisition on July 1, adding translucent daylighting solutions.

## Links

- Website: https://www.apog.com/node/6176
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-nolan-40281b14

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/don-nolan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24