Lillian Vernon is the founding  Chairman of Lillian Vernon Corporation, a leading national catalog and online retailer that markets gift, household, gardening, decorative, and children's products.

Born in Germany, Vernon fled to the United States with her family before the onset of World War II and settled in New York City.

 Vernon started her company in 1951 with $2,000 of wedding gift money. She placed a $495 advertisement for a personalized purse and belt in Seventeen Magazine and received $32,000 in orders and her business was launched.

The company is now a leading national catalogue and online retailer. Last year the company shipped more that 4.8 million packages and employed over 3,500 people.