02 / About
Researcher, educator, association leader, strategist, and experienced communicator—focused on turning rigorous ideas into decisions people can understand and use.
I am Professor and James J. Pierson Endowed Chair in Marketing at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz School of Business and a Saint Louis University Research Institute Fellow.
For more than two decades, I have studied how people form relationships with brands, how identity shapes behavior, and how firms turn customer insight into stronger marketing decisions. My scholarship appears in leading journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Journal of Applied Psychology.
I have taught undergraduate, MBA, executive, and doctoral audiences; directed a doctoral program; served as President of the Academy of Marketing Science; and host the AMS Illuminations podcast. Across those roles, my strength is the same: making complex thinking clear without making it simplistic.
That communication experience extends well beyond the classroom. I have delivered keynotes and workshops, emceed corporate luncheons and professional events, hosted long-form interviews, performed improv comedy, and fronted live bands. Those are not miscellaneous side notes. They represent years of practical experience reading an audience, controlling pace, creating connection, and helping a message land.
My experience as a father has also made inclusion deeply personal—and has led to projects intended to turn that belief into something tangible. Explore Inclusion & Impact →
04 / What I bring
Published evidence, behavioral theory, and the discipline to distinguish a plausible story from a supported conclusion.
Experience leading academic programs, professional associations, committees, and strategic conversations where competing priorities are real.
Keynotes, workshops, emcee roles, podcast interviews, improv, and live music have built an unusually practical understanding of attention and belief.
05 / Leadership with outcomes
As Ph.D. program director, I led a program redesign focused on a stronger structure, clearer expectations, and a more competitive student experience.
As President of the Academy of Marketing Science, I helped lead its rebranding, expanded practitioner-facing initiatives, and launched AMS Circles to create more meaningful connection among members.
I helped bring MarketingPhDJobs.org into the Academy of Marketing Science and appointed new journal leadership—work intended to strengthen the profession beyond a single term of office.
Board, committee, executive, podcast, and community roles have required the same discipline: clarify the goal, align people, and turn discussion into forward movement.
Looking for a speaker, advisor, facilitator, or board member?