2014 Ph.D. Earned

2,091+ Students Taught

18 Publications

32 Awards & Grants

TENNESSEE. I was born and raised in Nashville where I attended Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School in the heart of downtown. I went to Union University in Jackson where I graduated with a B.S.B.A. in management (minor in marketing). Later, I worked as an associate brand manager with Pentair’s Tool Division. After nearly two years, the Tool Division was purchased by Black & Decker (BDK). I worked for BDK for 6-½ years managing the professional power tool brands (Porter- Cable, Delta Machinery, DeWALT). Our marketing department created an integrated marketing campaign for all 3 brands and another just for our PCD woodworking brands. During this time, I went to graduate school to earn a MBA. I met several professors who mentored me and encouraged me to consider applying to a doctoral program. ARKANSAS. I attended the University of Arkansas’s Walton College of Business where I worked with Drs. Scot Burton, Elizabeth “Betsy” Howlett, and Ronn Smith (Dissertation Chair). The UofA’s marketing department is a power house for research in public policy, and I quickly fell in love with conducting research with implications for consumer well-being. My father had a heart attack the first year of my doctoral program, so I became especially invested in health and nutrition-related research. After four years, I graduated with my Ph.D. (Marketing) in 2014. WEST VIRGINIA. I joined West Virginia University in the Fall of 2014 and recently received the award of tenure & promotion (May 2020). Since then, I have continued my work in consumer behavior and social marketing. WVU’s marketing department embraces policy research as well. In fact, the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing is given the highest ranking possible (A+). Our department works closely with doctoral students and local businesses. Additionally, I am the faculty advisor for our collegiate American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter and a faculty advisor for Respectful Mountaineer- an inspiring movement started by two of my former marketing students (read their exciting story here).

I attended a conference panel called “Demystifying the Tenure and Promotion Process” at a Society for Marketing Advances Conference. The panel was hosted by Drs. Bob McDonald (Texas Tech), Stephanie Noble (University of Tennessee), Charles Martin (Wichita State), Omar Woodham (North Carolina A&T State), and Rajendran Murthy (Rochester Institute of Technology). One of the most valuable pieces of advice they gave to me and other junior faculty was to create an annual narrative to describe the research, teaching, and service components of our job. I’ve attached a PDF of my previous narrative for reference. I hope it’s as helpful to you as the panel’s advice and resources were to me.

Example End-of-Year Review

BLUE & GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS. Each year at WVU, the top graduating senior from each Mountaineer athletic program invites his or her most influential professor to the awards banquet. Here, Elizabeth Gratz (Rifle Team) outlines why she honored me with an invite this year. WVUSPORTS.COM

DARK DESIGN & CHILDREN There are elements online, shown to children via apps and websites, that may surreptitiously influence behavior. Often referred to as “dark design,” this research explores how a variety of dark design types can affect the digital well-being of children and their parents/caregivers. I have outlined how dark design falls into the following ten (10) categories: sneaking, urgency, misdirection, social proof, scarcity, obstruction, forced action, identity captures, psychological/physical triggers, and frictionless/ seamlessness. I was able to share this research during WVU’s annual Media Day- an event modeled after media days athletics programs/conferences organize where players and coaches share information and are available for interviews with media. FINANCE.YAHOO.COM/NEWS WVNEWS.COM DOMINIONPOST.COM ACADEMICMEDIADAY.WVU.EDU SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS Shortly after the arrest of a YouTube family vlogger, Ruby Franke, NBC News journalist Angela Yang reached out to me for comment. The Ruby Franke case has generated a lot of attention because it’s a national case that (finally) explains the public’s growing discontent with child influencers. In other words, it gives a major reason why this approach is no longer persuasive (at best) or dangerous (at worst). This case brings much-needed attention to the poorly-used tactic of child influencers. Parents and caregivers who use children and young adults for online content should reconsider the (A) ethicality and (B) long-term sustainability of this approach. NBCNEWS.COM/RUBYFRANKE SHARENTING RESEARCH While sharing photos and videos of children online may seem fun and innocuous, my recent ‘sharenting’ research reveals how such information may put these children at risk. During an interview with Laura Roberts, a writer at WVU, I had the opportunity to share an overview of my initial sharenting research as well as the next stages designed to explore the effects of dark design. The article was well disseminated and soon caught the attention of the Associated Press. Shortly thereafter, I had a radio interview with WV’s own Watchdog Morning Show to discuss this important research. REYNOLDS HALL MARKETING LAB As the founder of the Social Technology and Research (S.T.A.R.) Lab, I had a chance to showcase a space designed to utilize new and emerging MarTech. This space will help showcase the College’s marketing expertise in analytics, social media, search engine marketing (advertising and search engine optimization), inbound marketing, mobile, and design. Also, the lab’s co-created social content will be on full display through the sizeable livestream feeds visible to guests who enter Reynolds Hall on the 3rd floor. BUSINESSMAGAZINE.WVU.EDU THEDAONLINE.COM AUTO INSURANCE FEEDBACK During December (2020) and June (2021), a panel of academics were part of Wallethub’s ‘Ask the Experts’ session regarding car insurance marketing strategies. Here I shared my thoughts about car insurance post- pandemic, the use of celebrity endorsers, and relationship marketing. WALLETHUB.COM (December) WALLETHUB.COM (June) MARKETING AMID A PANDEMIC Jake Stump, the Director of WVU Research Communications, interviewed me about how the service-learning project in my digital marketing class turned into a widespread WVU movement to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The story was later picked up by Joe Buchanan, a reporter with the WDTV news. WVUTODAY.WVU.EDU BUSINESS MAGAZINE WDTV.COM PEER FEEDBACK WEBINARS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES The Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at WVU created a series of seven webinars designed to help small business owners reopen after COVID-19. I was given the opportunity to lead the first webinar with WVU’s Assistant Director of Student Media (Joanne Hunt). The title of our webinar was called “A new digital world: using Google Ads and digital marketing techniques for your business.” (Webinar Library) DOMINIONPOST.COM BUSINESS.WVU.EDU CELEBRATING IN STYLE Here’s a fun story about my tenure celebration included in the Chambers College Business Magazine November 2020. BUSINESS MAGAZINE VIRTUAL TRIP TO BRAZIL The Chambers College of Business recently posted about the virtual Study Abroad trip to Brazil that I led in April 2020. The article describes the event and participants’ feedback. LETSGOTOBRAZIL.EDU LOW-INCOME EARNERS. Kelly Anne Smith, a personal finance writer for Bankrate, interviewed me in 2019 about the ‘Triple Scarcity’ article I published with my Ph.D. student in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Kelly’s article, “‘You can make it work’: How low-income earners can overcome their circumstances and set financial goals,” discusses the mindset of scarcity and safer options for borrowing. BANKRATE.COM/PERSONALFINANCE CREDIT CARD MARKETING. In late 2019, a panel of academics were part of Wallethub’s ‘Ask the Experts’ session regarding Capital One’s marketing strategies. Here I shared my thoughts about Capital One’s TV advertising, their triple bottom line orientation, and message framing. WALLETHUB.COM TWITTER COLLABORATION. My coauthors and I were invited by Cynthia Nalevanko, Senior Editor at SAGE Publishing, to share insight about a recent article we had accepted at the Journal of Marketing Education. We were asked about our motivation, events that influenced our research, and advice for other scholars. MANAGEMENTLINK.WORDPRESS.COM CREDIT CARD EXCLUSIVITY. Four business professors and I were invited by John Papas, a Communications Associate with WalletHub, to discuss ultra-exclusive credit cards. We were also asked about the use of credit cards as status symbols, benefits for merchants and consumers, and heuristics for identifying exclusivity. WALLETHUB.COM MY FIRST SEMI-VIRAL TWEET! In August, I watched in awe as a WVU student illustrated the Golden Rule in a poignant and inspiring way. In a series of tweets, I shared my experience online. I never expected the favorable response that this story garnered. 1,500 “likes” later, Amelia Henderson with WBOY WV News contacted me to create a story to share on WV broadcast news and online. It was thrilling- and the closest to “going viral” I’ve ever been! WBOY.COM TWITTER.COM SUPER BOWL ADVERTISING. I was invited by Megan Vanselow, a journalist at WTAP (affiliate for NBC News), to describe changes in super bowl advertising. I described changes in ad lengths, formats, and messaging. THENEWSCENTER.TV MEMORIAL DAY SALES. Eight marketing professors and I were invited by Richie Bernardo, a senior writer with WalletHub, to discuss consumer overspending- especially in light of the upcoming Memorial Day sales. We were also asked about products that were likely to be discounted during this time. Finally, we each shared tips about finding the best Memorial Day deals. WALLETHUB.COM BEST (AND WORST) STATES FOR JOBS. WalletHub released an article about the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ states for college undergrads to find jobs. Hilarey Wojtowicz, senior career and finance editor for Swirled, wanted an alternative perspective for her article. I offered a more positive outlook for jobs in WV- especially for skilled marketing students! SWIRLED.COM INTERCOLLEGIATE TWEETS. The American Marketing Association (AMA) featured a story called “AMA Members' Collaborative Teaching Initiative Engages Students Across Universities.” The story described a collaboration among AMA members who used Twitter in the classroom to reinforce learning while also offering real world experience using social channels to engage external audiences. AMA.ORG