Shana Redd
Shana Redd, Ph.D. candidate in marketing, has won the 2019 Teaching Excellence Award from the Marketing Doctoral Student Association. MDSA was founded in 1997 as a subset of the Ph.D. Project, and its mission is to increase diversity in business school faculty who encourage, mentor, support and enhance students. The Teaching Excellence Award is presented to one individual each year to recognize outstanding efforts in teaching, innovations used in teaching and extraordinary commitment to students.
“I’m tremendously proud to have received this award and honored to serve as an example of the Broad College of Business’s exceptional teaching standards,” Redd said.
She begins each semester by presenting her students with a quote from Deepak Chopra to emphasize the mindset and attitude that she brings to the classroom: “Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals.”
“I have a reputation in the business college for always having a smile on my face because I love being an educator, I love working with and learning from others and I truly love marketing,” she said. “I want my students to find joy and passion in our lessons, which is fortunately made an easier task as marketing truly is a dynamic, vast and fascinating topic.”
She fosters a learning community where students can share their ideas and reflect on how her classroom topics come to life through their own experiences. “I believe that the optimal academic environment is one in which students feel free to share and integrate their experience, have access to diverse sources of knowledge, demonstrate their knowledge in a way that closely simulates on-the-job application, learn and grow throughout the semester and have fun along the way. I strive to be a best-in-class educator by providing this experience.”
Prior to her time as a Ph.D. candidate, Redd gained valuable industry experience that has shaped her journey as an instructor. “I previously worked in CPG [consumer packaged goods] in a junior consultancy capacity and as a new product brand manager, launching over 43 new products for Whirlpool Corporation,” she said. “I was also an instrumental member of the rebranding strategy team for Whirlpool Brand.”
She is often able to bring business leaders into the classroom, tailored to fit with her lessons, through her network at Whirlpool Corporation and from companies such as Meijer, Deloitte LLC, GM Automotive and Pandora. “Unlike traditional guest lecturers, our partners present tools and content to train us on concepts, principles and frameworks that pertain to the day’s lesson and can be used by students in their future careers,” she said.
Richard Spreng, interim chairperson of the Department of Marketing, said that Redd “brings a great deal of real-world experience to her teaching and is a charismatic and highly engaged teacher. We are very fortunate to have Shana teaching in the Broad College of Business!”
Redd also focuses on a “360-degree feedback approach” so that students not only receive feedback from her as the instructor but also share feedback with peers and are required to evaluate themselves. “Giving and receiving feedback helps us internalize course material, refine our skills and evolve as business leaders,” she said.
She has been an instructor in the Broad College since 2014 and a research and teaching assistant in the Department of Marketing since 2016. She has created three and taught five marketing courses over 14 semesters. Redd also currently serves as the co-host of the Broad College’s podcast, the Spartan BizCast.
She is already a Spartan graduate twofold: she earned her bachelor’s in communications in 2007 and her MBA in business administration, with a concentration on marketing and leadership and change management, in 2011.
