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Draft:Altaf Merchant (Dean)

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Altaf Merchant
File:Dean Altaf Merchant.jpg
Born
Mumbai, India
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materBachelor of Commerce, University of Mumbai, India (1993), Accounting

MBA, University of Mumbai, India (1997), Marketing

Ph.D., Old Dominion University, U.S.A (2008), Marketing and International Business
Occupation(s)Academic, Marketing Scholar, University Administrator
Years active1997–present
Employer(s)University of Washington Tacoma, Milgard School of Business
TitleGary E. and James A. Milgard Endowed Dean; Professor of Marketing
Websitehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/altafmerchant/

Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. (born in Mumbai, India) is an American academic, marketing scholar, and university administrator. He is currently the Gary E. and James A. Milgard Endowed Dean and Professor of Marketing at the Milgard School of Business, University of Washington Tacoma [1].

Early Life and Education

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Altaf Merchant was born and raised in Mumbai, India. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce in 1993 in Accounting and an MBA in Marketing in 1997 from the University of Mumbai. He later pursued doctoral studies in the United States, earning a Ph.D. in Marketing with a supporting area in International Business from Old Dominion University in 2008. His educational background reflects a global perspective, shaped by his multicultural experiences [2].

Career

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Industry Experience

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Altaf Merchant has built a career spanning both industry and academia. Prior to entering academia, he worked as a brand and marketing manager for over a decade in the corporate sector, managing global marketing campaigns and brand strategies for companies including Sara Lee, Reckitt Benckiser, GlaxoSmithKline, and Ranbaxy. He launched products and campaigns internationally across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America for major brands such as Lysol, Aquafresh, and Sara Lee.[3]

His academic career has been primarily at the University of Washington Tacoma's Milgard School of Business, where he has progressed through the ranks [4]. He joined the Milgard School of Business as an Assistant Professor of Marketing in 2008, was promoted to Associate Professor of Marketing in 2013, and became a Professor of Marketing in 2019 [5].

In addition to his roles at the University of Washington Tacoma, Merchant has held several visiting professorship positions, demonstrating his international academic engagement. These include: Distinguished Professor in Residence at the MICA School of Strategic Marketing and Communication (2018); Visiting Professor at the University of Lorraine, France (2016); Visiting Professor at Aix-Marseille University, France (from 2015 to 2019); and Visiting Professor at King’s College, London, UK (from 2016 to 2017). He also held a Visiting Senior Research Fellow position at King's College, London, UK in 2017 [6].

Further demonstrating his connection to the academic community, Merchant has served on the Global Advisory Board of the ICMC Conference at MICA School of Strategic Marketing and Communication since 2024 [7].

Administrative Appointments

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In 2019, Altaf Merchant was appointed as the Gary E. & James A. Milgard Endowed Dean of the Milgard School of Business at the University of Washington Tacoma [8]. Since assuming this role, he has overseen several key developments and achievements, including:

  • Successful reaffirmation of AACSB accreditation for a six-year period in 2021 [9].
  • A 10% growth in student enrollment between the 2018-19 and 2024-25 academic years [10].
  • Strategic revenue generation and improvements in operational efficiency [11].
  • A 30% increase in yearly state funding.
  • A 54% growth in net revenues from non-state programs.
  • Growth in non-state funds reserves [12].

Consulting

Merchant has also engaged in various consulting projects, applying his marketing expertise to a range of organizations: [13]

  • Developed a media targeting strategy for Roku (2017).
  • Contributed to the advertising strategy for Hasbro Toys, specifically for Magic the Gathering: Wizards of the Coast (2017).
  • Developed a branding strategy for Annie Wright Schools (2016).
  • Conducted a branding workshop for Sound Credit Union (2015).
  • Led an MBA student project to develop a marketing plan for United Way of Pierce County (2011, pro-bono).
  • Analyzed customer and donor perceptions for Giving Gets Results (2011, pro-bono).
  • Conducted research to identify insights into donor attrition and CRM for Tacoma Symphony Orchestra (2011, pro-bono).
  • Served as a reviewer for "Shaking the Globe" by Blythe McGarvie (2009, pro-bono).
  • Studied the psychographic profile of donors for WHRO TV Network (2008, pro-bono).[14]
  • Analyzed the FISO index for Leadership for International Finance, LLC, with his work being featured in their newsletter (2007).[15]

Research and Recognition

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Merchant's research focuses on nostalgia [16], brand heritage [17], cross-cultural issues, family issues, and prosocial behaviors. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 100 conference presentations worldwide. He has been ranked 11th most impactful advertising scholar in the world.[18]

He serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Advertising Research and sits on editorial boards including the Journal of Business Research [19]. Merchant is also affiliated with organizations such as the Academy of Marketing Science and has contributed as a program and colloquium co-chair [20].

Leadership and Community Engagement

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As dean, Merchant has advanced several initiatives to foster innovation and experiential learning. These include:

  • The Entrepreneurship Academy: a certificate program supporting student startups.[21]
  • The Center for Financial Wellness: featuring a Financial Markets Lab with Bloomberg terminals.[22]
  • The Milgard student-managed investment fund (first in the UW system).[23]

Merchant has supported the development of new programs in areas like sports enterprise management, women's leadership, FINTECH, and financial literacy. Community outreach projects under his leadership include mentorship for underrepresented high school students and the "Dawg Bites" campus event attended by over 3,000 people.[24]

He currently serves on the boards of Sound Credit Union [25], the World Trade Center Tacoma [26], and the Museum of Glass [27].

Personal Life

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Merchant is married to Zahra, and they have a son, Zack, who is pursuing a degree in finance and analytics at the University of Washington Seattle’s Foster School of Business [28].

Affiliations

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Affiliation Note Year
Academy of Marketing Science Program Co-Chair: 2019 Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference (Vancouver, BC): 22 tracks, 44 track chairs. 2019 [29]
Co-Chair, Academy of Marketing Science Doctoral Colloquium 2014 - 2020 [30]
Journal of Advertising Research (impact factor: 2.034) Associate Editor 2017 - present [31]
Member, Editorial Advisory Board 2014 - present [32]
Journal of Business Research Managing Guest Editor (Special Issue) 2019 - 2020 [33]
Member, Editorial Review Board 2016 - present [34]

Honors and Awards

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Year Honors and Awards Remark
1996 Khandelwal Trophy, Faculty of Management, University of Mumbai [35]
1997 Dandekar Trophy, Bombay Management Association [36]
2002 Glaxo Smithkline Spirit Award for business excellence for outstanding performance as a brand manager [37]
2007 Marvin and Marilyn Simon Fellows Endowed Scholarship [38]
2007 Outstanding doctoral student, Old Dominion University [39]
2007 Phi Kappa Phi, Old Dominion University [40]
2007 Love of Learning Award, Phi Kappa Phi [41]
2007 Fellow, American Marketing Association-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium
2008 Beta Gamma Sigma, Old Dominion University [42]
2008 American Marketing Association Foundation Nonprofit Travel Grant [43]
2008 Best Paper Award, International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing [44]
2010 Research Fellow of the Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility [45]
2011 University of Washington Tacoma Chancellor’s Grant [46]
2013 Most Inspirational Faculty Award, Milgard School of Business [47]
2013 Best Paper Proceedings, Academy of Management Annual Meeting [48]
2013 Great Mind Award from the Advertising Research Foundation for best paper published in the Journal of Advertising Research [49]
2014 Dean’s commendation for Outstanding Teaching Performance, Milgard School of Business Also in 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 [50]
2014 MBA Faculty of the Year Award, Milgard School of Business [51]
2015 Recognized among the ten most influential research on Children and Advertising (1972-2015) in the Journal of Advertising [52]
2016 Extra meritorious performance rating, Milgard Business School Also in 2015,

2014, 2013, 2011, 2009

[53]
2017 Received research grant for $1,000 from Academy of Marketing Science-French Marketing Association Foundation [54]
2018 Received research grant for $1,000 from Academy of Marketing Science-French Marketing Association Foundation [55]
2018 MBA Faculty of the Year Award, Milgard School of Business [56]
2018 UW Leadership Excellence Project participant (2018-2020) Identified as one of the 30 emergent leaders in the UW system [57]
2019 Academy of Indian Marketing-American Marketing Association Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium Distinguished Faculty [58]
2019 American Marketing Association Summer Educator’s Conference Best Paper Award (Society and Culture track) [59]
2021 Most Impactful Advertising Scholar Based on Citations*

*Ford et al (2021), “A Decade of (2008-2019) Advertising Research Productivity: A Bibliometric Review,” Journal of Business Research, 136, 137-163.

Ranked 11th [60]
2024 Co-Chair, Museum of Glass Breakfast at the Cone (with Bill Robertson, CEO- MultiCare Health System) [61]

References

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  1. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  2. ^ "Dean of the Milgard School of Business | Academic Affairs". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  3. ^ staff, South Sound (2021-02-22). "The List: Dr. Altaf Merchant". SouthSoundMag.com. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  4. ^ "Dean of the Milgard School of Business | Academic Affairs". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  5. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  6. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. - AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education". Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  7. ^ "CFP". easychair.org. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  8. ^ February 4, Published on; 2022 (2025-04-08). "Celebrating the leadership of Dr. Altaf Merchant | Office of the Chancellor". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved 2025-05-02. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ February 4, Published on; 2022 (2025-04-08). "Celebrating the leadership of Dr. Altaf Merchant | Office of the Chancellor". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved 2025-05-05. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Stearns, John (2023-12-26). "Altaf Merchant: A Dynamic Dean". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  11. ^ February 4, Published on; 2022 (2025-04-08). "Celebrating the leadership of Dr. Altaf Merchant | Office of the Chancellor". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved 2025-05-01. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ February 4, Published on; 2022 (2025-04-08). "Celebrating the leadership of Dr. Altaf Merchant | Office of the Chancellor". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved 2025-05-02. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  14. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  15. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  16. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  17. ^ Rose, Mei; and Merchant, Altaf (2017-09-01). "Is Old Gold? How Heritage "Sells" The University to Prospective Students: The Impact of a Measure of Brand Heritage On Attitudes toward the University". Journal of Advertising Research. 57 (3): 335–352. doi:10.2501/JAR-2017-038. ISSN 0021-8499. {{cite journal}}: |first2= missing |last2= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. - AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education". Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  19. ^ Merchant, Altaf; Latour, Kathryn; Ford, John (2013-01-01). "How Strong is the Pull of the Past? Measuring Personal Nostalgia Evoked by Advertising". Journal of Advertising Research. 53 (2). doi:10.2501/jar-53-2-150-165.
  20. ^ "Journal of Advertising Research". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  21. ^ Stearns, John (2023-12-26). "Altaf Merchant: A Dynamic Dean". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  22. ^ Stearns, John (2023-12-26). "Altaf Merchant: A Dynamic Dean". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  23. ^ Stearns, John (2023-12-26). "Altaf Merchant: A Dynamic Dean". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  24. ^ Stearns, John (2023-12-26). "Altaf Merchant: A Dynamic Dean". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  25. ^ "Our Board | Sound Credit Union". www.soundcu.com. 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  26. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. - AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education". Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  27. ^ Stearns, John (2023-12-26). "Altaf Merchant: A Dynamic Dean". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  28. ^ Huntington, Carlisle (2020-04-29). "24 Hours: Altaf Merchant". SouthSoundBiz.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  29. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. - AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education". Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  30. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. - AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education". Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  31. ^ "JAR – Meet the Editors". The ARF. 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  32. ^ "Learn about Journal of Advertising Research". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  33. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D." scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  34. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D." scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  35. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  36. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  37. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  38. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  39. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  40. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  41. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  42. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  43. ^ Merchant, Altaf (2008-07-01). "How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity". Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration. doi:10.25777/0tq7-rt72.
  44. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  45. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  46. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  47. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  48. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  49. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  50. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  51. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  52. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  53. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  54. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  55. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  56. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  57. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  58. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  59. ^ "Altaf Merchant Ph.D. | University of Washington Tacoma Directory". directory.tacoma.uw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  60. ^ "Altaf Merchant, Ph.D. - AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education". Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  61. ^ "Breakfast at the Cone". Museum of Glass. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
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