The Marketing Ethnic Faculty Association Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary

NEW YORK - July 30, 2023 - PRLog -- This week, the Marketing Ethnic Faculty Association (MEFA), a national professional membership organization that services and supports the diverse needs of marketing academics and researchers of color, celebrates its 15^th Anniversary at its Annual Conference in San Francisco at the Marriott Marquis. Its conference theme is "Reflecting on the Past, We Venture Into the Future!"

"As a national organization dedicated to empowering marketing academics and researchers of color, it is important for MEFA to celebrate our brilliant and dynamic Members at the 15^th Anniversary conference because they are true change agents," states MEFA President, Dr. Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing and Faculty Director of Industry Relations and Experiential Learning at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. "For the past four years as the MEFA President, I worked with our Board of Directors to take the organization to higher heights. And, I am tremendously proud to report that MEFA now has a stable foundation, both financially and programmatically, for healthy growth as the organization ventures into the future!"

Created in 2008, MEFA works to promote the professional and career development of under-represented ethnic faculty (i.e., African American, Hispanic, and Native American heritage) and professionals who hold a terminal degree in marketing and related business disciplines. The organization also works to advance research and understanding that broaden the discipline of marketing. MEFA members also benefit from the organization's collective knowledge, intellectual prowess, and applied experiences of professionals who want to expand and ensure the visibility, influence, and future prospects for academicians, scholars, and practitioners of color in marketing and related fields.

Currently, in the U.S., marketing researchers of color comprise close to 1% of those teaching in business schools and working in industry. Through MEFA's collaboration with the PhD Project, a program of the KPMG Foundation, the group seeks to increase the recruitment and retention of under-represented ethnic faculty in marketing and related business disciplines. Additionally, MEFA fosters a greater awareness and appreciation of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in business schools and other higher education institutions.

At the 2023 conference, "Reflecting on the Past, We Venture Into the Future," local and national speakers will present topics that expose MEFA members to industry trends in Marketing and Advertising as well as share information that can assist them in the classrooms at their respective universities and colleges.

Additionally, at this year's conference, MEFA will once again announce the recipients of two newly created awards that honor the lives and spirit of Dr. Jerome D. Williams and Dr. Geraldine Rosa Henderson. Both were impactful Marketing Scholars that helped build MEFA as well as greatly supported PhDs of color around the world. The 2023 recipients include-

• Recipient of the Dr. Jerome D. Williams Excellence in Mentorship Memorial Award, Dr. Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing and Faculty Director of Industry Relations and Experiential Learning at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University.
• Recipient of the Dr. Geraldine Rosa Henderson Early Career Memorial Award, Dr. Julio Sevilla, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Chicago.

At the close of the 2023 conference, the newest MEFA Officers will include:

• President, Dr. Tatiana Fajardo, Associate Professor of Marketing, Florida State University
• Secretary, Dr. Robert Arias, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Loyola University Chicago
• Membership Director, Dr. Kristin Stewart, Associate Professor of Marketing, California State University San Marcos

"The Marketing Ethnic Faculty Association is my annual 'woosah' – it is not only refreshing, but, regenerative as well," states past MEFA Officer and current Member-at-Large, Dr. Eric Rhiney, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Marketing & Marketing Program Lead at Webster University. "As a member of MEFA, I am able to collaborate on research and teaching and just get a chance to spend quality time with great colleagues who represent every level of academic endeavor."

For more information on MEFA, visit https://www.mefassoc.org/.