Spring 2025

UAB Campus | Executive Development Program

A 4-month certificate program geared toward preparing early- to mid-career marketing leaders for increasing levels of responsibility in their organizations.

The goal of The Chief Marketing Officer Institute’s Executive Development Program (EDP) is to prepare mid-career marketing leaders for increasing levels of responsibility in their organizations. Featuring curriculum designed by leading academicians and senior-level executives, this certificate program is intended to serve as a post-graduate enhancement for individuals holding an MBA, or other business-related graduate degree.

Program Objectives & Curriculum Design

The primary objectives of the Executive Development Program are to:

  • Provide participants with tools and insights to improve leadership acumen and accelerate their careers
  • Expose participants to complex issues related to marketing and leadership
  • Facilitate critical thinking and debate among participants
  • Build meaningful professional relationships between participants, in order to serve as a mutual support network

To achieve these objectives, a rigorous curriculum featuring leading-edge research, case studies, and direct exposure to C-suite executives has been developed.

Coursework & Lectures

Developed in collaboration with university researchers, each session of the Executive Development Program features an instructor-led discussion of a preassigned reading or case study, followed by a panel discussion or presentation led by a C-suite executive from a widely-admired company. Topics covered during the academic year include leadership, strategy, managing cross-functional relationships, decision making, branding, and communications, among others. All sessions are held on the UAB campus.

Peer Networking and the Power of Relationships

One of the core tenets of the program is the importance of mutually supportive relationships in the accomplishment of corporate and professional goals. While there are no group projects during the academic year, multiple opportunities to engage with classmates and C-suite speakers will occur throughout the program. The importance of intra-organizational networking is also emphasized. Participants who successfully complete the program also receive invitations to alumni events and may join The CMO Institute’s LinkedIn group.

Admission, Tuition & Fees

Because the program has a limited number of participants each year, the standards of admission are high. The program focuses on admitting individuals who have already obtained a graduate degree, although exceptions may occur. To receive preferred placement in the Spring 2025 EDP, apply before December 17, 2024. 

Program Syllabus

The curriculum for Executive Development Program is designed to provide participants with a deeper understanding of leadership principles, expanded knowledge in the fields of strategy, finance, and marketing, as well as an appreciation for the role of intra-organizational and external relationships in the accomplishment of corporate and professional goals. 

SESSION A – Thursday, February 20, 2025 (1:00 to 5:30 pm)

Topic 1 – The Leadership Challenge 

  • Reading: Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve (Harvard Business Review) by Jim Collins
  • Reading: “The Role & Leadership Challenges of the CMO” (The CMO Journal) by William L. Koleszar
  • Reading: “Leading Marketing from Good to Great” (The CMO Journal) by William L. Koleszar
  • Speaker: Major General Sheryl Gordon, United States Army (Ret.)

 

Topic 2 – The Role of Marketing in Strategy Development and Execution

  • Reading: “What is Strategy?” (Harvard Business Review) by Michael E. Porter, Ph.D.
  • Reading: “Transient Advantage” (Harvard Business Review) by Rita Gunther McGrath, Ph.D.
  • Speaker: Hinton Taylor – Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Regions Bank

SESSION B – Thursday, March 20, 2025 (1:00 to 5:30 pm)

Topic 1 – Developing Strong Cross-Functional Relationships

  • Reading: “CMOs and Influence” (The Chief Marketing Officer Journal) Allan R. Cohen, Ph.D.
  • Reading: “Why effective leaders must manage up, down, and sideways” (McKinsey Quarterly) T. Barta and P. Barwise
  • Panelist: Ron Blahnik, Chief Information Officer, Hibbett Sports (Nasdaq: HIBB)
  • Panelist: Tony Hernandez, Chief Human Resource Officer, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC)
  • Panelist: Christy Roddy, Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Realty

Topic 2 – Leveraging Data & Analytics for Decision Making

  • Reading: “Aligning Analytics with Marketing Strategy” by Lawrence Duke and Atif Ashraf
  • Speaker: Michael Taylor, Managing Director & Chief Data Officer, Latin America, Citibank

SESSION C – Thursday, April 17, 2025 (1:00 to 5:30 pm)

Topic 1 – Marketing Finance: ROI Measurement & Beyond

  • Reading: “5 Ways To Improve The Alliance Between Finance And Marketing” Forbes, April 2015
  • Speaker: Andria Cleghorn, Chief Financial Officer at O’Neal Steel

 

Topic 2 – Digital Advertising, Social Media, and Society

  • Case Study: “A CMO’s Guide to Marketing Technology” Forrester Research Best Practice Report, June 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Nicole Beachum, Associate Professor, Marketing, Industrial Distribution, & Economics at UAB

SESSION D – Thursday, May 15, 2025 (1:00 to 5:30 pm)

Topic 1 – Enhancing the Sales & Marketing Relationship

  • Reading: “On Sales & Marketing Integration” (The Chief Marketing Officer Journal) by Philip Kotler, Ph.D.
  • Speaker: Dr. John Hansen, Professor of Marketing – UAB Collat School of Business

 

Topic 2 – Antecedents of Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty

  • Reading: “Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work” (HBR) by Heskett, Jones, Loveman, Sasser, and Schlesinger
  • Speaker: Mark Conklin, Director of Leadership Development, Chick-fil-A (retired)

 

Note: Listed guest speakers are expected, but not guaranteed; substitutions may occur.