Altaf Merchant Named Dean

Dean Merchant grew up in Mumbai, India, and immigrated to the U.S. after getting his MBA from the University of Mumbai. He received his Ph.D. from Old Dominion University in Virginia. Before entering academia, Dean Merchant was a brand/marketing manager for more than a decade, launching products and campaigns internationally in Asia, Europe and Africa for brands such as Lysol, Aquafresh and Sara Lee.

Dr. Merchant is a familiar presence in the corridors of MSB. He has been serving on the faculty since his arrival at UW Tacoma in 2008, having been promoted twice to his current rank of Professor. As a professor he has taught marketing classes at the undergraduate and MBA levels. Since 2019, he has served as Interim Dean of the Milgard School. 

Dean Merchant has a notable academic record as a pioneer in research on the role of nostalgia in advertising (“Merchant of Nostalgia” UW Tacoma’s story from 2019). He has published more than 28 peer-reviewed articles and made more than 60 scholarly presentations around the world. He is associate editor of the Journal of Advertising Research. He serves on the boards of Tacoma’s Sound Credit Union and the Museum of Glass.

Know more about your Dean:

Email: altafm@uw.edu

https://directory.tacoma.uw.edu/employee/altafm

https://southsoundbiz.com/24-hours-altaf-merchant/

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