Zablah Honored with Mentorship Award from American Marketing Association

Faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business continue to garner recognition for their dedicated work. The American Marketing Association (AMA) recently named Alex Zablah, head of the college’s Department of Marketing, Gerber/Taylor Distinguished Professor and Kinney Family Faculty Research Fellow, the winner of its 2024 “Mathew Joseph” DocSIG [Doctoral Student Special Interest Group] Mentorship Award. The AMA presented the award to Zablah at the 2024 Winter AMA Academic Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on February 24.

“This accolade recognizes Dr. Zablah’s outstanding contributions to mentoring doctoral students in marketing,” the AMA stated in a press release. “The award highlights the significance of mentorship in academic careers and is a tribute to Dr. Zablah’s dedication to guiding the next generation of marketing scholars.”

Empowering Emerging Scholars

Zablah embodies multifaceted mentorship, from chairing dissertation committees and publishing research with students and junior faculty, to providing encouragement and career guidance. A testament to his impact, 14 of Zablah’s doctoral students — both past and present — collaborated to craft a submission packet nominating him for the prestigious award.

“It was incredibly humbling to be recognized for mentoring doctoral students,” he said. “This recognition belongs as much to my students, past and present, as it does to me. They have not only made my role as a mentor profoundly satisfying but have also taught me so much. Watching them grow, overcome challenges and achieve their goals is one of the greatest rewards of my career.”

Zablah also expressed gratitude to AMA DocSig and its advisor, Mathew Joseph, who endowed the award.

Chad Autry, Haslam’s associate dean of faculty and research, Myers Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management and R. Stanley Bowden II Faculty Research Fellow, said the honor illustrates the college’s commitment to nurturing and challenging its doctoral students. “It’s very apparent that Haslam’s doctoral programs are on the rise based on recent recruitment profiles and placement data at the end of the program. I think it’s safe to attribute these gains at least partially to the dedication shown to students by faculty members such as Alex Zablah, who give selflessly of their time and resources toward student-driven research projects. Time and time again, we see his students making an impact on scholarship and industry practice through their theses, dissertations and academic papers. Because of efforts like those Alex has undertaken, Haslam students are making their mark on their fields earlier and more often.”

Photo: Alex Zablah (center) with his first UT doctoral student, Nawar Chaker (left), and current doctoral student, Melissa Baucum (right)

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Haslam College of Business - Zablah Honored with Mentorship Award from American Marketing Association