Our partnership is led by:

Jay Baker
Chairman, Advisory Board

Jay is a member of the Board of Directors of Kohl’s Corporation, where he served as president from 1986-1999. Previously, he was chief executive officer of the BATUS (British American Tobacco of the U.S.) Buying Office. Prior to that, he was chief executive officer of Thimbles, a ready-to-wear specialty division of BATUS. Jay also was the senior vice president-softlines of the BATUS Retail Group, and he held the senior position of general merchandise manager of ready-to-wear and director of stores of Saks Fifth Avenue. In addition, he served as senior vice president and general merchandise manager of the budget store of Famous-Barr. Baker also has worked for Ohrbach’s and Macy’s.

Jay received his undergraduate degree in 1956 from the Wharton School and is a member of the Wharton School Board of Overseers. In addition to his current duties at Kohl’s, Jay is a director at Briggs & Stratton Corporation and the Philharmonic Board of Naples, Florida, and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Stephen Hoch
Faculty Director

Steve is the Patty & Jay H. Baker Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and faculty director the Baker Retailing Initiative. Previously, he taught at the University of Chicago
where he directed the Micro-Marketing Project, a joint research effort between a leading Chicago-area grocery chain and 20 packaged goods manufacturers. Prior to his academic career, he worked at Walt Disney Productions in various marketing positions, including a stint running their recorded music division. He has a Ph.D. from Northwestern, an M.B.A. from U.C.L.A., and a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford.

Steve’s research interests range from understanding retail strategy and consumer behavior to how experts should interact with new information technologies. He has helped retailers utilize point-of-purchase scanner data to: (1) improve everyday and promotional pricing practices; (2) manage the variety of assortments; and (3) increase profitability through cross promotion and loyalty programs. He has a long-standing interest in store brands and the strategic issues that arise when customers also are competitors.

Erin Armendinger
Managing Director

Erin Armendinger joined the Baker Retailing Initiative as managing director in July 2007. Prior to this, she was Manager of Business Process Improvements in the Supply Chain Group at Tiffany and Co. At Tiffany’s, she also served as Category Manager for its signature Engagement business and managed a strategy group in the Merchandising division. With an undergraduate degree in economics and international relations from American University and an MBA from The Wharton School, Erin began her career in the financial services industry. As Managing Director, Erin is responsible for forming bonds between students, retail leaders and academics.

See our Industry Advisory Board »