The Culverhouse College of Business


Chief Marketing Officer-in-Residence Program

Apply for the program

At The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, marketing greatness isn’t measured by KPIs alone — it’s measured by the legacy you leave behind. The CMO-in-Residence Program invites a select group of senior marketing leaders into a community where the boardroom meets the classroom, and industry wisdom meets academic wonder.

If you’re a CMO looking to shape the next generation of marketers, collaborate with world-class scholars, and keep growing your own thinking, Culverhouse offers a rare stage: a place to give back while you continue to lead.

Applications for the current cohort close Friday, September 25.

Bridging Boardrooms & Classrooms

This invitation-caliber residency exists to strengthen the connection between marketing practice and marketing science. As a CMO-in-Residence, you’ll work directly with faculty whose research shapes the field’s leading journals, and with students who will define marketing’s next era. Few programs offer senior marketing leaders a more direct way to advance the discipline itself.

The Pillars of Impact

The program is built around a holistic campus immersion designed to create impact for you, your organization, and the entire Culverhouse community — students and faculty alike. Three pillars anchor the experience:

Inspire in the Classroom & Beyond

At its core, this is a program about servant leadership. Whether your expertise is strategy, brand, analytics, or innovation, sharing it in the classroom leaves a lasting mark — on students, and on the profession they'll shape.

Collaborate with World-Class Researchers

Culverhouse marketing scholars have produced 98 top-tier publications in the past five years alone, advancing thinking in strategy, branding, and analytics. As a CMO-in-Residence, you get early access to that frontier research and help co-create projects tackling real business challenges — from AI-driven personalization to C-suite alignment.

Elevate Through Executive Education

Residents gain access to Culverhouse's specialized executive education programming — courses built for board-service preparation, CMO-CFO collaboration, and leading AI transformation at scale.

What You — and Everyone Around You — Gain

The program is designed to create value in every direction:

  • For you: Visibility as a thought leader, professional growth through executive education, an intimate peer network, and a legacy built by inspiring future CMOs.
  • For your organization: Access to cutting-edge research, a top-talent recruiting pipeline, co-branded storytelling, and involvement in sponsored projects and case studies.
  • For students: Direct insight and inspiration from a sitting CMO — the kind no textbook can offer.
  • For the university: Real-world insight woven into the curriculum, and a stronger bridge to industry.

Your First Day: The Crimson Kick-Off

Your residency begins with a signature experience: a private tour of The University of Alabama campus, curated meetings with Culverhouse faculty thought leaders, and individualized coaching to prepare you for the classroom. The day culminates in a reception hosted by Dean Kay Palan — a celebration of new beginnings and connections built to last.

The inaugural cohort’s first on-campus session runs Wednesday, November 4 – Thursday, November 5.

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Eligibility & How to Apply

The CMO-in-Residence Program is open to executives who:

  • Hold the most senior marketing role at their organization
  • Have 15 or more years of professional marketing experience
  • Demonstrate a sustained record of excellence, innovation, and ethical leadership

Appointments are three-year renewable terms, conferred by the Dean of the Culverhouse College of Business. Given limited annual openings, selection is competitive and based on application and peer review.

Apply to Become a CMO-in-Residence

Great marketers build brands. Legendary marketers build legacies. At The University of Alabama — Where Legends Are Made — you have the chance to do both. Join us in advancing the future of marketing leadership.

Applications close Friday, September 25.

Apply for the program

Questions?

Wittmann-2-scaled-e1699888821620
Mike Wittmann
Department Head

cmwittmann@ua.edu
(205) 348-8949
Alston 109

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William Koleszar
Faculty Member, Marketing

wkoleszar@ua.edu
(205) 348-7443
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