Kristie McGowan is Named Director of Global Luxury Management graduate program at NC State
Kristie McGowan has been named director of the Global Luxury Management (GLM) program at North Carolina State University.
The one year, dual degree program is offered jointly by the NC State Poole College of Management in coordination with NC State’s College of Textiles, and the global SKEMA Business School. Graduates receive a master of global innovation management degree from NC State and a master of science in global luxury management degree from SKEMA.
McGowan has served as interim director of the program in the past year, filling a vacancy created when the program’s initial director, Nancy Cassill, was appointed associate dean for academic programs at the NC State College of Textiles.
“We are very pleased to have Kristie on board as our new GLM program director,” said Steve Allen, associate dean for the Jenkins graduate programs and associate dean for research at Poole College.
“Kristie has been providing valuable support and leadership for the GLM program and students for the last four years. She brings a depth of understanding of our mission for this program, which is to prepare future leaders for a career path in global luxury management, through a unique combination of international experiences, immersion within the luxury industry, and an academic curriculum tailor-made for luxury professionals,” Allen said.
McGowan received her doctorate in textile technology management from NC State College of Textiles in 2016. Her dissertation was on a topic related to her GLM role: “Understanding and Validating Cyberscape Dimensions in the Personal Luxury Customer Experience.” She received her master’s degree in textile technology and management from NC State College of Textiles in 2003, and her bachelor’s degree in textile marketing from the University of Rhode Island in 2001. She resides in Chapel Hill, N.C.
About the Global Luxury Management Program
In 2012, NC State University (NC State) and SKEMA Business School (SKEMA) recognized a need in the market and launched the one-year graduate degree program in global luxury management. Research indicated that employers in luxury markets were looking for talent that understands the unique customer relationships in this environment, who can be entrepreneurial, who have a global perspective and who can manage the creative and innovation processes. The GLM program was designed to provide depth in all these areas.
GLM students experience the world in more ways than one. A typical incoming class of 40 students represents 8-10 countries and two universities. The class completes the program together, studying at NC State in Raleigh for the fall semester and at SKEMA in Paris, France, for the spring semester.
