Meet Valarie

n expert in services marketing, teaching is not merely a job for Valarie Zeithaml. After years in the classroom, Valarie is still inspired by her students. As she puts it, "My life is about teaching and research."

Valarie was one of few women in the field when she began her career. As she pursued her PhD, she was also starting a family—a balancing act requiring adaptability and resolve. Valarie's commitment to her family, her students and her research is a reflection of that drive and work ethic. As she worked in the service industry to pay her way through school, her understanding of both people and business was shaped.

Valarie has devoted the last 30 years to researching, consulting, and teaching service quality, service management, and customer equity. She pursued a MBA to learn what people knew about service, and, when she realized there was more to learn and to teach, she moved on to a doctoral program and discovered her natural aptitude for teaching.

Valarie cares about leadership development and preparing students for the marketplace. "We develop skills rather than just impart knowledge," she says. "We give students the tools, models and experiences that make them better leaders."

Valarie Zeithaml is a leader in research and business, but it is her commitment as a teacher and a mentor that her students most remember.