Melissa Carr

Background

About Melissa Carr

I'm a high-energy, flexible bilingual Higher Education/Sales Leader who successfully assumes key leadership roles within higher education and fast-paced sales environments. Spearheading instruction, business development, and presentations for industry leaders such as Dominican University, Columbia College, Justice, and Nordstrom, I am known for inspiring and motivating groundbreaking change at the senior leadership level. I am passionate about transforming teaching and learning environments by delivering innovative technology solutions. With a strong focus on continuous improvements, I am highly skilled at influencing leadership to implement key products and services. I am also driven to positively impact the educational experience for students, faculty, and administration. Additionally, I possess exceptional academic qualifications, including a Doctor of Education in Higher Education and a Master of Business Administration from Benedictine University. A few recent accomplishments:+ Demonstrated track record developing, launching, and directing a successful online retail store, including maintaining operational standards, overseeing budgeting, producing 55% increased sales, managing inventory control, and purchasing products.+ Outstanding success in designing and incorporating an engaging curriculum for teaching a wide array of courses, including Fashion Styling, Retail Promotions & Visual Merchandising, Home Fashions, Sustainability & Social Change in Fashion, Retail Buying, Retail Social Media & Branding, Fashion Markets, Career Planning & Portfolio, etc.+ Commended by executive leadership to decrease costs by 15% and improve sales/profits by 21.93%.+ Utilized exceptional leadership abilities to hire, train, and spearhead a staff of 40, including a 30-person commissioned sales force, while monitoring for top performance.+ Analyzed areas for improvement and boosted gross sales by 20% over four years. In my free time, I am an active member of my community, volunteering at Dominican University, Apparel Industry Board, Inc, Emerging Designer Group, Glenview Women’s Club, District 30 School Caucus, Youth Services, and Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids. Specialties, Expertise, & Attributes: Sales/Business Development, Higher Education, Relationship Building, Solution Focused, Creative Presentations, Thought Leadership, Strategic Leadership Engagements, Storytelling, Community Building, Program Development, Classroom Technology, Product Demonstrations, Mentoring