Mary Cusick is an experienced, accomplished executive who is recognized as an exceptional leader who gets results. Key areas of expertise include strategy, comprehensive branding and the customer experience. She is a member of the advisory board for Crimson Cup Coffee, a Columbus, Ohio – based roaster and distributor of premium coffees, as well as a supplier to more than 450 independent coffee shops, grocers, universities and food service operations in 28 states. She is also consulting with the Columbus Museum of Art on a new restaurant and foodservice concept as part of the Museum’s upcoming expansion.

Ms. Cusick is founder and principal of 8778/NEXT LTD, a strategy, leadership and growth consultancy to individuals and organizations.

Ms. Cusick has recently transitioned from a 32-year career with Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (BOBE:NASDAQ) where she participated in growing the organization from $70 million in sales to nearly $2 billion – fueled primarily by growth of Bob Evans Restaurants, where she was most recently the senior vice president of marketing (CMO). She had P&L responsibility for the restaurant business to drive $1 billion in sales. Ms. Cusick led all aspects of strategic marketing, from planning and strategy, to consumer insights and analytics, product and concept innovation, pricing, advertising and merchandising, digital, public relations and local restaurant marketing. The organization launched additional “Taste of the Farm” sales layers that doubled carryout sales, and added incremental bakery, retail and gift card sales, as well as a re-imaging project, "Farm-Fresh Re-Fresh," and prototype during her brand leadership.

Prior to leading marketing, she was the voice of the company on Wall Street as the senior vice president of investor relations. Ms. Cusick successfully implemented plans to grow analyst coverage and diversify stockholders. She led the development and deployment of the organization’s crisis communications plan. All corporate communications, including public relations, public affairs, corporate philanthropy, product publicity and consumer relations were also developed and executed by Ms. Cusick and her teams during her tenure with the company.

In addition to her work at Bob Evans, Ms. Cusick has been extensively involved in her community, both personally and professionally. As she created her company’s strategy in the areas of corporate philanthropy, community relations and local restaurant marketing, there was an opportunity for her to fully understand the role of social services and contribute as a board member and volunteer. From the Development Board at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, to the Ohio 4-H Foundation to Action for Children, her board service has culminated in leadership and chair roles. She has served on the Farmer School of Business Advisory Board at Miami University and given leadership to numerous fundraising campaigns there and at The Ohio State University. Her community leadership has been focused in the areas of children and education.

Professionally, Ms. Cusick has held numerous local, regional and national roles for the Public Relations Society of America, including president and chair of this 20,000-member organization based in New York. She has given presentations, keynotes and workshops across the country to public relations and marketing professionals, as well as food and restaurant executives. Recognitions include being named a YWCA Woman of Achievement and profiles in the Women’s Book and Ad Week. She also co-founded a women’s leadership development initiative, WOBE (Women of Bob Evans).

Her degree is from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with numerous continuing education and professional development programs, including finance at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business OnBoard Bootcamp. She lives in Columbus, Ohio’s historic German Village and in Michigan’s Leelanau County, northwest of Traverse City. Her husband, Dave Wible, is well known for his work in promoting fresh food from local farmers and artisans through his work as the Executive Director of the North Market Development Authority and the 135-year-old public market in Columbus, the North Market. They have two grown sons and a granddaughter.

His research has been published in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and the review of Marketing Research. He teaches at all levels at Fisher College, including in the Executive Education program, the Executive MBA program, the full-time MBA program and the Undergraduate program.

His article in the September 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, on consumers’ stereotypes of service providers, was awarded the ‘best services article published in 2005,’ by the American Marketing Association’s Services Special Interest Group (AMA SERVSIG). Other awards include an ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award by the Fisher College of Business, the Marketing Professor of the Year award by the OSU American Marketing Association, and the Liam Glynn award for the ‘most promising young scholar in services’ awarded by the AMA SERVSIG.

Professor Matta’s prior industry experience includes working as Senior Account Planner with Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising (FCB-Ulka Advertising, India), a Brand Management project at Proctor & Gamble, India, and as Head of Marketing Operations for an educational services firm, IMS Learning Resources, India.

Some questions that Professor Matta investigates in his current research include:

1. Research Question: How do consumers’ stereotypes of service providers (e.g., gender, ethnicity, occupational, trait-related, etc.) affect their perceptions of service providers, and their inferences about the service firm / brand?

Implications: Hiring and Training of Service Employees; Diversity; Offshoring

2. Research Question: What factors influence online word-of-mouth in services?
   
   Implications: Managing online word-of-mouth communities of service firms
   
   
3. Research Question: What factors influence successful cross-selling and up-selling of services to consumers?
   
   Implications: Revenue generation by managing ‘service plus sales’ encounters
   
   
4. Research Question: What are the key differences in how consumers process information about luxury versus value brands?
   
   Implications: How to successfully luxury and value brands
   
   
5. Research Question: The role of consumers’ emotions and mood on service evaluations.
   
   Implications: Managing emotions in a service encounter; Advertising appeals