Emily Crawford
Dr. Emily Crawford is a distinguished higher education leader with over 46 years of experience in academia, specializing in marketing education, experiential learning, and student leadership development. She earned her PhD in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati, where she became the first African American to receive that particular degree in the 1990s. Throughout her career, she has served in prominent leadership roles including Dean, Director, and marketing department leadership roles. Although she retired in the early 2000s after a long and successful academic career, she returned to teaching in 2015 when a former dean contacted her to assist with teaching courses due to the high demand for qualified PhD-level marketing faculty. She agreed to return to service and has remained actively engaged in academia ever since, currently supporting and helping lead marketing education at Claflin University.
Dr. Crawford is deeply committed to experiential and hands-on learning, emphasizing real-world application of marketing principles to prepare students for professional success. She has published numerous academic articles and has actively mentored students through the research and publication process, helping cultivate the next generation of scholars and business professionals. Her current work also includes global academic and business partnerships, including collaborative initiatives with the University of Ghana to help market and sell products in the United States to historically Black colleges and universities, supporting alumni associations in their efforts to raise scholarship funds. She takes great pride in the growing presence of marketing students in leadership roles across campus, noting that many key positions at Claflin University are held by marketing majors, including student and institutional leadership roles.
In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Crawford is a passionate advocate for purpose-driven leadership, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning. She is the host of the motivational YouTube series What Are You Waiting For?, which focuses on entrepreneurship, confidence building, branding, and personal development strategies. Her career has been defined by a commitment to student success, faith-centered leadership, and community impact. Outside of her professional work, she continues to mentor students and emerging professionals while contributing to initiatives that strengthen educational access and economic opportunities for future generations.
• Lean Six Sigma -Green Belt
• University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business - PhD, Marketing Research
• Clark Atlanta University - MBA, Marketing
• Savannah State University - BBA
• First African American to receive PhD in Marketing from University of Cincinnati (1990s)
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated
• Iota Phi Lambda
• Alumni Association
• Emerging Markets Innovators (founder)
• Insightful Vision (founder)
• Founder of Insightful Vision nonprofit (helps students learn entrepreneurship and assists alumni associations with fundraising)
• Working with University of Ghana to sell products to HBCUs for scholarship fundraising
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to maintaining strong professional relationships and remaining open to new opportunities throughout my career. After retiring from my regular job, a former colleague reached out to present me with an opportunity that allowed me to continue contributing my skills and experience in a meaningful way. I believe my willingness to stay connected, coupled with my dedication to professionalism, continuous learning, and service, has been instrumental in helping me achieve sustained success and make a positive impact in my field.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Love what you're doing. If it's your passion, love what you're doing. It's a lot of work. You may not get as much money as others in the for-profit world, but the rewards are great. When you see someone develop, and you watch them grow, and you had a part of that, that's priceless. Just make sure you get yourself on a budget and know what you can and cannot do. Think about doing something that you love doing. The best thing you could do is it's very healthy for you, because you're not going to be stressing. You're gonna be doing something that you love, and you're gonna contribute to your society.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Teaching work ethics is my number one value. I focus on letting students know about the importance of when you do something, you have to make sure you don't hurt anyone or do something illegal. My second value is realizing your dream. Don't put it off, try to do your best to do your dream now. I even have a YouTube channel called What Are You Waiting For that comes up every two weeks, talking about getting people who really procrastinate to get motivated to go ahead and do it. I try to give them advice on how to do it. The third value is don't sweat the small stuff. You can't change some of the things that you worry about. Life is short. Deal with what you have and make yourself better.