Dorene Ciletti, James Place, is the H.J. Heinz Company Endowed Chair and associate professor and director of the marketing and sales program in the Rowland School of Business at Point Park University. In addition to teaching, Ciletti has lent her talents to several nonprofits, including the Mt. Lebanon Partnership, the Miracle League of the South Hills, In-Stride with Therapeutic Riding and the Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center. 

Many of your volunteer activities involve inclusion in some way. What kind of changes have you seen in the region regarding inclusion?

A diverse and inclusive community strengthens our region. It enhances livability. It leads to environments where all are welcome and valued. It is encouraging to see strategic initiatives and an emphasis on inclusion, equity, and access in the region, along with a willingness to acknowledge our challenges. Communities and organizations are increasingly considering their role in creating and maintaining equity, asking difficult questions and seeking to engage diverse constituencies. Community-serving business districts are also advancing inclusion. I have been fortunate to work with organizations that value diversity and advocate for inclusion, recognizing the potential for greater benefit when we come together and share our diverse perspectives and abilities.

What opportunities for improvement do you see? 

Strategic, intentional inclusivity can encourage and advance mobility and social interaction, as well as provide economic benefit. We can continue to assess and measure diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, review and refine systems, and provide training and support. We can support inclusive educational experiences and encourage allyship. We can encourage collaboration between organizations and individuals. We need to hold ourselves accountable for fostering an inclusive, equitable, accessible community.

What does the future of marketing look like? 

Marketing, at its core, is about adding value. Marketing helps consumers solve problems and satisfy needs. Increasingly savvy consumers have more than just consumption on their minds. They’re concerned about virtue signaling and social justice, concerned about diversity and representation, concerned about their own impact and the impact of the organizations with which they choose to engage. Marketing methods and tools will continue to evolve as marketers strive to reach us where we are with what we want. Technology including augmented reality, biometrics, and machine learning to predict and provide hyper-personalization will continue to impact the “how” of marketing. But the “why” of marketing–adding value–remains.