Shelley E. Kohan
About Shelley E. Kohan
Shelley E. Kohan is a Retail Fellow and Chief Strategy Officer at The Robin Report, with extensive experience in retail management and education. She has contributed to Forbes.com as a Senior Contributor since 2020 and teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Current Roles at Forbes and The Robin Report
Shelley E. Kohan serves as a Senior Contributor in Retail at Forbes.com since 2020. In this role, she provides insights and analysis on retail trends and developments. Additionally, she holds the position of Chief Strategy Officer at The Robin Report, where she has been contributing since 2020. Her work involves strategic planning and direction for the publication, focusing on the retail sector.
Academic Involvement at Syracuse University and Fashion Institute of Technology
Kohan has been an Adjunct Instructor at Syracuse University since 2020, teaching courses related to retail management and marketing. She also serves as an Associate Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a position she has held since 2002. At FIT, she teaches courses on retail management, marketing, analytics, and leadership, contributing to the education of future retail professionals.
Educational Background and Qualifications
Shelley E. Kohan earned her Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Penn State World Campus, studying Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services from 2014 to 2016. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco, which she completed in 1989. Additionally, she obtained an Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS) in Fashion Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology, graduating in 1987.
Professional Experience in Retail
Kohan has extensive experience in the retail industry. She worked at Saks Fifth Avenue as Vice President of Store Operations from 2002 to 2006. Prior to that, she held the position of Operating Vice President at Bloomingdale's from 2000 to 2002. She also served as Vice President of Retail Consulting at RetailNext from 2011 to 2017 before becoming a Retail Fellow there in 2017.
Media Engagement and Public Speaking
Shelley E. Kohan is active in media engagement, having been interviewed by major outlets such as NBC Nightly News, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Fortune. She has also spoken at various retail conferences and has contributed to discussions on retail trends and strategies through her writing and podcasting at The Robin Report.