Our team brings extensive expertise across various industries and disciplines. We focus on uncovering the hidden emotional signals that influence customer perceptions and loyalty. By working closely with clients, we build trust that fosters advocacy and enhances long-term relationships. Together, we turn everyday interactions into meaningful emotional connections that lead to measurable growth.
MEET THE TEAM CREATING THE FUTURE!
Lou Carbone is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Experience Engineering, Inc., a Minneapolis-based experience management firm. He is also the author of Clued In – How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again and Again (Prentice-Hall, 2004).
As a Professor of Practice at the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University, Lou teaches in the first Master of Science degree in Customer Experience Management, as well as in the Masters of Marketing Research Program.
He has spent over twenty years gaining experience in value management theory and practice across various industries, including travel, healthcare, retail, technology, financial services, manufacturing, and education.
Lee Gorman is a visionary, award-winning creative marketing strategist with an extensive background in brand advertising. He previously owned an international B2B advertising/marketing firm in New England, serving a diverse portfolio of clients including industrial, high-tech, marine, financial, healthcare, and retail.
Lee has led the development of global brand communication platforms and campaigns for companies such as Hoechst AG (Germany), the Fraunhofer Institute (Germany), Hudson EcoFuel (Biodiesel–USA), Fabricolor International (Czech Republic), and Cookson plc (England).
ADVISORS
Matthew Murray MS-CXM is a customer-focused professional with a passion for enhancing experiences and optimizing customer interactions through data-based storytelling. Matthew collaborates with clients to enhance their service strategies, boost customer satisfaction, and cultivate lasting loyalty. Obtaining the first-ever Master of Science in Customer Experience Management at Michigan State University, he is passionate about helping others achieve their ultimate goals of developing a unique customer experience.
KRISTEN MCDADE
Kristen is a consumer insights and brand strategist with more than 20 years of experience, including 17 years at a Fortune 500 company leading insights, brand strategy, and customer experience across multiple brands and markets. She specializes in translating deep human understanding into clear, actionable strategies that drive growth and elevate the customer experience. Bringing a strong client-side perspective, Kristen offers the operational context and stakeholder savvy required to make insights impactful within complex organizations.
KIMBERLY PETERS, MS-CXM
Kimberly Peters, MS-CXM, is a Customer Experience Leader with over ten years of experience in designing and implementing customer-focused programs that boost product adoption, engagement, and satisfaction. Having worked for leading companies like DocuSign, Futuri Media, and Oracle, she focuses on enhancing the entire customer journey to increase satisfaction, growth, and retention through innovative strategies. She holds a Master of Science in Customer Experience Management (MS-CXM) from Michigan State University - Eli Broad College of Business and is recognized for her positive leadership, strategic thinking, and adaptability to change.
JAMES KILLIAN PHD
James H. Killian, Ph.D., is a globally recognized expert in talent assessment, leadership development, organizational culture, employee experience (EX), and customer experience (CX). As the founder of The Customer-Driven Leader© management framework, James has worked as a strategic growth and worldwide revenue leader for over 25 years in influential roles at top companies like Qualtrics, SAP, IBM, and Hogan Assessment Systems. James has also led several startups and turnaround efforts that achieved record growth and facilitated multiple business acquisitions, as well as advised leaders from top brands such as Amazon, Disney, Meta, Netflix, and more. Dr. Killian is also a professor of practice at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business.
KEITH “FERG” FERGUSON PHD:
Dr. Keith Edmund Ferguson (Ferg) is a serial entrepreneur who has run over seven different businesses since 1998. He is a full-time faculty member at Florida State University and teaches in the Customer Experience Management program at Michigan State University (MSU). In his MSU class, he covers business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) courses, and the psychology involved in purchase decision-making
JENNIFER ASHMAN CCXP:
Customer-centric and inventive marketing professional known for bringing the consumer voice to life. Seamlessly deliver high-quality solutions that increase engagement and loyalty. Passionate about understanding client motivations to develop programs that enhance user experience and drive ROI for internal and external stakeholders. Versatile CX experience acquired by working across industries that include automotive, healthcare, insurance, utilities and higher education. Certified as a Global Customer Experience Professional.
KATHY LATOUR PHD
LaTour’s research adopts a consumer psychological perspective on how marketers should approach branding, experience design, communications, and loyalty programs. She employs both experimental designs and in-depth interview techniques to better understand consumer behavior. Her primary research interest has been the complexity of human memory. Currently, her research focuses on developing knowledge about highly ambiguous perceptual experiences, such as those involving wine; exploring how cross-sensory learning methods can improve consumer learning; examining the sensory aspects of branding and how brand knowledge is represented; and investigating the strategies used by experts (e.g., Masters) to evaluate their own experiences.