Kris Lindsey Hall

Feature article written by Alex Ziegler – Updated (08/16/2022) -.

AMA’s Retail and Pricing SIG would like to introduce the new VP of Outreach, Dr. Kris Lindsey Hall, Assistant Professor of Marketing at LSU.

Kris earned her PhD in marketing from the University of Alabama but her passion for marketing developed way before her time in Tuscaloosa. Born into an entrepreneurial family, Kris was fascinated early on by the power of networking, promotions, and business development. It is no surprise that this appeal only strengthened during Kris’s undergraduate studies in marketing and her work in sales, branding, customer-service, procurement, and cost-control administration in the hospitality, financial services as well as petrochemical industries.

Kris explores the impact of frontline employees and technology integration as firms interact with various stakeholders such as customers, company leadership, and inter-organizational partners in her research. Especially, new technologies in retail and service contexts have become ever more important due to recent events. “I would personally like to see more research that explores how some of the changes resulting from the COVID-19 restrictions may permanently alter consumers’ purchases and buying decisions,” shared Kris during our conversation.

While Kris has numerous academic accomplishments to be proud of, one stood out for very personal reasons. Earning her doctoral degree from the University of Alabama meant the world to Kris and her family. “In three generations, my family was able to go from illiteracy to having someone achieve a terminal degree, so getting to hug them after crossing the stage for my PhD was a surreal and special moment for all of us.”

Kris’s advice for young scholars:

A lot of scholars face challenges early on in their academic careers and that can be rather discouraging. “In a sense, the experience of obtaining a PhD and starting a career in academia is more like a marathon than a sprint, so endurance and a positive attitude are often key to doing well in the race.” Kris also highlights that nobody is in the race by themselves and that establishing a network of friends and mentors goes a long way when it comes to navigating academia.

“Building a network of friends and mentors to help you navigate academia can be invaluable, and they just make it a generally more enjoyable ride.”

Celebrating milestones along the way can also help with navigating an academic career. Kris makes a conscious effort to celebrate a job well done as well as the bumps along the road. A specific bit of advice that Kris received from a former boss stuck with her: “Whether it is a pity party or birthday party, you still have to get back to work the next morning, so you might as well take a minute to be grateful for the experience or lesson.” Heeding this advice, Kris makes it a point to celebrate milestones by having something delicious to eat with a good glass of wine, followed by a competitive game of darts or dominos with her husband.

Outside of the office and classroom, Kris can be found…

• … spending time with her husband, Stephen, a fellow Texan and foodie!
• … taking way too many walks with her five puppies!
• … attempting to keep plants alive (with mixed success).
• … and traveling to new places.

Fun fact:

As a big Garth Brooks fan, Kris attended her idol’s first concert at only 5 years old. Her outfit was of course on par: “I sported a Texas-sized bow and a pink sweatshirt bearing his face, of course!”

Kris can be reached at lindseyhall@lsu.edu.