Dr. Marla Royne Stafford is First Tennessee Professor and Chair of the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management.  She received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, her MBA from Rollins College and her BA from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the University of Memphis in 2001, Dr. Stafford was associate professor of marketing at the University of North Texas. Before entering academia, Dr. Stafford held positions with Tupperware Worldwide, Cardinal Industries and Philip Crosby Associates.

Dr. Stafford recently concluded her term as editor of the Journal of Advertisinng, the leading journal in the advertising discipline. She has published numerous articles in prominent journals such as the Journal of Retailing, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Decision Sciences, Journal of Pubic Policy & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, and others. In 2008, she was recognized in the Journal of Advertising as the leading publisher in the top advertising journals. In 2009, she received the university-wide Distinguished Research in Social Sciences and Business Award.  She is co-recipient of the Award for Best Article in theJournal of Advertising for 2002. She received a Suzanne Downs Palmer Professorship in 2005. Dr. Stafford is co-editor of the book, Advertising, Promotion and New Media, (2005) Sharpe Publishing.

Dr. Stafford is a member of the  Senior Advisory Board of the Journal of Advertising.  She also serves as a member of the Editorial Review Board of several journals including the Journal of Advertising Research, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, and the Journal of Interactive Advertising.