Assistant Professor of Marketing

Office phone: (716) 375-2194
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Swan Business Center 206D

• MKT 302. Consumer Behavior
• MKT 301.  Principles of Marketing

• MBA 612. Marketing Management
• MBA 636. Marketing Research
• MBA 638. Consumer Behavior
• SAM 653. Sports Marketing

• Ph.D. in Marketing, West Virginia University, 2023
• BSBA in Marketing, West Virginia University, 2018

• Assistant Professor, St. Bonaventure University, Fall 2022 – present
• AMA (Marketing Club) Adviser, Fall 2022 – present
• Foster Fellow, Fall 2024 - present
• Chair of the SoB Community and Culture Council, Spring 2025 – present
• School of Business Diversity Committee Chair, Spring 2023 – Spring 2025
• Interim Marketing Department Chair, St. Bonaventure University, January – May 2024
• Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Assistant Instructor, West Virginia University, 2018-2022
• Reviewer for Marketing and Public Policy Conference and Society for Marketing Advances Conference

Awards

• Accepted to the 2025 Transformative Consumer Research track titled “Improving Marketplace Access for All: Learning from those with Invisible Disabilities”
• Accepted to the 2024 MPPC Junior Scholar Workshop
• Accepted to the 2023-2024 Hybrid Journalism Project with St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli Institute
• Best Conference Paper – 2023 AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference
• Accepted to 2023 MPPC Biennial Marketing and Public Policy Research Workshop and Doctoral Seminar
• Accepted to 2022 MPPC Biennial Marketing and Public Policy Research Workshop and Doctoral Seminar
• 2021 Outstanding PhD Student Award – WVU Marketing Department
• 2020 PhD Student Excellence in Teaching Award – WVU Marketing Department
• Accepted to 2020 MPPC Biennial Marketing and Public Policy Research Workshop and Doctoral Seminar (cancelled due to COVID-19)

Journal Publications

• Gratz, Elizabeth T., Matthew E. Sarkees, and M. Paula Fitzgerald (2022). “Whose View is it Anyway? Media Coverage of Litigation in For-Profit Firms’ Role in the Opioid Epidemic.” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2021.1979411.
  • This paper uses rhetoric theory and text analysis to explore the language used by firms and the press to describe the opioid epidemic lawsuits.
• Bharti, Vijay, Elizabeth T. Gratz, and M. Paula Fitzgerald (2022). “‘You Can’t Make Me Do It!’ Consumer Social Distancing Compliance Behavior.” Journal of Consumer Affairs, (invited article, editorial review), 56, 120-140, https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12446.
  • This paper shows that social distancing compliance is driven by political ideology, feelings of restricted freedom, complacency, and perceived ethicality of social distancing.

Presentations

• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), "Better to Die Laughing? How Humor Appeals Improve Attitudes Toward the Disability Community by Reducing Mortality Salience." Paper presented at the annual AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, June 7, 2024.
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter) and Joshua Bannon (presenter), “Empowering Disability in Higher Education.” Paper presented at SBU’s William C. Foster ’62 Center for Responsible Leadership Spring Conference, April 20, 2024.
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “From a Rocky Road to Policy Pavers – Finding the Disability Community’s Place at the Table.” Paper presented at SBU’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lecture series, March 12, 2024.
• Emily C. Tanner, M. Paula Fitzgerald, and Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “Political Earthquakes’ and Political Tribes’ Impact on Political Activism.” Paper presented at the annual AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, June 8-10, 2023.
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), Laurel Aynne Cook, and Emily C. Tanner, “Cow-nterfeit” Information: The Side Effects of Antibiotic-Free Milk Labeling with Perspectives from Consumers and Suppliers.” Paper presented at the annual AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, June 9-11, 2022.
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “Society’s Perception of Disability is Changing – Will Marketing Make a Place for the Disability Community at the Table?” at the 2022 Mittelstaedt & Gentry Doctoral Symposium, March 31-April 2, 2022. 
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “Americans with Disabilities Act – Physical and Online Accessibility.” Presented to Dr. M. Paula Fitzgerald’s Customer Relationship Marketing class at West Virginia University, September 20, 2021.
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “Disability Representation in Firm Media – Best Practices.” Presented to Dr. M. Paula Fitzgerald’s Principles of Marketing class at West Virginia University, September 20, 2021.
• Vijay Payal Bharti (presenter), Elizabeth T. Gratz, and M. Paula Fitzgerald, “Social Distancing Rhetoric,” in a special session, “Consumer Behavior Amidst and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic,” at the annual AMA Summer Academic Conference, August 4-6, 2021.¹
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter) and M. Paula Fitzgerald, “The Impact of Increased Disability Representation in Media on Attitude Toward the Disability Community and Attitude Toward the Firm.” Paper presented at the annual AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, June 24-25, 2021.¹
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “Impact of Disability Representation in Media on Implicit and Explicit Attitudes.” Presented to Dr. Farnoush Reshadi’s Consumer Behavior class at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, February 4, 2021.¹
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), M. Paula Fitzgerald, and Emily Tanner, “The Impact of Political Shocks and Political Homelessness on Political Activism.” Paper presented at the annual AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, May 28-29, 2020.¹
• Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), M. Paula Fitzgerald, and Matthew Sarkees, “Opioid Crisis: Stakeholder Framing, Shaming and Blaming through Communications.” Paper presented at the annual AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, May 28-29, 2020.¹
• Tanner, Emily C., Cook, Laurel Aynne, and Elizabeth T. Gratz (presenter), “Cow-nterfeit Information: The Side Effects of Antibiotic-Free Milk Labeling.” Paper presented at the annual Society for Marketing Advances Conference, West Palm Beach, FL, October 31-November 3, 2018.

My life and career have been guided by several teachers that both encouraged me and challenged me to be my best. Similarly, I strive to be a kind, considerate, and helpful professor that cares about my students while challenging them to think critically. My teaching style is largely influenced by the constructivism learning theory, which argues that students play an active role in the learning process, and the humanism learning theory, which focuses on supporting students so that they can reach self-actualization. 

• public policy
• vulnerable populations
• disability community
• consumer welfare
• text analysis
• activism
• health care
• opioid epidemic 

I enjoy reading for fun, listening to true crime podcasts, cooking, spending time outdoors, traveling, crafting, competitive rifle shooting, and raising animals.

I have an athletic career in competitive rifle shooting, which, while not well-known, is an Olympic and NCAA Division 1 sport. I was a three-time NCAA National Champion with the WVU Rifle Team and medaled multiple times at both the national and international level, including a 3rd place finish at the 2016 Olympic Trials. I enjoyed traveling across the U.S. and around the world (Germany, Spain, South Korea, and the Czech Republic) for competitions with the U.S. National Shooting Team.