Monday: 9 - 11 a.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. - noon
Thursday: 10 a.m. - noon
Academic Specialty: Marketing
Degree:
- Doctorate of Business Administration, Kennesaw State University,
- Michael J. Coles College of Business
- M.B.A., University of West Florida,
- B.S., M.I.S., University of West Florida
Areas of Expertise:
- Sales and Sales Management
- International Business and Marketing
- Innovative Marketing Education
- Business Ethics
Dr. Wendy Ritz, D.B.A. is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Business Administration Program at Florida State University Panama City. She is an award-winning educator, researcher, and academic leader whose work centers on creating meaningful connections between higher education, industry, and the community to improve student success and workforce readiness. She continues to remain active in industry and is a Direct Selling Education Foundation Fellow (DSEF).
Dr. Ritz’s research focuses on digital marketing, personal selling and sales management, international business, business ethics, consumer behavior, and marketing education. Her scholarship has been published in leading journals including the Harvard Business Review, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Marketing Education Review, and the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. She has also served as Co-Editor of the Journal of Marketing Analytics, Associate Editor for the Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science and is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Marketing Education. Her research has earned numerous recognitions, including the Society for Marketing Advances Best Conference Paper Award, the Atlantic Marketing Association Best Abstract Award, and the Academy of International Business Southeast Chapter’ Reviewing Excellence Award.
An internationally recognized educator, Dr. Ritz has received Florida State University’s University Teaching Award, the Women Inspiring Success & Excellence (WISE) Award, and consecutive X-Culture Best Professor Awards recognizing excellence among faculty from universities across the globe. She is committed to experiential learning that equips students with the technical, analytical, and professional skills employers demand. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes collaboration with industry partners, real-world consulting projects, global learning experiences, and career preparation.
Student career development is a hallmark of Dr. Ritz’s service. She has developed numerous partnerships with regional and national employers to expand internship and employment opportunities for students. She hosted Career Talks featuring leaders from Fastenal, Eastern Shipbuilding, and Maranta Copy, resulting in multiple student internships and full-time management positions for graduates. She also serves as an organizer of Florida State University Panama City’s Career Connections networking initiative, which connects students with executives through structured mentoring and networking experiences. Beyond formal programming, she regularly mentors students individually, writing numerous letters of recommendation each year to support graduate school admission and employment opportunities.
Recognizing the importance of financial literacy, Dr. Ritz served as the administrative lead for Florida State University Panama City’s inaugural First-Time Home Buyer Workshop, bringing together financial, mortgage, insurance, and real estate professionals to educate students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members on responsible homeownership and personal financial planning. This initiative reflects her broader commitment to preparing graduates for long-term personal and financial success.
Dr. Ritz is also deeply committed to enrollment growth and student engagement. She works collaboratively with university leadership, faculty, admissions, and marketing professionals, that includes community programs, promotional videos, expanded transfer recruitment efforts, and enhanced programming through the Global Business Learning Community to strengthen student retention and campus engagement. She also personally welcomes newly admitted Business Administration students through individualized outreach to foster early connections with the university.
Her service extends beyond the university through leadership roles in the Academy of International Business Southeast Chapter, where she has served as Conference Chair, Academic Program Chair, Chapter President, and Immediate Past Chair. She has organized international academic conferences, reviewed scholarly research, and fostered collaborations among faculty, students, and industry professionals worldwide.
Throughout her career, Dr. Ritz has remained dedicated to the belief that universities should not simply educate students but should actively prepare them for meaningful careers, financial well-being, global citizenship, and lifelong success. Her integrated approach to research, teaching, and service continues to strengthen the educational experience while creating lasting partnerships between academia, business, and the community.
Selected Published Research
Wolf, M., Ritz, W., & McQuitty, S. (2023). The role of affinity for prosumption experiences and values. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 22(1), 43-55. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2105
Hain, J. S., & Ritz, W. (2021). Skills development through experiential learning: A case for the application of the enterprise marketing variation model. Marketing Education Review, 31(2), 131-137. https://doi.org/10.1080/10528008.2020.1830704
Whiting, A., Ritz, W., & Hain, J. S. (2021). Exploring the effects on students from converting on-campus classes to online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education, 29(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/10528008.2020.1830704
Wolf, M., Ritz, W., & McQuitty, S. (2020). Prosumers who home brew: a study of motivations and outcomes. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 28(4), 541-552. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2020.1801321
Ritz, W. B., & Hain, J. (2020). #EthicsMatter: Reduce, Recognize, & Report. Marketing Education Review, 20(2), 89-91.
Ritz, W., Wolf, M., & McQuitty, S. (2019). Digital marketing adoption and success for small businesses: The application of the do-it-yourself and technology acceptance models. Journal of Research in interactive Marketing, 13(2), 179-203. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-04-2018-0062
Steward, M. D., Narus, J. A., Roehm, M. L., & Ritz, W. (2019). From transactions to journeys and beyond: The evolution of B2B buying process modeling. Industrial Marketing Management, 83, 288-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.05.002
Ritz, W., Steward, M. D., Morgan, F. N., & Hair, J. F. (2018). When sales and marketing aren’t aligned, both suffer. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles.
Case Study
Ritz, W., & Glackin, C. (2024). Expansion Through Globalization: Planning the International Expansion of a Recreational Equipment Company with Market Analysis. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Ritz, W., & Steward, M. (2020). UNETHICAL SALES PRACTICES Case in Sales Management: Building Customer Relationships and Partnerships, Joe Hair, Rolph Anderson, Rajiv Mehta, and Barry Babin. New York: Wiley.
Book Chapter
Wolf, M., & Ritz, W. (2018). When sharing was a necessity: A historical perspective of collaborative consumption in East Germany. The rise of the sharing economy: Exploring the challenges and opportunities of collaborative consumption, 30-49.
Honors and Awards
2024 Women Inspiring Success & Excellence W.I.S.E. Florida State University Panama City, Teaching Award in the Major (Undergraduate): The annual WISE award honors FSU Panama City students, faculty and staff whose success and excellence in their personal and/or professional lives are an inspiration to the FSU Panama City community. Such individuals serve as role models to all around them.
2023 Florida State University Teaching Award in the Major (Undergraduate): A university wide award recognizing only three professors per year for their teaching excellence.
2024 Reviewing Excellence Award, Academy of International Business Southeast Chapter: AIBUS SE Annual Conference, submission reviewer. Conference was held in St. Louis. MO.
2020 Best Abstract in Teaching Track, Atlantic Marketing Association: Increasing Engagement and Enjoyment in Online Classes. Best Abstract of 2020 Conference for Marketing Education Track.
2018 Steven J. Shaw Best Paper in Conference, Society for Marketing Advances: Best Paper in both Entrepreneurial Marketing Track and Best Conference Paper - 'From Beer to Business: Prosumer Activities Fueling Thoughts of Going Pro'.
2017 Direct Selling Education Foundation Fellow (DSEF): The DSEF's goal is to educate and teach students how to use direct sales as a go-to-market strategy and to increase their understanding of how it increases awareness of channel members while providing opportunities
2016 Research Achievement Award, Fayetteville State University: Recognition for stellar research accomplishments. Awarded to one faculty member per year.
2013 Export Achievement Award, United States Department of Commerce, Commercial Services: Presented by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in recognition for extraordinary growth in exporting for a Florida SME.