Brooke Carlson

Education

BS, MBA, Sacred Heart University
PhD, University of New Haven

Biography

Dr. Brooke Carlson has more than 20 years of executive marketing and general management experience in the beauty industry. Her experience includes general business management, marketing, product development, finance, sales, creative, advertising, public relations, education, licensing, manufacturing/contract management, logistics, forecasting, research and development, and magazine editing and publishing. Her entrepreneurial background includes leadership, strategic marketing, brand development, brand image/positioning, budgeting, P&Ls, exploitation of channels of distribution, market penetration and white space, new product development and category expansion, as well as research and analysis.

Prior to joining FIT as a full-time faculty member, Carlson was vice president, Conair Professional Division, where she oversaw salon brands, marketing communications, licensing agreements, Style Source magazine, and business development. As senior vice president, Matrix (division of L'Oréal USA), she oversaw strategic marketing and communications for the U.S. market. While at L'Oréal, she also held position of vice president and general manager of L'Oréal Technique, and was vice president and general manager of Artec, a fast-growing cult salon brand acquired by L'Oréal in 2002. Previous experience also includes director of marketing at Zotos (a division of Shiseido) and assistant vice president at Parfums de Coeur, a privately held mass-market fragrance company.

Carlson holds a Doctor of Science in management systems from the University of New Haven, as well as an MBA in marketing from Sacred Heart University. She is on the business advisory board of the University of New Haven, was a past member of the advisory board of FIT's CFM undergraduate program, a member of the National Cosmetology Association, and a member of PBA (Professional Beauty Association). She has also been a guest lecturer and adjunct professor at UNH, SHU, FIT, L'Oréal MDC, and several industry associations.