Former Sears VP Kirn named Executive Director of Miller Center

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dr. Steven P. Kirn, a former Vice President for Learning and Development at Sears, has been named Executive Director of the David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research.

Dr. Kirn replaces Dr. Barton Weitz, who has served as the Center’s Executive Director since its inception 24 years ago. Dr. Weitz will assume the role of Executive Director Emeritus at the Center and continue his duties as Professor of Marketing and JCPenney Eminent Scholar Chair.

Dr. Kirn brings a wealth of experience in retailing, organizational consulting and education. Dr. Kirn was the Vice President for Learning and Development at Sears from 1993-2001 where he led training and development for 300,000 Sears employees including senior executive development and succession planning. Dr. Kirn has also served as: Director of Executive Education for BATUS, Inc., the former parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Field’s, Kohl’s, and other retail chains; Vice President of Human Resources for Portola Packaging, Inc., an international producer of closures and containers for the beverage, food and cosmetics industries; Principal and Senior Consultant in the Communications and Human Resource Management department of William M. Mercer, Inc., serving clients such as Mellon Bank, AT&T, Toyota and Ford; and on the Retail Center’s Advisory Board.

Dr. Kirn has served as a member of the faculty at Bellarmine University (Ky.) and the University of Louisville and has been a featured speaker at numerous national and international university programs and business conferences. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Florida and has been published in the Harvard Business Review.

Dr. Kirn begins his duties June 21.