Kimberly A. Whitler
Frank M. Sands Sr. Associate Professor
University of Virginia Darden School of Business
Kimberly A. Whitler is the Frank M. Sands Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. A former CMO and P&G marketer turned academic, she co-authored the May 2026 Darden technical note on information-search marketing and generative engine optimization that gives MBA classrooms a shared vocabulary for brand visibility when AI answers replace result lists.
Two Decades at Procter & Gamble
Before academia Whitler spent nearly twenty years in general management, strategy, and chief marketing officer roles across CPG and retailing. Most of that career was at Procter & Gamble, followed by seats as GM of the Breakfast Division at Aurora Foods, CMO of David's Bridal, and an officer role at PetSmart. She also attended the U.S. Air Force Academy before completing a B.A. at Eureka College, an MBA at the University of Arizona Eller School, and an M.S. and Ph.D. at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Teaching and Research at Darden
At Darden she holds the Frank M. Sands Sr. Professorship and teaches first-year marketing, brand management, and related courses, plus executive education including Strategic Leadership at the Top. Her research on boards, CEOs, CMOs, and marketing capability has appeared in Journal of Marketing, Academy of Management Journal, JAMS, Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review.
Awards include the Journal of Marketing Sheth Foundation Award (2023) for work on board members with marketing experience and firm growth, MSI Buzzell Best Paper, and UVA's Distinguished Scholars Award in 2024. She has served on the AMA board and as outgoing chair of the AMA Foundation advisory board, and sits on the Kalon Aesthetics board.
The Darden Note on GEO
In May 2026 Whitler co-authored the Darden technical note AI-Based Search: Information-Search Marketing and Generative Engine Optimization with Michael Pettiette. The note introduces an Information Search Marketing framework that places GEO and generative engine marketing beside classic SEO and SEM, giving MBA classrooms a shared vocabulary when AI answers replace result lists.
Books and Forbes Columns
Whitler wrote Positioning for Advantage: Techniques and Strategies to Grow Brand Value and co-authored Athlete Brands on name, image, and likeness. As a Forbes Senior Contributor her articles drew millions of views, and Poets & Quants has named her among favorite professors of top MBA students. She has worked with organizations including Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Capital One, AARP, and government fellowship programs.
She has been quoted thousands of times across major outlets.