Alumna Catch-Up: Karlie Elizabeth Fisher, Class of Fall 2016
March 12, 2021
The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing recently had the opportunity to catch up with Karlie Fisher, a Retailing and Consumer Science alumna from the University of Arizona, Class of Fall 2016. Karlie was born in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up working in her grandmother’s flower shop, where she immediately became inspired and grew a love and understanding for retail.
Though younger students do not typically have a clear image of what career they want to pursue, Karlie knew after learning from her grandmother, that she would be working in this industry one day. Before graduating, Karlie interned with Macy’s as a store management intern in Phoenix. After graduating, Karlie began her career journey working at Macy’s in their Store Management Executive Development Program. After completing the program, Karlie was placed as a Sales Manager in Ready to Wear at Macy’s Scottsdale Fashion Square. After about a year at Macy’s, Karlie joined the Supply Chain team at PetSmart as an Outbound Transportation Analyst. A little over a year later, Karlie was promoted to Sr. Outbound Transportation Analyst where she was responsible for the outbound product flow from 9 distribution centers and helped lead and develop a team of five analysts. Continuing to cultivate growth, she recently joined the Customer Experience team and accepted a position as a Loyalty and Channel Development Manager. Her current responsibilities include standing up new member communication channels and working on the design of PetSmart’s loyalty program.
After being in the industry post-grad for four years, Karlie has gained a depth of experience and revealed to us some of her most surprising encounters she’s had. When asked what has surprised her most in her career thus far, she answered, “How willing people are to help you if you take the initiative to ask and understand. It may not always be the help or advice you were seeking, but generally, I have found people are willing to share their time and opinion if you just ask!” Asking questions is a skill we encourage students to build on because it results in gaining knowledge and taking on a new perspective.
Aside from her regular work, Karlie has joined several Associate Resource Groups at PetSmart to continue growing and developing professionally. In contribution to her growth, Karlie enjoys reading about organizational development, consumer behavior, and conscious capitalism in her free time. Though Karlie is already a well-developed leader with admirable focus, she took it a step further by pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in Leadership.
When we asked her to share an important piece of advice to students, she emphasized getting involved. Getting involved looks different for every student; whether it is joining a club, a professional organization, sports teams, or volunteering for student-run organizations. Karlie believes that connecting on a personal and professional level will help develop an individual and will come to use one day. She also shared that finding a mentor is crucial to one’s career. A mentor can guide and help you prevent common mistakes people fall into when starting a career. Karlie mentioned, “Everyone has something they can teach you; you just have to be willing to learn and spend the time investing in yourself.”
There is no doubt about Karlie’s current success and future endeavors and we are proud to recognize her accomplishments! Karlie mentioned that the Terry J. Lundgren Center provided her with, “opportunities at her fingertips.” She shared her gratitude for the TJLC because she felt the center provided her with solid industry connections to help jump start her career. We are thrilled to hear about Karlie’s journey after graduation, and where she stands now. We are extremely proud of Karlie and the immense growth she has already experienced so early in her career!
Are you a Retailing and Consumer Science alumni who would be willing to share your experiences with current UArizona students? Email us at terryjlundgrencenter@cals.arizona.edu!