Shannon Maher

Shannon Maher is the dean for the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology, overseeing the school’s 10 associate’s and baccalaureate programs. Maher served as a faculty member and chair of the school’s Home Products Development Department from 2013-20. She has been an active member of the college community, serving with distinction on a range of college-wide and faculty senate committees. She was co-chair of the committee that guided the school in its successful accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs in 2018.

Prior to FIT, Maher spent 20 years in the manufacturing and retail sectors of the apparel and home industry fields. She arrived at FIT from Hanover Direct, Inc., a multi-brand e-commerce corporation based in New Jersey, where she was senior vice president for product development and sourcing. She holds memberships in the AATCC, CMG, and IFDA, and received her Greenleaders Certificate from the Sustainable Furnishings Council. With extensive experience in merchandising, product development, sourcing, and strategy, she continues to be active in the industry as a strategic product development consultant, having partnered with Ross Stores, AlixPartners, SUN Capital, and KPMG.

Maher earned her BA, summa cum laude, in fashion marketing and merchandising from Marymount University in Arlington, Va., her MA in integrated marketing communications at Marist College, and a higher education teaching certificate from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard.