Margaret Echelbarger
Stony Brook University College of Business
“I am nominating Professor Echelbarger in recognition of her outstanding contributions across research, teaching, and broader impact in her field. As the Director of the Child Consumer Behavior Lab, she is one of the few researchers in marketing dedicated to understanding children as consumers. As the instructor of Social Media Marketing Strategy, a course she has taught for seven consecutive terms to over 600 students, she brings real-world relevance into the classroom through carefully curated guest speakers, hands-on projects, and interactive lectures. In the semester I took the course, her ability to secure engaging guest speakers inspired rich class discussions and exposed students to a variety of social marketing applications. Beyond instruction, she has mentored students through independent research, honors projects, internships, and teaching practicums. She has supported 15 students in independent research, advised 23 on internships, and sponsored multiple award-winning undergraduate research projects, including recipients of Stony Brook’s Researcher of the Month, Excellence in Research, and the Jane & Armando Jannelli Award.” – Cassidy Oliver
Margaret Echelbarger is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the College of Business at Stony Brook University and Director of the Child Consumer Behavior Lab. She is a behavioral scientist who studies how people develop as consumers, with a particular focus on children’s financial decision-making, psychological ownership, and the subtle social and economic cues that shape how young consumers interpret value, fairness, and resource access. Her research examines questions such as: How do children come to think of money as “theirs”? How do market environments shape early judgments about inequality? And how do families communicate (explicitly and implicitly) about spending, saving, and sharing?
Her work bridges developmental psychology and consumer research, highlighting the foundational processes by which marketplace understanding emerges long before adulthood. She collaborates with academic and community partners to study children’s reasoning in naturalistic settings, and she is committed to communicating research beyond academia. Her scholarship and commentary have appeared in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and TIME for Kids, and she engages public audiences through talks, workshops, and accessible science communication.
In the classroom, Echelbarger teaches Social Media Marketing Strategy and is recognized for creating dynamic, student-centered learning environments that connect theory to real-world practice. She received Stony Brook University’s Excellence in Innovative Teaching Award for developing high-engagement coursework that emphasizes critical thinking and reflection.
Across her research, teaching, and mentorship, Echelbarger is committed to demystifying the hidden curriculum of academia and fostering inclusive, collaborative spaces in which students and research teams are invited to ask meaningful questions about how people learn to participate in markets, and how those markets, in turn, shape us.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2022
Education: PhD in Psychology, University of Michigan; MS in Psychology, University of Michigan; MA in Child Language, University of Kansas; BA in Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences, Wellesley College
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Social Media Marketing Strategy
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I sat in on my first MBA course while a PhD student and saw firsthand how my research could have impact within the marketing discipline.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I study how children develop as consumers, including how they learn about money, ownership, value, and choice. A key insight from my work is that children are far more sophisticated economic decision makers than we often assume. Even from a young age, they use reasoning strategies, social cues, and personal values to guide how they spend, save, and share.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … a lawyer, drawing on my background in linguistics to craft carefully worded contracts in mergers and acquisitions.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I treat students as collaborators. Learning in my classroom is participatory and reciprocal – my students learn from me, and I learn from them. We build knowledge together.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Exciting!
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: Surround yourself with colleagues who invest in your success. Academia is a long game, and supportive colleagues can make all the difference. I’m fortunate to work with people who actively champion my growth and well-being as junior faculty.
Professor I most admire and why: Abigail (Abby) Sussman. After completing my PhD in developmental psychology, she was one of the first people in the marketing discipline to recognize and champion my work. She created space for me in the field, encouraged my ideas, and helped me see how I could contribute to marketing scholarship. She’s also just a great human, scholar, mentor, and friend.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Business students keep me on my toes. They want to know how ideas show up in real decisions, real campaigns, and real culture – not just in theory. Teaching social media means staying current, so I’m constantly gathering examples to bring into the classroom…and this sometimes means that I’m spending a bit more time on TikTok than I’d like!
What is most challenging? Students are driven and motivated to perform, but their intense focus on outcomes can sometimes make it hard to embrace the trial-and-error that real learning requires. I’m working to help students separate learning goals from performance goals, and to create structures that celebrate progress, curiosity, and engagement. I want students to see learning itself as something worth achieving.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Disengaged
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Fair and transparent.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? I enjoy reading graphic novels, spending time with my dog (Fran), and going to sporting events and arts performances with my partner (I would love to watch baseball and see the ballet in the same day!).
How will you spend your summer? I’m looking forward to spending my summer in Chicago, my adopted home.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Poland. I don’t have a personal connection to the country, but I’ve loved each of my trips there and look forward to returning. The exchange rate is usually favorable, and I think I’m also a bit of a travel contrarian.
Favorite book(s): Anything written by: Ann Patchett, Roxane Gay, Fredrik Backman, or Elizabeth Acevedo.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? The Wire. It’s real. I think a lot about when Omar says, “I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase. But it’s all in the game.” The show captures systems, power, and humanity in ways that stay with you long after watching.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I love emo and EDM, but I also really like Baroque music and, this year, I’ve really gotten into Amapiano. I like when music makes me feel things or returns me to another time in my life – like a memory cue.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … research that takes children seriously as participants in the marketplace. Understanding how economic thinking develops early in life allows us to better understand consumers across the lifespan. It also brings new scholars and perspectives into the field. Most of all, it highlights the deep connections between business, society, and well-being – connections I believe should be at the center of business education.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … being human – and I don’t mean in contrast to AI. I mean recognizing and valuing humanness itself. Mistakes, inefficiencies, and trial-and-error are part of what it means to be human, to build, to learn. I don’t believe the purpose of business is only to maximize shareholder value. I think organizations have a responsibility to support people, relationships, and communities.
I’m grateful for … many things, but especially dogs. If you know me, you know my dog is the center of my world. I suppose some people will pass judgment, but I’m fine with that. I know I’m a better, more grounded, more patient human because I have a dog.
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