Stephen Hersh

Stephen Hersh is Adjunct Lecturer (retired Senior Lecturer) in the Medill IMC Professional program, where he teaches Consumer Insight. His areas of expertise include brand strategy, brand advertising, and psychoanalytic psychology.

In addition to his role as a teacher, Stephen is a Faculty Affiliate at the university’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR), where he is working on a study run by the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston, exploring sense of self among local Native and Non-Native families. The study is looking at ways to foster healthy self-esteem and positive life outcomes among primary school pupils, particularly Native American pupils.

Stephen has been a co-author of peer-reviewed articles on psychiatric diagnosis, psychopharmacology, and neuropsychology.

He has also served as a Faculty Affiliate in the Medill Local News Accelerator, where worked on research among current and potential future audience members for Chicago news organizations large and small, collaborating Medill students, recent gradulates, faculty, staff, and members of the partner news organizations.

Previously, Stephen worked for 23 years at Leo Burnett Advertising, where he was SVP Strategy Director. He also worked at several other advertising and marketing agencies, including the interactive agency Leapnet, where he founded the agency’s practice in Account Planning. He also operated a consumer insight consultancy.

Additionally, Stephen has served as Adjunct Instructor in Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategy in the University of Chicago Professional Education program, and as Adjunct Lecturer in Consumer Behavior at the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management.