Elizabeth Hodges began at Kmart, then moved her way to American Eagle Outfitters, Limited Brands, Inc., and then to the vice president of marketing and brand management at Chico’s.
“You can have it all — you can have your dream — but you might not have it all at once,” Hodges said.
Hodges said her early success in retail was due to her diligent work and passion.
Hodges is a Richmond, Ind., native and graduate of Ball State with a bachelor’s degree in general business administration with an emphasis on finance and management.
Hodges chose to attend Ball State because she desired a university that would provide a strong business education and allow her to pursue her interest in music. Hodges plays both classical clarinet and violin, and was a part of Ball State’s marching band for four years.
During Hodges’ senior year of college, she did a corporate finance internship that helped clarify her future career plans.
“What I found is I liked to color outside the lines a little more than someone in a typical finance role,” Hodges said.
Hodges strongly encourages students to do an internship in their career field to better understand their major and decide if the job fulfills their interests and passions. Hodges’ love for fashion and shopping helped focus her business career.
Her first job out of college was at Kmart as an assistant manager.
“They had a great management training program and assured promotion from within the company,” she said.
Hodges took the position with aspirations to move up in the industry.
She went on to work for American Eagle Outfitters, Limited Brands, Inc., and JC Penney. Hodges worked many positions including in store, buying and selling and merchandise allocation before she found her perfect fit in marketing.
She has had the opportunity to work for a variety of consumer demographics, but has adjusted well to the changes.
“If you have a marketing foundation and you’re good at it, you can go to different brands and fit in quickly, once you learn the DNA of that brand,” Hodges said.
In February 2007, Hodges began working for Chico’s. Her role is to “develop and execute marketing programs that increase the Chico’s brand identity and awareness, increase customer loyalty, increase new customers to the brand and ultimately drive sales and traffic,” Hodges said.
“I spend a lot of my time in the stores to find out from customers [what they like],” Hodges said.
Chico’s target audience and the number one consumer today are the baby boomers.
“Women have the financial power and spend trillions every year,” Hodges said.
According to a Business Week article, women control $20 trillion, or roughly 70 percent of global consumer spending.
“My job is to surprise and delight these women everyday,” Hodges said.
The foundation of Hodges’ leadership skills started as early as age 4, when her parents taught her to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“Today in the business world we call that service leadership — I lead with passion and heart and those are the people I like to work with,” Hodges said.
Through the variety of retail companies Hodges has worked for, she has had the opportunity to travel both nationwide and worldwide, to India, England and Korea.
Hodges also uses her travels to pursue her passion for philanthropy, specifically HIV/AIDS education. Every place Hodges has visited in her adult life, she has made an effort to reach out to an organization that provides HIV/AIDS education. Growing up, Hodges saw firsthand how a young man with AIDS and his family were severely mistreated, so she developed a passion for the cause.
In the end, Hodges encourages students to find a job that they love.
“If you’re having fun you’re going to be much more successful,” Hodges said.
