About Dr. Monisha Gupta
Director, Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center
Associate Professor of Marketing, Lewis College of Business
Dr. Monisha Gupta brings more than two decades of international, cross-industry experience in sales, marketing, and service to her role as Director of the Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center (TSSEC). Having lived and worked across Asia, Europe, and North America, her professional experience spans advertising, hospitality, retail, consulting, product development, sales, and marketing.
At TSSEC, Dr. Gupta connects academic learning with professional practice by creating live-client consulting projects, the TSSEC Sales Symposium, sales competitions, industry interactions, networking opportunities, and experiential learning opportunities. She works closely with students beyond the classroom, providing career guidance, résumé and LinkedIn development, competition preparation, professional mentoring, and individualized counsel as they explore internships and career opportunities. Her approach emphasizes both sales effectiveness and service excellence, with a focus on relationship building, customer value, and adapting to emerging technologies such as AI.
An accomplished educator and mentor, Dr. Gupta has received the Dr. Robert P. Alexander Mentorship Award for excellence in student guidance and the Marshall University Lewis College of Business Annual Faculty Service Award for outstanding contributions to the College, University, and community. Her commitment to service extends beyond the University through her involvement with Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA and the Truist Bank Community Advisory Board.
About Kyilee Harshbarger
Associate TSSEC
Kyilee Harshbarger is a senior majoring in Marketing and serves as the Associate for the Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center (TSSEC). In this role, she develops communication materials, assists in coordinating Center events such as the TSSEC Sales Symposium, and helps prepare students for sales competitions. She has also served as the emcee for the Sales Symposium and represented Marshall University in intercollegiate sales competitions.
Kyilee’s role provides a progressive learning experience through mentoring, industry engagement, and hands-on responsibilities. She works closely with Dr. Monisha Gupta, Director of TSSEC, gaining practical insights from Dr. Gupta’s extensive industry experience in sales, marketing, and advertising. Kyilee further strengthens her professional experience through her work with Sodexo, adding another dimension of real-world learning to her academic and TSSEC experiences.
Through TSSEC, Kyilee has progressed from participating in Center activities to helping coordinate events, prepare other students, engage with business professionals, and represent TSSEC and Marshall University externally. She continues to strengthen her skills in marketing, professional selling, teamwork, networking, event coordination, and leadership while helping other students who engage with the Center develop their own professional capabilities.
