Doug Doremus ’83 ’17 MBA

After nearly four decades working in marketing and sales, Doug Doremus returned to the Feliciano School of Business in 2022 to teach marketing, sales management and sales leadership to the next generation of marketing leaders. “After earning my MBA at Feliciano School of Business, I decided I wanted to give back to the school. I met my wife at Montclair State University in 1981, so Montclair has been very special to both of us,” he says.

Doremus, who earned a BS in marketing from Montclair and works as a national sales manager at AM Best, was inspired to study marketing in 1980 by a professor whose passion for the material was palpable. “There was something about his enthusiasm for marketing and the way he presented himself. He really spoke to us as fellow marketers instead of just students. The way he taught piqued my interest in marketing,” says Doremus.

To pique his students’ interests, Doremus tossed out the textbook and draws on his professional experiences and presents lessons with relevant situations and case studies. “I bring realworld examples into the classroom. I’ll bring in an example of a tough customer I had that day, we go over the scenario, and I ask my students to come up with [a strategy for handling the situation],” says Doremus.

Whether in the classroom or at AM Best, Doremus uses three strategies – positive reinforcement, recognition, and continual feedback – to motivate students and his sales team. “When one of my students does something great in class, I recognize them. I tell them to share with the class great things that are going on at school, their work or their internships. When I’m concerned with any of my students, I’ll meet with them one-on-one to tell them…I don’t wait till the end and they get hit with a bad grade,” says Doremus.

When not inspiring the next generation of marketers or motivating his sales force, Doremus mentors current Montclair students in Feliciano’s Soar to Success mentorship program. “Some of my students need help with their careers. These are all the things I wish someone did for me back when I was their age. We really didn’t have those opportunities,” says Doremus.