Randy L. Allen

Biography

Randy L. Allen is a senior lecturer of management and consultant in residence at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. She is also an emeritus member of Johnson's Advisory Council, past president of President's Council of Cornell Women (PCCW), life member of University Council, and past advisor to the Consulting Club. She is a frequent contributor to the press on retail issues.

Allen teaches Management Consulting Essentials for undergraduates and non-MBA graduate students, as well as Consulting Problem-Solving Process for students entering consulting. She focuses her teaching on the marketing, global, technology, and strategy disciplines. Most recently, she also was the faculty for Big Red Consulting, a student-run consulting firm, and the Management Practicum where students complete consulting projects for Fortune 500 companies.

Allen spent more than 22 years with Deloitte Consulting, focusing on consumer business and serving clients in the retail, distribution, consumer goods, and apparel manufacturing industries. Her consulting included strategy, marketing, technology, and operations. She is the author of Bottom Line Issues in Retailing, POS Current Trends and Beyond, OCR Cost Benefit Guide, and numerous articles and speeches in the industry.

Prior to Cornell, Allen worked with Kmart Corp. in a variety of roles, including senior vice president of strategic planning and business initiatives, executive vice president for strategic initiatives, chief diversity officer, and executive vice president of strategic planning and CIO. Allen was responsible for several notable initiatives involving infrastructure, supply chain, marketing, business analysis, and strategic planning which resulted in considerable improvements in productivity and profitability. She was also chairman of the board of Bluelight.com LLC, Kmart's initial joint venture and then subsidiary for ecommerce and internet service. She led the restructuring of that business, putting it on the path to profitability. Allen previously worked for Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., Boeing Computer Services, and IBM. She holds a BA in physics from Cornell.

Recent Courses

• NBA 5780 - Consulting Problem-Solving Process
• NBA 5690 - Management Consulting Essentials

Academic Degrees

• BA Cornell University, 1968