Carrie M. Heilman, a beloved professor at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and integral to the UVA athletics department, died peacefully on Feb. 25, 2026, after a yearlong battle with cancer. She was 54.
Heilman was a generous and compassionate presence at the Commerce School, where she taught, researched, mentored, and served in countless ways for more than two decades.
“Carrie Heilman embodied the very best of McIntire: excellence in teaching, unwavering dedication to students, and a deep commitment to our School and the broader UVA community,” McIntire School Interim Dean Amanda Cowen says. “Anyone who knew Carrie understood the tremendous pride she took in her students.
“Whether in the classroom or leading the Promotions program to national success, she believed deeply in their potential and challenged them to achieve more than they thought possible, elevating not only their aspirations but our entire School. She will be profoundly missed by McIntire faculty, staff, students, and the generations of alumni whose lives she shaped.”
Earning her doctoral degree in Management from Purdue University, Heilman accepted a teaching position at Washington University in St. Louis, where she taught Marketing. Six years later, in 2003, she accepted an Assistant Professor position at McIntire.
Leading courses in Strategic Brand Consulting & Communications, Integrated Communications & Digital Campaigns, Marketing classes in the Integrated Core, and Brand Management at the undergraduate and graduate levels, she assumed leadership of McIntire’s renowned two-semesterlong Promotions class in 2013.
Unprecedented Success and Impact Leading the Promotions Class
Heilman’s efforts teaching and guiding Promotions, a standout course that challenges students to take a deep dive into market research, became legendary.
In the class, students learn to employ focus groups, surveys, interviews, and other research techniques to develop integrated, strategic advertising, marketing, and media campaigns for corporate clients. The entire course leads to the American Advertising Federation’s flagship National Student Advertising Competition, which involves more than 2,000 college students annually.
During Heilman’s tenure, she found unprecedented success in her role guiding students to the competition each year, vying against roughly 150 schools annually, and clinched national titles in 2016, 2020, and 2021. Even in the years their campaigns did not win, Heilman routinely led the UVA team to finishes near the very top. Ultimately, Promotions has positively impacted a large number of students who point to the experience as a transformational one, thanks in large part to how deeply Heilman trusted and cared for those she taught.
“Carrie was a force and a compassionate and intelligent driver of the great Marketing program at McIntire,” says Owen Rankin (McIntire ’82), a longtime supporter, program adviser, and parent of two students who took the course. “She was a great friend, an amazing person and teacher. I will always remember her energy, her passion for the students and their work, and her drive to create good humans who could do great work coming out of her class. She will be missed, but more than that, she will be remembered and her name will live on in all of her students and in every future Promo class.”
One such student, alumna Kelsey Miller (McIntire ’16), who was part of the Promotions class that won in 2016, says Heilman had “an enormous impact” on her career trajectory, calling her “the most incredible educator, adviser, and career coach” Miller ever had. “She was extremely dedicated to her students, staying late to discuss a lecture further or working weekends in the Promotions lab to advise on a concept,” Miller notes. “She was a nexus between students and advertising professionals, always willing to make an introduction. Many graduates, myself included, owe Carrie for their starting career, whether it was a networking event she led or a personal connection she made. Carrie’s fierce competitiveness, empathy, and joy were unparalleled and will be missed!”
Left photo, Heilman (back row, left) poses with a large group of her students. Right photo, following her passing, Heilman’s office door was filled with tribute notes from her Promotions students, to be given to her family. While at the Commerce School, Heilman spent much of her time with her students out of the classroom, hosting events and traveling to national marketing and promotions contests.
A Service-Minded Professor and Colleague Who Changed Lives
Since arriving at the Commerce School, Heilman “positively affected the lives of hundreds of students,” says McIntire Professor Rick Netemeyer, a longtime colleague and research co-author.
Citing her many achievements, he recalls her tireless commitment to those she taught: “She mentored her students, she generously gave countless hours of time to her students, and she cared for their welfare, both professionally and personally.”
Her excellence in teaching was recognized nationally and highly regarded by faculty peers and students alike. In addition to being named in 2018 as one of business education website Poets&Quants’ top 50 undergraduate professors in the country, UVA honored Heilman with an All-University Teaching Award (2020), and she earned the Jack Lindgren Mead Endowment Award (2014–2015), which recognizes faculty who uphold Jeffersonian ideals of faculty-student development.
Heilman was twice honored with The Order of Claw & Dagger Faculty Recognition Award, in 2017 and 2020. She was also a nominee for the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Teaching Award (2019), the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center Elizabeth Zintl Leadership Award (2021), the Z Society’s Distinguished Faculty Award (2021), and the University of Virginia Student Nominated Teaching Award (2015). Over the years, parents of former students made multiple gifts to McIntire in her name to recognize the beneficial outcomes her influence had on their children’s lives.
Beyond the classroom, Heilman’s service to McIntire was extensive. She served as adviser for the Advertising and Marketing Association club and was Track Director for the Strategic Brand Consulting & Communications track and independently advised student-athletes within the Commerce School.
In addition to all she gave to the McIntire community, Heilman also served as the faculty representative to Virginia Athletics since 2018.
Reflecting on her character, Netemeyer adds, “On a personal level, you would be hard-pressed to find a better human being than Carrie. She was kind, considerate, selfless, intelligent, and with a great sense of humor. A good friend who was just a joy to know.”
Her leadership also included roles in curriculum development, accreditation coordination, student-learning assessment, and strategic academic planning. Netemeyer praised her as a colleague as well: “She was a work colleague of the finest order, always willing to help others and doing the job at the highest level of quality without a complaint.”
Photo by Dan Addison
A Proud Parent and Important Researcher
Alongside her teaching, Heilman built a respected body of scholarship focused on dynamic choice modeling, marketing mix strategy, and customer loyalty management.
She co-authored influential articles examining retail branding, customer perceptions, and spending behavior. Her work appeared in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services and the Journal of Applied Psychology, as well as in leading publications such as the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Computers and Operations Research, and others.
Heilman regularly presented her research at major academic conferences, including the INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, the Association for Consumer Research (ACR) Conference, and the Americas Conference on Information Systems.
She also served as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous top-tier journals across marketing, consumer research, and retailing.
In recognition of her research and service contributions, Heilman was awarded the William Stamps Farish Professorship in Free Enterprise for 2018–2021 and again for 2021–2024.
An immensely proud parent, Heilman thrived in coaching positions with her children’s basketball and softball teams, where she taught them the importance of team commitment, self-discipline, and staying motivated. In all of her children, she saw the discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and internal drive she had worked so intentionally to instill.
Heilman is survived by her husband, Brad; her sons, Jason, Matthew, and Thomas; her daughter, Katherine; her parents, Samuel and Cynthia Ramenofsky of Crozet, VA; and her brothers, Greg (Lynn) of Wilmette, IL, and David (Mary) of San Diego, CA. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Leon and Gloria, and Abraham and Charlotte, and by her uncles, Lee and Mike.
