Dave Aron PhD

I am a Professor of Marketing at Dominican University, where I teach marketing strategy, branding, and marketing management. I’m drawn to marketing because it sits at the intersection of narrative and judgment. Markets respond not just to products, but to positioning and communication: how value is articulated. Over the years, both in the classroom and in consulting with businesses and nonprofit organizations, I’ve noticed a pattern: many capable leaders don’t struggle with intelligence or effort. They struggle with articulation. They know what they do. They’re less certain how to frame it strategically. That observation led me to develop You Own Your Origin Story (YOYOS), a framework designed to help young leaders and their mentors recognize and celebrate the experiences that shape how they lead, build, and position themselves. In practice, this means asking sharper questions: • What early experiences shaped how you define value? • Where did you first learn to solve problems? • What tension are you consistently trying to resolve in your work? • How does that pattern inform your positioning today? For example, I’ve worked with early-career professionals who described themselves generically as “hard-working” or “detail-oriented.” Through structured reflection, we uncovered formative experiences, like leading a family business during instability, navigating cultural transitions, rebuilding after failure , experiences that reframed their identity around resilience, cross-cultural fluency, or strategic risk tolerance. Their professional positioning shifted from bland competence to differentiated narrative. Marketing, at its core, is applied identity. My primary role is teaching. My applied work grows from that foundation: mentoring entrepreneurs and young professionals who want to think more deliberately about how they show up in markets and organizations. If you’re building a business, mentoring emerging leaders, or thinking seriously about positioning, I’m glad to connect. 📩 daron@dom.edu 🌐 www.mentorvention.com