Ester Headley, MBA

Instructor Emeritus

Esther received her bachelor’s in business administration with a major in marketing, as well as her MBA from Wichita State University.  Esther has received specialized marketing research training in focus group moderation, questionnaire design, and writing and presenting marketing research reports from Burke Marketing Research in Cincinnati, and New York City.   Prior to co-founding The Research Partnership, Esther spent several years working in marketing and sales, dealing with such diverse products as ambulances, hearses and underwater oil well pumps.

Headley has more than 30 years of experience as a marketing consultant.  Active in the national Marketing Research Association (MRA) and the Society for Case Research (an academic organization), Esther received the prestigious Wichita American Marketing Association award of Marketer of the Year for 2009. Esther and her husband Dean received the 2017 Alumni Association Laura Cross Distinguished Service Award.

Esther is active in the Wichita community, having been a participant in the Wichita Chamber of Commerce Leadership Wichita program.  She is a past president of the 10,000 member Wichita State University Alumni Association,  a past Chairman of the Board of The Wichita Child Care Association,  The YWCA-Women’s Crisis Center, Wichita Festivals, Inc. and past Vice Chair of the Kansas Humane Society.   Additionally, she has been a faculty member for 38 years in the marketing department at the W. Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University.