About Thomas McMillan
Building What Comes Next
I have spent my career at the intersection of marketing, retail, digital commerce, and talent. Today, I am a Professor of Practice in Marketing at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and Director of the Center for Retailing Innovation.
Before returning to Texas A&M, I spent more than two decades building businesses, digital platforms, marketing teams, and customer experiences. Across those chapters, the through line has been the same: understanding people, making complex change practical, and helping organizations and individuals move forward.
Marketing Was the Foundation
My career began at Texas A&M, where I earned my MBA while working in Athletics as a marketing coordinator and leading the 12th Man Rewards fan loyalty program. That experience helped launch me into retail and into more than a decade at Lowe’s.
Before I moved into digital commerce, I worked across customer marketing, product marketing, marketing planning, brand, and integrated campaigns. I loved understanding consumers, translating that understanding into action, and seeing marketing help drive a business.
Following the Customer into Digital
When the iPhone arrived, it was clear to me that the way people discovered, evaluated, and bought products was about to change. I deliberately moved my career into digital and built Lowe’s new onsite marketing and online promotions team.
I later helped lead the growth of Lowes.com and built the company’s new digital platform for professional customers, LowesForPros.com. The technology mattered, but the real work was always about the customer and how digital and physical experiences could work together more effectively.
$300M to $1.5B
Lowes.com growth as part of the leadership team
20,000+
Business accounts on LowesForPros.com within six months
20+
Tech-Zone stores launched within 18 months
400%
Growth in marketing-sourced revenue at CompuCom
Building and Transforming Organizations
I was recruited to help lead Tech-Zone, a startup retail services brand within CompuCom. I led marketing and digital, later adding merchandising, as we expanded to more than 20 stores in 18 months.
When Office Depot acquired CompuCom, I led the marketing integration workstream and later became Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. I led a team of more than 25 people across B2B marketing and product management, helping increase marketing-sourced revenue by more than 400 percent while spending less.
Returning to Texas A&M
When Texas A&M called in 2022, the opportunity connected nearly every part of my career: marketing, retail, innovation, leadership, and developing people. I was charged with leading the evolution of the Center for Retailing Innovation and preparing it for the future of the industry.
I teach undergraduate and graduate students in marketing, retailing, digital commerce, merchandising, customer strategy, and business acumen. More important than any course title, I have a genuine heart for helping students build confidence, see possibilities, and begin careers that are right for them. Receiving the Mays Business School Teaching Impact Award, selected by graduating seniors, was especially meaningful because it reflected that purpose.
What Drives My Work
I am interested in what changes next, but even more interested in what remains true. Technology evolves quickly. The fundamentals of understanding customers, creating value, making sound decisions, and developing people endure.
- What are customers really trying to accomplish?
- How should digital and physical experiences work together?
- Where can marketing create meaningful business growth?
- Which changes will matter, and which are simply noise?
- How do we prepare the next generation of talent to lead?
Recognition and Service
- Mays Business School Teaching Impact Award
- Four-time RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert
- Twice named to the Path to Purchase Institute’s Who’s Who in Digital Shopper Marketing and E-Commerce
- Board member, Dallas/Fort Worth Retail Executives Association
Beyond the Work
I am a husband and the father of three daughters. Those roles shape how I think about leadership, the future, and what matters most. I believe people want to work with people they know, trust, and enjoy. Expertise matters, but relationships do too.
Texas A&M has been part of my story for most of my adult life. It helped propel me into the career I built, and returning to help the next generation build theirs has been one of its most rewarding chapters.
Start a Conversation
I welcome conversations about media commentary, speaking, advisory work, and corporate board opportunities related to marketing, retail, digital commerce, customer behavior, and the future of talent.