Joan Volpe

As an adjunct Fashion Merchandising Management (FMM) professor and member of several FIT committees, CPS’ Managing Coordinator Joan Volpe's mantra is multi-tasking. She is in charge of one of the oldest concepts at FIT.

“As per our founders, the college was to have a department where graduates could return to update their knowledge and skills. They referred to these refresher courses as ‘seminars’, hence the original name of our department,” explains Volpe. Today, this founding theory has broadened to accommodate not only graduates, but nearly anyone with an interest in the fashion business anywhere in the world. For the last eighteen years, Volpe has led the CPS in efforts to provide fast, focused business solutions for individuals at each level of the industry- rising, transitioning and established.

Volpe's forte is understanding the development of the industry-at-large. She not only worked in public relations and advertising but also in retailing and manufacturing prior to FIT and has consulted for several vertical corporations.  She states, “I’ve never left the industry, and must remain active to provide adequate and relevant training.”

“I’m a perpetual student of the fashion business,” Volpe admits. She faithfully reads Women’s Wear Daily and Wall Street Journal, and visits numerous conferences and belongs to several trade associations, to best identify and forecast the latest information and development needs.

With such invariable changes in the industry, Joan Volpe’s managing role is extremely intense. She testifies to hundreds of program details that most people never see. In spite of the madness, Volpe’s efforts are truly a labor of love. “I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing (if not here CPS/FIT). Most likely retailing- a personal shopper at Bloomingdales sounds great! And in my spare time, I would take all of our seminars” !