Erin Cavanaugh

Biography

Erin Cavanaugh is a merchandising and product strategy executive with more than 20 years of experience building consumer brands through thoughtful product development, customer insight, and strategic leadership. Her career spans leadership roles at Nike and Nordstrom, where she led multi-million-dollar businesses, developed global merchandising strategies, and built assortments grounded in both data and community-centered design.

Erin is the founder and CEO of See ROSE Go, an award-winning apparel brand created to better serve plus-size women through elevated, minimalist design. She is also the inventor of the patented CoolROSE™ performance fabric, an innovation recognized with an Honorable Mention in Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Women's Wear Daily (WWD), CBS MoneyWatch, Hypebae, and Authority Magazine.

Today, Erin serves as a fractional executive and strategic advisor for emerging and established brands, helping organizations strengthen product strategy, merchandising, brand positioning, and go-to-market execution. Passionate about developing the next generation of industry leaders, she brings real-world experience into the classroom, encouraging students to combine creativity, empathy, and business strategy to build meaningful, customer-centered brands.