Bringing Retail and Luxury to the Hilltop
The Georgetown Retail and Luxury Association (GRLA) is a student-run organization dedicated to educating students on the retail and luxury industries and professional opportunities in these fields. GRLA is comprised of four committees—Operations, Public Relations, Development, and Creative—that work together to devise, plan, and execute our events. We foster a collaborative community of visionary members guided by a shared passion for the retail and luxury space.
A Gateway into Retail & Luxury
Established in the early 2000s, GRLA has effectively partnered with the McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Program Office to execute successful large scale events. In the past, we have organized events featuring the CEO of Fendi, Pietro Becarri; Chairman of Tom Ford, Domenico De Sole; the COO of Chanel, John Galantic; and the COO of Bentley Motors, Mark Del Rosso.
We are led by Dean Patricia Grant, Associate Dean in the McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Program, as well as Professor Ricardo Ernst, director of Georgetown's Global Business Initiative. Through brand partnerships and industry-focused programming, GRLA gives students direct access to the people and ideas shaping retail and luxury.
Creative
The mission of GRLA’s Creative team is to design and manage the organization’s overall aesthetic and brand identity. We work to maintain consistent branding across GRLA while also creating promotional materials and visual content for individual events. Through our designs, we aim to strengthen the organization’s presence and ensure that each event is presented in a polished and engaging way. We work collaboratively to meet deadlines, provide feedback, and produce refined content that represents GRLA and its community in the best light.
Public Relations
As the main liaison between industry leaders and GRLA itself, the Public Relations team strives to bridge the gap between the Georgetown University community and the retail and luxury industries by facilitating effective communication and meaningful engagement. In this way, we imagine and propose partnership ideas with relevant individuals and companies. Our goal is to make GRLA an esteemed, empowering, and dynamic association available to all students on the Hilltop.
Operations
GRLA’s Operations team aims to efficiently organize and supervise events by providing our community and guest speakers with logistical support. Our services are also a foundation to the internal processes of the organization. In order to continuously add value to our team, we seek to be proactive and react promptly to change. In developing an ambitious and responsive group, we work with the intention of executing the most engaging experiences for our community as possible.
Development
The mission of the GRLA Development team is to manage club activities internally, outside of our primary event planning mission. We focus on the professional development and education of GRLA members while working collaboratively with the other teams to plan social events and strengthen connections across the organization. We also support GRLA members and project teams in bringing new ideas to fruition, helping distribute responsibilities and allowing each team to better manage the workload of our core slate of events.
2025-26 GRLA Board
President: Karenna Birns
Vice President: Geraldine Pulido
Director of Creative: Christina McKenna
Director of Creative: Lexi Hofmann
Director of Operations: Naz Sarpyener
Director of External Public Relations: Bella Renaud
Director of Internal Public Relations: Artemis Tsitsirakis
Director of Development: Maximilian Dabbous
Treasurer: Cameron Timlin