My teaching right now is driven by three beliefs:
1. “No one will look after your money like you do.” It is important to understand the basics of financial wellness to have the life after college that you deserve.
2. “The finance industry is desperately seeking to be inclusive and is looking for bright minds with different backgrounds.” You can get the value added you need through Berea’s Economics and Business Department and go on to Wall Street if that is what you choose.
3. “Cross the river by feeling for the stones” (摸着石头过河Deng Xiaoping). China approaches markets very differently than the West, and developing some understanding of that perspective will serve all of us well for the coming decades of competition that we face.

Whether your interest is personal finance, corporate finance, or international finance, we will get you ready for the world beyond Berea in a close close-knit learning community with lots of opportunities.

I earned my A.B. in Economics from Sweet Briar College in 1985 after spending my junior year abroad at Oxford University. I moved on to earn my M.A. in 1991 and my Ph.D. in 1999 in Economics from Claremont Graduate University in California. I wanted to teach and make a difference in young people’s lives. I started in a tenure-track Assistant Professor position at Georgetown College, and over 15 years, worked my way to tenure and promotion to full Professor. I added the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation to my accomplishments in 2012. In 2015, I jumped at the opportunity to come to Berea College to teach finance, earning tenure and the promotion to Full Professor, again, in 2021.

I teach most of the finance concentration classes, as well as personal finance, and I direct the new, MoneyWi$e Initiative through the Labor Program. Team-teaching in the Berea Bridge Program was a joy with classes like, “Data Literacy: Dealing Effectively with Scarcity and Noise,” and “Understanding Modern China.” Indeed, my most rewarding professional development experience at Berea College comes from a three-year program, hosted by the East-West Center in Hawaii, with a group of Berea colleagues to add Chinese studies to our curriculum.

Faculty Advisor for the Berea College Motley Fool Investment Club
One opportunity for students to explore is the Investment Club. We are a Labor Program Department, providing one primary and 5 secondary positions for students interested in investing college-donated funds in the stock market. Starting with $100,000 in 2017, club members invest in long only stocks and ETFs that they research and believe in. Over seven years, the Club has increased the Assets Under Management almost 400%. All students are invited to participate in decisions, to ask questions, and to make recommendations. A link to performance for the club can be found here.