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About

I serve as the Bluerock Professor of Financial Planning at the University of Georgia. I also serve as the Department Head for Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics. I am the current President for the American Council on Consumer Interests. I also serve as Associate Editor for the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, and I serve on the editorial boards of Financial Services Review, the Journal of Financial Planning, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, and Journal of Personal Finance. I have published scholarly articles on topics spanning financial planning, household finance, financial decision making, behavioral finance, and financial econometrics.

Previously I have served as the President of the Academy of Financial Services, and have been recognized as Mid-Career Fellow by the American Council on Consumer Interests. For the past five years, I have taught classes on Financial Planning, Wealth Management, and Behavioral Economics.

Education

Texas Tech University

Ph.D. Consumer Economics with Specialization in Personal Financial Planning

Texas Tech University

Master of Business Administration (Finance)

Pennsylvania State University

Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems

Awards and  Recognitions 

APLU BOHS Leadership Fellow, 2022

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities-Board of Human Sciences

ACCI Consumer Movement Archives Applied Consumer Economics Award (Best Student Paper), 2022

American Council on Consumer Interests

Student Mentee: Zongze (Victor) Li (University of Georgia)

Co-author: Dr. Diann Moorman (University of Georgia)

June and Bill Flatt Outstanding Teacher of the Year, 2018

College of Family and Consumer Sciences

NEFE Best Paper Award, 2017

American Council on Consumer Interests

Co-author Dr. Lu Fan (University of Georgia)

Highly Commended Article Award, 2017

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis

Emerald Publications

Co-authors: Drs. Velma Herbert and Karen Gibler (University of Georgia and Georgia State University)

Early Career Faculty Research Award, 2016

College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia

ACCI Mid-Career Fellow, 2015

American Council on Consumer Interests

Best Journal Article, 2015

Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning

Co-author: Dr. Jinhee Kim (University of Maryland)

Best Published Paper- Personal Finance, 2013

Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal

Co-author: Dr. Robert B. Nielsen (University of Alabama)

Outstanding AFCPE Conference Paper, 2012

Association for Financial Counseling, Planning, & Education Annual Conference

Co-author: Dr. Jinhee Kim (University of Maryland)

Best Published Paper-Personal Finance, 2012

Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal

American Association for Family and Consumer Sciences

Co-author: Dr. Jinhee Kim (University of Maryland)

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