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)