CURRENT POSITION

Michael James Family Professor of Finance, Wofford College

Department Chair, Department of Accounting, Business, and Finance, Wofford College

AREAS OF INTEREST

Teaching: Investments, Corporate Finance, Business Ethics, Real Estate Finance,

International Finance

Research: Investments, Corporate Finance, Commercial Banking, Real Estate,

Neural Network Modeling, Business Ethics, Game Theory

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Florida State University Tallahassee, FL

Finance (Real Estate minor) August 1998

M.B.A. University of Texas Austin, TX

Finance May 1991

B.S. Liberty University Lynchburg, VA

Finance (Philosophy minor) May 1989

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Fulbright Scholar, U. S. State Department, Split, Croatia, 2010. Appointed to teach classes, lead seminars, and conduct research at the University of Split.

Directing Partner, The Broad River Group LLC, Shelby, NC, 2005-2016. Oversee the financial management of a real estate investment group.

Trainer and Author, HighMark Incorporated, Atlanta, GA, 2001-Present. Conduct finance training seminars for business leaders in developing countries. Recent trips include Russia (in partnership with Moscow State University), Macedonia, India, and Vietnam (in partnership with Da Nang University). Co-authored the new HighMark finance curriculum that is now being used by trainers globally (28 countries at last count).

Consultant and Expert Witness, Various firms, 2003-Present. Provide economic and financial analysis for client firms.

Associate National Bank Examiner, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – U.S. Department of the Treasury, Richmond, VA, 1991-1994. Worked with senior bank managers from a diverse portfolio of institutions, including community, regional, and multinational banks. Specialist in capital markets, commercial lending, and real estate lending.

TEACHING AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Associate/Full/Endowed Chair Professor Wofford College

Financial Management (2005-Present)
Investments
Real Estate Finance
International Finance
Ethics and Business

Associate/Assistant Professor Gardner-Webb University

Financial Management (1998-2005)
Investments
Risk Management and Insurance
Commercial Banking
International Finance
Personal Finance
Integration of Faith, Business, and Ethics

Teaching Assistant Florida State University

Financial Markets, Institutions, and (1995-1998)

International Finance

Investments and Financial Markets

Research Assistant Florida State University

Neural Network modeling (1994-1996)

PUBLICATIONS

“The Market Reaction to Votes of Confidence for Embattled CEOs”with Victoria DaSilva, Richard Fields, and George Turk. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, Volume 8, No. 8, 2017.

“I Know What Not To Do. Now What? Rethinking Business Ethics Education” with Ryan Johnson and Nancy Williams. American Journal of Business Education, Volume 6, No.5, 2013.

“Trust and Trustworthiness: A Transcontinental Trust Experiment” with Wesley Pech. International Business and Economic Research Journal, Volume 12, No. 3, 2013.

“The Market’s Assessment of the Dodd-Frank Act” with George Turk. Journal of Business and Economic Research. Volume 10, No.10, 2012.

“The Search for a Dog-Free Portfolio: Why Unions Matter to Investors” with Carol Boyer and

Stephen Ciccone, Journal of Business and Economic Research, Volume 8, No. 6, 2010.

“The Consistency Factor: A Closer Look at Ethics in Accounting Education” with Earl Godfrey, Journal of Ethics and Entrepreneurship, Volume 1, No. 1, 2010.

“Team Teaching a Class on Integration of Faith and Business” Christian Business Academy Review, Volume 1, No. 1, Spring 2006.

“Successful Financial Management Principles”, part of the Successful Business Principles series produced by HighMark Incorporated, 2005.

“Play Ball at My House: The Value of Naming Rights at Sports Complexes” with Carol Boyer, Yvette Harman, and Steve Ciccone. Southern Business and Economic Journal, Volume 26, No. 4, Fall 2004.

“The Efficacy of Business Ethics Courses When Coupled With A Personal Belief System” with Brian Neureuther and Philip Williams, Journal of College Teaching and Learning, Volume 1, No. 4, 2004.

“Business Ethics: Does It Matter What You Believe, Does It Matter What You Are Taught?” with Philip Williams, Van Graham, and Brian Neureuther. Proceedings of the Christian Business Faculty Association, Fall 2001.

“Off-Site Monitoring Systems for Predicting Bank Underperformance: A Comparison of Neural Networks, Discriminant Analysis, and Professional Human Judgment” with Jeffrey Clark, International Journal of Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance, and Management, Vol.10, No. 3, Fall 2001.

“Determining Real Estate Licensee Income” with G. Stacy Sirmans, Journal of Real Estate Research, Vol. 20, No. 2, Summer 2000.

“Who Is Earning the Big Bucks?” with G. Stacy Sirmans, Tierra Grande, December 1998.

“The Market’s Evaluation of FDICIA: An Examination of the Empirical Evidence,” Southern Business and Economic Journal, Volume 20, No. 4, July 1997.

“Determinants of Real Estate Licensee Income” with G. Stacy Sirmans, Journal of Real Estate Research, Volume 14, No. 2, 1997.

CURRENT RESEARCH AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“Votes of Confidence: Information Signals and Market Reaction” with Victoria DaSilva, Richard Fields, and George Turk. Presented at the World Business, Finance, and Management Conference, November 2016, Auckland, New Zealand. Voted “Best Paper” at the conference.

“Self-Funded Risk Management: The Case of High Dividend Stocks” with George Turk. Working paper.

“Leveraging a Student-Managed Investment Fund into Micro-Credit Lending.” Presented at the Christian Business Faculty Association Annual Meeting, October 2014, Nashville , TN.

“A Transcontinental Trust Experiment” with Wesley Pech. Global Business Research Conference, September 2012, Cancun, Mexico.

“Trust and Fairness in an International Context” with Wesley Pech. Conference on Value Inquiry, April 2011, Omaha, Nebraska.

“Best Business Award: An Experiential Project for Business Ethics” with Nancy Williams. Working paper

“Reading Between the Lines: The Effects of Bond Rating Changes At Different Rating Levels.” Working paper.

“What Affects Accounting Students’ Ethical Values?” with Art Boyett, Earl Godfrey, and Brian Neureuther. Presented at the 13th International Symposium on Ethics, Business and Society, May 2004, Barcelona, Spain.

“The Efficacy Of Business Ethics Courses When Coupled With A Personal Belief System” with Brian Neureuther and Philip Williams. Presented at the College Teaching and Learning Conference, January 2004. Winner of the 2004 CTLC’s “Best Paper” award.

“Play Ball at My House: The Value of Naming Rights at Sports Complexes” with Carol Boyer, Yvette Harman, and Steve Ciccone. Presented at the Financial Management Association Conference, October 2003.

“Team Teaching a Class on ‘Integration of Faith and Business’: Observations and Lessons Learned from the Experience” with Arlen Honts, Bob Mellbye, John Keyt, and Stephen Perry. Presented at the Christian Business Faculty Association conference, October 2003.

“Business Ethics: Does It Matter What You Believe, Does It Matter What You Are Taught?” with Philip Williams, Van Graham, and Brian Neureuther. Presented at the Christian Business Faculty Association conference, October 2001.

“Neural Networks as a Tool for Predicting Financial Performance.” Presented at the Gaston-Carolinas Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants, March 2001.

“Developing Off-Site Monitoring Systems for Predicting Bank Underperformance” with Jeffrey Clark. Completed working paper.

“Early Signaling of Bond Rating Changes: Using a Neural Network Tool for Prediction” with Pamela Coats and Susan Hruska. Presented at the Southern Finance Association Meeting, November 1997.

“Marginal Investor Votes Versus Shareholder Votes: Evidence From Proposals To Grant Options To Directors” with James Ang. Presented at the Financial Management Association Meeting, October 1997.

“The Market’s Evaluation of FDICIA: An Examination of the Empirical Evidence.” Presented at the Southern Finance Association Meeting, 1996.

“Determinants of Real Estate Licensee Income” with G. Stacy Sirmans. Presented at the American Real Estate Society Meeting, March 1996.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Oversee Wofford’s micro-credit loan program in Haiti and Dominican Republic, funded by profits from the James Student-Managed Investment Fund.

Recipient of $100,000 grant to launch the Atkins Student-Managed Investment Fund, 2015. Serve as Faculty Sponsor for the James Fund.

Recipient of $100,000 grant to launch the James Student-Managed Investment Fund, 2008. Serve as Faculty Sponsor for the James Fund.

Recipient of the 2015 Faculty-Student Collaborative Summer Research Grant, Wofford College.

Recipient of the 2006 Summer Research Grant, Wofford College.

Recipient of the 2003-2004 Teacher of the Year Award, Graduate School of Business, Gardner-Webb University.

Recipient of the 2003-2004 Student Choice Awards, Gardner-Webb University.

Serve as reviewer for Southern Business and Economic Journal; The Services Industry Journal; International Journal of Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance, and Management; Journal of Business Ethics; Christian Business Academy Review; and Journal of Real Estate, Finance, and Economics. Also served as a reviewer for the textbooks Principles of Risk Management and Insurance by Rejda, and Fundamentals of Corporate Finance by Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan.

Recipient of $25,000 endowment grant from Branch Banking & Trust to start a Student Investment Fund at Gardner-Webb University. Served as Faculty Sponsor of the Student Investment Club.

Participant with Stacy Sirmans in a $50,000 research grant from the Real Estate Center at Texas A & M University, studying Texas Realtor licensee characteristics and income determinants.

Recipient of the 1996-1997 Doctoral Teaching Assistant Award, College of Business, Florida State University.

Twice recognized with the Outstanding Service Award (1992 and 1993), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – U.S. Department of the Treasury.

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Department Chair, Department of Accounting, Business, and Finance, 2016-Present.

Finance Coordinator, Department of Accounting, Business, and Finance, 2010-2016.

Promotion, Tenure, and Evaluation Faculty Committee, 2015-2016.

Board Member and Treasurer, Willow Tree Community School, 2010 – Present.

Board Member, The Charlotte Mason Institute, 2013.

Chair and Committee Member, Honorary Degrees Committee, 2009-2012.

Chair and Committee Member, Religious Life Council, 2007-2010.

Member, Environmental Science Steering Committee, 2008-Present.

Panelist, Economic Meltdown forum, Fall 2008.

Instructor, Personal Financial Planning Seminar for Wofford staff, Summer 2007, 2008.

Faculty Advisor, Blue Key Honor Society, 2007-2009.

Faculty Advisor, R. Michael James Student-Managed Investment Fund, 2008- Present.

Co-Faculty Advisor, Wofford Fly Fishing Club, 2008-Present.