ҽNames Todd Milbourn New Dean of the Cox School
Beginning June 1, Todd Milbourn will serve as the 10th Dean of the Cox School of Business.
Todd T. Milbourn will join ҽas the tenth dean of the Cox School of Business on June 1, 2025, and will hold the Tolleson Chair in Business Leadership. He joins ҽCox from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, where he has served as the Hubert C. and Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance since 2010. Milbourn was hired as an assistant professor of finance at Olin in 2000 and was promoted to associate professor of finance with tenure in 2003, and full professor in 2007.
Milbourn served in the Olin dean’s office for a decade, beginning in 2013, as the vice dean of faculty and research. In this position and throughout his time there, he managed all faculty hiring and retention efforts, oversaw faculty reviews, and worked directly with the dean on all faculty-related budget and strategic issues. During this time, Olin’s research impact has moved up significantly and currently ranks in the top 15 of prominent, national research rankings. In the 2022-2023 academic year, Milbourn was Olin’s deputy dean, supporting the interim dean in revising the school’s strategy to complement the Washington University strategic plan. During his time in the dean’s office, he regularly engaged with a wide range of Olin Business School and university constituents, including trustees, national council members and business leaders.
An award-winning educator and highly cited scholar, Milbourn has been recognized numerous times for teaching excellence, and his faculty research has twice been honored with the Olin Award: Research That Transforms Business. Before joining the faculty of Olin Business School, Milbourn taught at the University of Chicago and London Business School. He is a coauthor of the executive-level book, The Value Sphere: Secrets of Creating and Retaining Shareholder Wealth, and has published articles in leading scholarly journals, including Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Management Science, Journal of Accounting Research, and RAND Journal of Economics.
Milbourn is an expert on asset management, corporate finance, and corporate governance, notably executive compensation and its impact on company stock prices, corporate decision-making, and firm performance. As such, he has been retained as an expert by private firms, the U.S. Department of Justice, and individuals in cases related to fair rates of return, breach of contract damages, and asset management. Additionally, Milbourn is a board member of a large hedge fund and is its current Audit Committee Chair. He has been on the board of numerous special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), including serving as chair of the Audit Committees for them.
Milbourn holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and a B.A. in Economics, Finance and Mathematics from Augustana College in Illinois. He speaks extensively at professional and scholarly conferences across the United States and the world.
Dean Myers' Leadership Transition
Read the campus-wide release here
A Message from Dean Myers
We are extremely excited to be welcoming Dr. Todd Milbourn as the 10th Dean of the Cox School of Business, effective June 1st. Todd is coming to us after many years at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis and is arriving at ҽat an ideal time of transition for both ҽand the Cox School.
Many of you have already met Todd, and are aware of his background, his energy, and his excitement regarding the Cox School's future. In speaking with Todd, I know he has tremendous respect for the accomplishments of the faculty, staff, and students at the Cox School, and will build on that legacy to continue Cox's ascent to global prominence. Todd's commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, administrative leadership, and to community are readily apparent in both his record and his message.
When you have an opportunity, please reach out to Todd and welcome him to Cox. When he arrives on campus this summer, he will have a lot of good work to do, and I know everyone will provide him with the kind of support that I've been so fortunate to have over the last eight years.
Finally, a big THANK YOU to the members of the Dean Search Committee for putting in so much time and effort, and to everyone who met with the candidates. I am so proud of our school for showing what a bright future we have. Clearly, it made a difference.
Kind regards,
Matthew B. Myers
Dean & Tolleson Chair of Business Leadership David B. Miller Endowed Professor in Business
