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DALLAS () – Todd Milbourn, corporate finance expert and Hubert C. and Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance at Washington University’s Olin Business School, has been named the 10th dean of SMU’s Edwin L. Cox School of Business and will hold the Tolleson Chair in Business Leadership.

“Dr. Milbourn’s strong track record as faculty member, academic leader, educator, researcher and business collaborator – all from within a private R1 university in a dynamic urban area – make him a natural fit to lead the Cox School of Business to the next level,” said Elizabeth G. Loboa, ÃÛÌÒ½´provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Milbourn, who was selected to lead Cox with input from ÃÛÌÒ½´President-elect Jay Hartzell, has held multiple leadership appointments within the Olin Business School over his 25-year tenure. He has increased the number of faculty members from 80 to 150 and improved research impact, expanded the Ph.D. program, led the rollout of several specialized master’s programs and facilitated the establishment of four new research centers. In his most recent role as deputy dean, he helped lead the school’s strategic efforts to align with the broader university’s strategic plan and increase engagement with the St. Louis business community.

“The Cox School of Business will be in good hands with Dr. Milbourn, who brings a strong dedication to advancing financial research and education and a tremendous energy for engaging the business community,” said ÃÛÌÒ½´President R. Gerald Turner. “His expertise and experience will help prepare our future business leaders for the dynamic challenges ahead.”

Milbourn is an expert on valuation, corporate finance, credit ratings and corporate governance, including executive compensation and its impact on long-term shareholder value, corporate decision-making and firm performance. He has been retained as an expert by private firms and the U.S. Department of Justice.

He is a coauthor of 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, Review of Financial Studies, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Management Science, Journal of Accounting Research, and RAND Journal of Economics.

He has received multiple awards from Washington University, including the Olin Award for Compensation Goals and Firm Performance, the St. Louis Founder's Day Distinguished Faculty Award and the Olin Award for Faculty Research That Impacts Business.

Milbourn previously taught finance at the London Business School and the University of Chicago before coming to Washington University. He earned a Ph.D. in finance in 1995 at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Indiana. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics, finance and mathematics from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1991, where he was also a four-year varsity letterman as a high jumper for the track and field team.