Laura T. Starks

Charles E. & Sara M. Seay Regents’ Chair in Business Administration and Chairman, Department of Finance, McCombs School of Business, the University of Texas at Austin

Education:
Ph.D., the University of Texas at Austin; M.B.A., the University of Texas at San Antonio; B.A., the University of Texas at Austin

Summary of Experience:
Laura Starks's research on finance issues has appeared in leading academic journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Business, and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, among many others. She has presented her work at universities around the world and received a number of awards. Her recent research focuses on institutional investors, particularly mutual funds, and corporate governance. Professor Starks has served as an expert witness in federal cases for Wells Fargo, Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Vesta Insurance Company, and Dupont. Recently, she provided expert consulting assistance in Florida State Board of Administration [FSBA] v. Alliance Capital Management, in which a Florida jury found Alliance Capital not liable for the losses incurred by the FSBA pension fund as a result of Alliance Capital's investments in Enron stock. Professor Starks serves as an independent director for TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds, CREF Retirement Account, and for USAA Mutual Funds. She also serves on both the Investment Advisory Committee (two years as Chairman) and the Mutual Funds Product Review Committee for the Employees Retirement System of the State of Texas.