Todd Gormley, Professor of Finance and Olin’s Vice Dean of Education
(L-R) Henry, Todd, Karen, Eleanor, and Madeline(front)
Todd grew up on a dirt road in Michigan, about two hours north of Detroit. One of his grandfathers was a farmer, and the other founded a slaughterhouse. Starting at age 12, Todd spent Saturday mornings working at the family slaughterhouse. Todd stood out academically. In 10th grade, his teacher sent him to the library to learn math independently. The school later bought him a calculus book and had him grade his own work.
Todd attended Michigan State University. He spent a fair amount of time figuring out what he wanted to do. He changed majors five times (Math, Computer Science, Liberal Arts, Political Economy, and finally, Economics) and is amazed at how many current college students can be so confident about what they want to do for their careers.
Todd started his career at Olin in 2006 after receiving his Economics PhD from MIT. Shortly after arriving in St. Louis, Todd met his wife Karen, who was completing her medical training at WashU. They married at Graham Chapel in Fall 2008 and moved to Philly shortly after that, where Todd was on faculty at The Wharton School. They moved back to St. Louis in 2016 when Todd rejoined Olin, this time with three kids in tow.
Todd spends a lot of his time at local ice rinks. All three of his kids, Henry (14), Eleanor (12), and Madeline (9), play ice hockey for local club teams. (And no, Todd did not grow up playing hockey or push his kids into the sport!) When you receive his emails on weekday evenings or early on a weekend morning, it was likely written while sitting at a hockey practice. For fun, he enjoys watching the St. Louis Blues, reading high fantasy novels, playing poker, and gardening. He also likes spicy food, and his garden usually contains 5-6 hot peppers, including Carolina Reapers.
Before becoming Vice Dean, more of Todd’s time was spent on research. Todd’s research has analyzed the impact of index investors on firms, including gender diversity on corporate boards. His most recent work explores political polarization’s impact on investors’ voting decisions. Todd’s research has been featured in major media outlets, including a live, one-hour interview on NPR where his Apple watch kept giving high heart rate warnings. He previously served as an Associate Editor at the Review of Financial Studies and the Review of Finance. He is now an Associate Editor at the Journal of Financial Economics and the Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis.