2024 Loyola Financial Ethics Conference

Dr. Swasti Gupta-Mukherjee is Senior Research Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis and Professor of Finance at Loyola University Chicago. Her research, thought leadership, and teaching focuses on financial markets and sustainability, particularly on investing, sustainable development goals (economic, environmental, social), and the relationship between financial systems and society. She is interested in financial market solutions to societal challenges, moving business and society towards a more sustainable and equitable capitalism. Dr. Gupta-Mukherjee serves as an expert consultant and speaker on the link between sustainability, finance, public policy, incentives, and valuation for companies ranging from publicly traded corporations to early-stage start-ups. Dr. Gupta-Mukherjee’s course ‘Finance for a Sustainable World’ received global recognition with the Aspen Institute’s 2021 Ideas Worth Teaching Award. It is the first known course worldwide to integrate sustainable development and social impact frameworks into the core finance curriculum at business schools. Dr. Gupta-Mukherjee serves on the advisory board for start-ups, strategic advisory board for non-profits, editorial boards at academic journals, and as a judge for sustainable investing competitions where winning ideas receive venture capital seed funding. Her commentary on how markets can adapt better to climate risk was included in the Stanford Social Innovation Review’s “2021 Guide to Climate Change Solutions”. Dr. Gupta-Mukherjee holds a PhD in Finance from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Bachelors (with Honors) in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur.

Boyuan is currently a PhD candidate in finance at the University of Florida. His research interests include FinTech, machine learning, and sustainable finance. Boyuan is passionate about applying machine learning techniques on unstructured data to gain insights of corporate social responsibility and technological development. Prior to his doctoral study, Boyuan received a B.A. in Mathematics-Economics from Reed College and an M.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Xiang Li is a PhD candidate at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Xiang’s research focuses on the potential benefits of finance for households. Specifically, he examines the impact of market competition and disclosure on diversity and inclusion from various perspectives, including entrepreneurship and consumer lending markets such as mortgage lending. Xiang's work has been recognized and presented at numerous conferences, including those hosted by leading professional associations in economics and finance (AEA, SFS Cavalcade, FIRS, EuropeanFA, and CEPR), regulatory agencies (Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Federal Reserve Board, European Central Bank, Bank of Spain, FDIC, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, CFPB, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, and the Census), and top universities (LBS, Yale, Wharton, HEC-Paris, UNC, and USC).

With close to three decades experience at the highest levels of government, business, and media, Sean offers clients counsel in media relations, public affairs, crisis communications, and message development. At Edelman Smithfield, Sean specializes in developing and executing communications strategies for a host of global financial and capital markets clients. He has personally advised CEOs and other C-suite executives on communications, reputation management, crisis response, litigation, M&A and numerous regulatory issues. Sean specializes in helping clients navigate Washington, DC’s complex policy environment. Much of his work is at the intersection point where Washington meets Wall Street. He has helped numerous clients navigate regulatory issues with the SEC, CFTC, CFPB and DOJ. His clients have ranged from Fortune 50 companies to sovereign wealth funds to influential players across the capital markets. Prior to joining Edelman, Sean served as the Director of Communications for the United States Senate Committee on Finance. He was responsible for planning and executing the communications strategy for Committee Chairman Max Baucus. Sean led communications efforts for all international trade, health care and U.S. tax policy issues, including efforts to promote comprehensive tax reform. He served as the national spokesperson and has on-the-record experience with the New York Times, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. Previously, Sean served as the communications director and senior advisor to U.S. Senator Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. In that role, Sean helped develop legislative strategies around key economic and fiscal policy issues. Prior to the Senate, Sean was the editorial director at Gen. Colin Powell’s foundation, America’s Promise. Sean began his career as a journalist, working in New York at both George and Rolling Stone magazines. As a journalist, he wrote for numerous publications, including the Washington Post, the New York Post, Newsweek, People and USA Today.

Harley E. Ryan, Jr. (Chip) is the Truist Professor of Capital Markets and Professor of Finance at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, he served the Robinson College of Business as the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Teaching, Assistant Dean for Flex and Professional MBA, and the director of the Finance Ph.D. program. Professor Ryan joined the faculty at the Robinson College in 2005. Professor Ryan has a Ph.D. in Finance, an MBA from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Before joining Georgia State University, he was the Louisiana Department of Insurance Professor and Associate Professor of Finance at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA (1998-2005), Assistant Professor of Finance at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts (1994-1998) and an instructor at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia (1992-1994). Professor Ryan has been a visiting scholar at Bond University, Gold Coast Australia (2012), at the Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki Finland (2013, 2016, 2018), and at the Indian School of Business, Mohali, India (2014, 2015, 2018), and Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy (2018). Professor Ryan also taught in the Latin American PhD Program at Tulane University (2014-2015). He worked as a research assistant at Georgia State University (1989-1992) and as a sales engineer for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1983-1989). Professor Ryan’s research interests span various topics in finance and capital markets including incentive compensation and contracting, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, the role of financial intermediaries in corporate decision-making, capital investment decisions, and insurance. He has published articles in journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Business, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, the Review of Finance, Management Science, Financial Management, the Journal of Corporate Finance, the Journal of Risk and Insurance, the Journal of Financial Research, the Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, and the Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance. Professor Ryan has made numerous presentations at national and international conferences such as the American Finance Association Meetings, the Western Finance Association Meetings, the European Finance Association Meetings, the Financial Management Association Meetings, the Conference on Financial Economics and Accounting, the Finance Down Under Conference, Melbourne Australia, and the Indian School of Business Summer Research Conference in Corporate Finance, Hyderabad, India. He has also presented his research to the Office of Economic Analysis at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Bureau of Economic Research. Professor Ryan has served as an expert witness and consultant on valuation, securities trading, financing investments, and corporate governance. He has also provided executive education to numerous professional groups including the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, the Turnaround Management Society Certification Review Course, the LSU Executive Program, the Georgia State University Munich Re Program, the Association for Corporate Growth, and Leading the Office of the CFO (McCracken Alliance).

Pablo Slutzky is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland. His research interests lie in the intersection of corporate finance, crime, and financial intermediation. Prior to joining the Smith School, he earned his Ph.D. in Finance from Columbia University.

Sam brings a unique background spanning finance, technology, marketing, analytics & operations to both Warschawski and W Ventures. As a member of the W Ventures leadership team, Sam leads due diligence and valuation efforts, along with providing ongoing strategic growth and operational support to W Ventures portfolio companies. He also serves as a board member and advisor to multiple portfolio companies, providing ongoing leadership and guidance. In his role as EVP, Sam leads Warschawski’s award-winning Digital, Web & Analytics teams in the development, execution and optimization of integrated marketing campaigns and measurement strategies. Sam has established a data-driven culture throughout the agency while delivering exceptional bottom-line growth for clients through the fusion of innovative digital strategies with robust, multi-channel marketing campaigns. Sam has led successful initiatives for many of the agency’s global, national and regional clients, including Dole Packaged Foods, Biologics Consulting, Hogan Lovells, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK), KeyW (NASDAQ: KEYW), Janet, Janet & Suggs, Kabateck LLP, JMT Engineering, WSP (OTCMKTS: WSP), Sagamore Ventures, Mosie Baby, PlayerMaker, The Ridge, CFG Bank, Capital Funding Group, Impruvon Health, Maplewood Senior Living, Rose Health (acquired), Johns Hopkins University, The Catholic University of America, Franklin & Marshall College, Pella, Sagamore Spirit and numerous others. A digital native, deep generalist, and passionate innovator, Sam has a unique ability to connect seemingly disparate concepts in novel ways. He brings an unparalleled understanding of the digital ecosystem and how each component within that ecosystem can work together to create an exceptional outcome. His experience with specific platforms, including Facebook, Google, X, LinkedIn, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, Programmatic/DSPs, and Amazon, and knowledge of strategic and tactical methods give him the ability to craft comprehensive strategies, execute them flawlessly and optimize them relentlessly across dozens of channels. This approach has led to successful outcomes for clients with a wide variety of industries and business models, including, B2B, B2C, B2G, DTC, SaaS, lead generation, and more. As a thought leader and pioneer in the direct to consumer, digital and data spaces, Sam is frequently sought out for comment and expertise. He is regularly invited to speak at major regional, national and international conferences, including ShopTalk, Grocery Shop, SMASH, SMX, PRSA ICON, Search Marketing Summit (AU), AMEC, Friends of Search, BrightonSEO & The Digital Analytics Association, among others. He is regularly quoted by prominent national, regional and industry publications. Sam is a member of the Executive Education faculty at the renowned Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, an adjunct instructor at Georgetown University, and a guest lecturer at New York University. Sam is a member of the Paid Search Association Board, a Foxwell Founder Expert, and an advisor to numerous startups and technology platforms. Sam was named one of the “Marketers of Tomorrow” by Target Marketing, a Maryland Daily Record 2020 VIP List winner one of the Top 50 Most Influential PPC Experts by PPC Hero. Sam completed his undergraduate degree at Franklin & Marshall College, and received his MBA with Honors from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. Outside of work, Sam maintains a 7-handicap, is a die-hard Flyers fan and travel enthusiast.

Simon is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Business School. He received his PhD in Finance (2023) at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Simon's research interests are sustainable finance and corporate social responsibility, with links to financial intermediation, corporate finance, and banking. Current research focuses on the interplay between environmental regulations and firm pollution, and their impact on mutual funds’ portfolio choices, shareholder wealth, and corporate philanthropy.

Ethan Yao is a PhD candidate in accounting at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. He studies financial accounting and political economy, with a current focus on government contracts and firm-politician connections. He also studies the social aspects of household finance, such as racial disparity in the mortgage market. Ethan will join NEOMA Business School in France as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Accounting, Control & Legal Affairs in July 2024.