Kathleen Weiss Hanley named Bolton-Perella Chair

Kathleen Weiss Hanley, a prominent teacher and researcher in the areas of capital formation and regulation, will join Lehigh’s faculty in August, when she assumes one of the four Joseph R. Perella and Amy M. Perella Chairs in Finance and the Directorship of the Center for Financial Services Studies.

The Perella Chairs, established by Joseph Perella ’64, widely regarded as an investment pioneer who has been responsible for billions of dollars of merger and acquisition activity throughout his career, are designed to help the College of Business and Economics attract and retain leading faculty. These coveted positions are awarded to faculty who can add to the college’s publication and research exposure as well as create innovative academic offerings and enhance faculty leadership.

Hanley brings to Lehigh an impressive publication record, including refereed articles in top-tier academic journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics and Review of Financial Studies. In addition, she is listed in “Authors with the Most Citations to Their Journal of Financial Economics Papers, 1974-2010.”  Her previous position as Deputy Chief Economist and Deputy Division Director at the Securities and Exchange Commission helps inform her research and teaching and provides direct connections to the business community. Before joining Lehigh, Hanley was also a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Board and was on the faculty of both the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan.

“I am delighted and honored to be joining the finance faculty at Lehigh University,” Hanley said. “The College has demonstrated a strong commitment to high quality research and teaching and attracts some of the best students in the country. I look forward to interacting with them in the classroom.”

While at the Commission, Hanley supervised a staff of approximately 100 economists and industry professionals, managed the Division's research activities and resources, including overseeing the economic analysis in Commission policy and rulemaking. Her responsibilities included a broad range of topics in financial economics such as the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act. 

In addition, she oversaw data analytics and risk assessment initiatives, served as a representative of the Commission in meetings with Congress, and participated in high-level discussions on matters related to policy with Division Directors, Commissioners and the Chairman of the Commission. Hanley received the SEC’s 2013 Law and Policy Award for her work on a team that drafted guidance on economic analysis in SEC rulemakings and was part of a team that received the SEC’s 2013 Analytical Methods Award for its study of money market mutual funds.

“We are fortunate to add someone with Kathleen’s extensive experience and impressive research activity to our faculty,” said Dean Georgette Chapman Phillips. “She has the perfect blend of both, which will impact our students in the classroom at the same time as enhancing CBE’s reputation for high quality faculty research.”

Hanley earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida and her Bachelor of Science from Indiana University.

Story by Kathleen Mattare