Salvador Contreras is Professor of Economics at the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean of the Graduate College at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Salvador’s research is in the intersection of financial intermediation and society. His current work explores financial frictions and their effect on entrepreneurship, income mobility, and financial inclusion. His research appears in leading academic journals such as the Journal of Financial Services Research, Journal of Banking and Finance, Small Business Economics, and Journal of Regional Science. In addition, he writes on a variety of topics related to US-Mexico border region. Salvador holds a PhD in Economics from Claremont Graduate University.