PhD in Economics, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont California, 2007
MA in Politics Economics and Business, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont California, 2002
BA in Political Science, University of La Verne, La Verne California, 2000
AA in Liberal Arts, Chaffey Community College, Rancho Cucamonga California, 1998
Associate Dean, Graduate College, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg Texas, 2024 - Present
Professor, Department of Economics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg Texas, 2022 - Present
Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Programs, Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg Texas, 2022 - 2024
Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg Texas, 2015 - 2022
Director, Center for Border Economic Studies, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg Texas, 2015 - 2022
ADVANCE Administrative Fellow, Graduate College, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg Texas, 2017 - 2018
Director, Center for Border Economic Studies, University of Texas Pan American, Edinburg Texas, 2014 - 2015
Faculty Director, Coca Cola First Generation Scholars program, University of Texas Pan American, Edinburg Texas, 2012 - 2014
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Texas Pan American, Edinburg Texas, 2009 - 2015
Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting Finance and Economics, McNeese State University, Lake Charles Louisiana, 2007 - 2009
Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Redlands, Redlands California, 2006 - 2007
Lecturer, Department of Economics, California State University (Long Beach), Long Beach California, 2005 - 2006
"The effect of bank failures on small business loans and income inequality" Journal of Banking & Finance. v. 146, 2023. (With Amit Ghosh and Iftekhar Hasan)
"Impact of Great Recession bank failures on use of financial services among racial/ethnic and income groups" Southern Economic Journal. v. 88, i. 4, pp. 1574-1598, 2022. (With Luisa Blanco and Amit Ghosh)
"COVID-19 and its impact on minority-owned banks." AEA Papers and Proceedings. v. 112: pp. 313-318, 2022 (With Amit Ghosh)
"Local banking market frictions and youth crime: evidence from bank failures." Journal of Financial Services Research. v. 61, pp. 43-75, 2022. (With Amit Ghosh)
"Financial crisis, Bank failures and corporate innovation." Journal of Banking & Finance. v. 129, 2021. (With Joon Ho Kong and Amit Ghosh)
"Bank failures, local business dynamics, and government policy." Small Business Economics. v.58, n. 4, pp. 1823-1851, 2022. (With Manthos D. Delis, Amit Ghosh and Iftekhar Hasan)
"Income inequality and minority labor market dynamics: Medium term effects from the Great Recession." Economics Letters. v. 199, i. 0165-1765, pp. 109717, 2021. (With Amit Ghosh and Iftekhar Hasan)
"The racial/ethnic gap in financial literacy in the population and by income." Contemporary Economic Policy . v. 39, n. 3, pp. 524-536, 2021. (With Marco Angrisani, Sergio Barrera, and Luisa Blanco)
"Organizational change and work stress, attitudes, and cognitive load utilization: a natural experiment in a university restructuring." Personnel Review. v. 50, n. 1, pp. 264-284, 2021. (With Jorge Gonzalez)
"For Economic Advantage or Something Else? A Case for Racial Identification Switching." Review of Black Political Economy. v. 43, i. 3, pp. 301-323, 2016.
"Looking for status appeal? Act interested in your child's education." International Journal of Social Economics, v. 44, n. 3, pp. 377-399, 2017.
"An Alternative View to the Cause of Market Failures: A Dynamic Approach." Theoretical Economics Letters, v. 4, n. 7, pp. 548-557, 2014.
"The influence of migration on human capital development." International Economic Journal, Vol. 27, Iss. 3., pp. 365-384, 2013. (Highlighted in Taylor & Francis Group "The Economics of Race & Migration" April 2014)
"Peer Effects on Undergraduate Business Student Performance." International Review of Economics Education, v.11, i.1, pp. 57-66, 2012. (With Francisco Badua, and Mitchell Adrian)
"A theoretical exposition of migration enforcement on existing migrant and domestic households." Journal of Regional Science, v. 51, i. 4, pp. 821-835, 2011.
"Parental Quality Investment, Child Effort, and Human Capital Accumulation." International Economic Journal, v. 25, i. 3, pp. 387-417, 2011.
"Documenting and Explaining Major Field Test Results Among Undergraduate Students." Journal of Education for Business, v. 86, i.2, pp. 64-70, 2011. (With Francisco Badua, Jiun Shiu Chen, and Mitchell Adrian)
"A Major Choice: Differential Effects of Academics, Demographics, and Effort-Tolerance on Major Selection." The Journal of Academic Administration in Higher Education, v.4, pp. 41-48, 2008. (With Francisco Badua)
"Child Labor Participation, Human Capital Accumulation, and Economic Development." Journal of Macroeconomics, v.30, pp. 499-512, 2008.
"The end of globalization: Texas-Mexico border ports trends, " Border Business Briefs, Spring 2022.
"The reach of the Paycheck Protection Program in the Lone Star State, " Border Business Briefs, Winter 2021.
"One and a half years since COVID: A look into the Texas employment recovery, " Border Business Briefs, Fall 2021. (With Geoffrey Schwarz)
"April’s toll on Texas," Border Business Briefs, Summer 2020. (With Rogelio Sáenz)
"Texans in their twenties: a window into the state’s future," Border Business Briefs, Spring 2020.
"Texas manufacturing and innovation jobs could use more education," Border Business Briefs, Winter 2019.
"Texas Inequality," Border Business Briefs, Fall 2019.
"Where have the criminals gone? Negative crime growth in South Texas," Border Business Briefs, Summer 2019.
"The health of the region’s banking sector and implications for financial inclusion," Border Business Briefs, Fall 2018.
"Trade, Trade War, Texas, and the Border Region," Border Business Briefs, Summer 2018.
"The coveted high skill millennials: An analysis of the Border/South Texas stock," Border Business Briefs, Spring 2018.
"The Rio Grande Valley’s four millimeter foe: citrus industry in fight for survival ," Border Business Briefs, Winter 2017.
"Quality and Access to Medical Care in the Border/South Texas Region," Border Business Briefs, Fall 2017.
"An Analysis of Border/South Texas employment and sector growth," Border Business Briefs, Summer 2017.
"2017 Economic Outlook for Border / South Texas Region," Border Business Briefs, Fall 2016.
"Financial Intermediation in the Border / South Texas Region," Border Business Briefs, Winter 2016.
"K-12 Education outlook of Border/South Texas region," Border Business Briefs, Fall 2016.
"Trade flows through Border/South Texas ports," Border Business Briefs, Summer 2016. (With Ruth Cano and Amirhossein Fard)
"Economic pulse of Texas Border Region: Entrepreneurial Activity 2014-2015," Border Business Briefs, Spring 2016. (With Emmanuel Torres)
"South Texas keeps pushing ahead," Border Business Briefs, May 2015. (With Abdelhamid Riani)
"Revenues are up at RGV cities," Border Business Briefs, February 2015. (With Abdelhamid Riani)
"Where the jobs are in South Texas," Border Business Briefs, February 2015. (With Jose Clemente)
"Local Municipalities See Upward Trend in Sales and Use Tax Revenues," Border Business Briefs, February 2015. (With Jose Clemente)
"The Ups and Downs of Entrepreneurial Activity in South Texas." Border Business Briefs, August 2014. (With Armando Valero)
"A not so hot South Texas labor market," Border Business Briefs, May 2014.
"Valley house prices on neutral." Border Business Briefs, February 2014.
"Transition at the Fed." Border Business Briefs, February 2014.
"An Insight into Academic Motivation." Hispanic Economic Outlook, Spring 2013. (With Sara K. Ray)
Featured in "The Economics of Race & Migration" Taylor & Francis Group, April 2014
Future of Minority Studies (FMS) - Mellon Fellow, Cornell University, 2010
Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network (ESIN) Summer Fellowship Program in Applied Multi-Ethnic Research at ICPSR Fellow, University of Michigan, 2010
Diversity Initiative for Tenure in Economics (DITE) Fellow, Duke University, 2008 - 2011
New Connections Research and Coaching Clinic Participant, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, San Diego California, 2008
2024
Freedom and Justice Conference, Spelman College, Atlanta GA, August 2024
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, San Antonio TX, January 2024
2023
Freedom and Justice Conference, Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawerence KS, August 2023
2022
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, Virtual, January 2022
2021
Annual Texas HSI Conference on Economic Issues Affecting Latinx/Hispanics, St. Mary's University, San Antonio TX. - October 22 2021
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, Virtual, January 4 2021
2020
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, San Diego, California, January 5 2020
2019
Western Economic Association (WEA) meetings, San Francisco, California, June 30 2019
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, Atlanta, Georgia, January 6 2019
2018
Freedom and Justice Conference, Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Montana, June 2018
2017
Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, September 22 2017
Western Economic Association (WEA) meetings, San Diego, California, June 26 2017
2016
North-American Economic Science Association Conference, Tuscon, Arizona, November 12 2016Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, San Francisco, California, January 3 2016
2015
Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, September 2015Western Economic Association (WEA) meetings, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 29 2015
2014
Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, October 2014Western Economic Association (WEA) meetings, Denver, Colorado, June 28 2014
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 4 2014,
2013
Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, October 2013Western Economic Association (WEA) meetings, Seattle, Washington, June 30 2013
2012
Future of Minority Studies, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia, Septembert 14 2012Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, Chicago, Illinois, January 8 2012 (discussant)
2011
Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, October 2011Western Economic Association (WEA) meetings, San Diego, California, June 30 2011
2010
Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, September 25 2010Future of Minority Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, August 3 2010
Fellowship Program in Applied Multi-Ethnic Research Mini-Conference 2010, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 15 2010
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, Atlanta, Georgia, January 4 2010 (2 presentations)
2009
Southern Economic Association (SEA) meetings, San Antonio, Texas, November 21 2009 (1 presentation, 1 discussant)Economic Issues Affecting Hispanic and African-American Communities Conference, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, September 12 2010
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings, San Francisco, California, January 3 2009
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, February 16 2009
2008
DITE Conference, Santa Barbara, California, July 2008Federation of Business Disciplines, Houston, Texas, March 7 2008
Courses
Undergraduate
Development Economics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, Intermediate Microeconomics, Managerial Economics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of MicroeconomicsGraduate
Economic Analysis (MBA), Managerial Economics (MBA), Principles of Economics (MBA), Seminar in Economics Topics [Introduction to Financial Theory] (PhD)
Member: Thesis committee
Klaus Beckmann (PhD) "Essays on the performance, earnings management and Information efficiency of cross-listing firms", July 2016: placement - University of South Dakota.Weifang Yang (PhD) "Three Essays on Hedge Fund Flow, Regulation, and Economic Geography", May 2013: placement - Shandong University, China.
Yongli Luo (PhD) "Executive Compensation, firm performance and liquidity under imperfect corporate governance", August 2012: placement - Wayland Baptist University, Texas.
William Pratt (PhD) "Is capital structure relevant? An empirical examination of capital structure choices", August 2012: placement - Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
Pooja Chopra (MBA) "The Use of Preventive Health Care Services in Hispanic Workers in Manufacturing Sector in South Texas", December 2011: placement - Phonon.in, India.