Kenneth A. Kavajecz

Dr. Kenneth A. Kavajecz has been a scholar, instructor and administrator/leader in business higher education for over 20 years.  He has led organizations with over 125 employees and annual budgets of over $80M.  He oversaw the development and execution of first of its kind academic business programs, including a specialized MBA program, MBA@Syracuse, IMPRESS, and Leadership Scholars. Under his leadership, the full-time MBA ranking at the Wisconsin School of Business improved from 42 to 25 and the undergraduate business ranking at the Whitman School of Management from 72 to 23.

Dr. Kavajecz is an expert on financial market liquidity, trading, risk management, market structure and exchange regulation.  His research publications have appeared in top academic journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics and the Review of Financial Studies.   His academic awards include the 2000 Financial Management Association best micro-structure paper for “Liquidity Provision during Circuit Breakers and Extreme Market Movements” and a nomination for the Smith Breeden Prize for the Best Paper in the Journal of Finance in 2005 for “Price Discovery in the U.S. Treasury Market: The Impact of Orderflow and Liquidity on the Yield Curve.”

In addition, Dr. Kavajecz has been awarded numerous teaching awards at the Wisconsin School of Business, the Wharton School and the Kellogg School of Management.

EDUCATION: 

Ph.D. Finance, Northwestern University, 1997

M.S. Finance, Northwestern University, 1994

B.S. Economics and Political Science, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1988

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Leadership

• Dean, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University  7/13-9/16

• Associate Dean, Full-time MBA, Wisconsin School of Business, UW-Madison 7/06-8/11

• Associate Dean, Undergraduate, Wisconsin School of Business, UW-Madison 8/08-8/11

Advisory/Boards

• Portfolio Advisor, Investment Advisory Panel, Equinor Insurance AS (EQUINS), Norway 1/19-

• Accreditation Consultant, University of Stavanger Business School, Norway  1/18-6/18

• Independent Director, Board of Directors, Heartland Funds, Milwaukee Wisconsin  2008-17

• Exchange Expert, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and ArcaEx Merger  2005

• Member; Chair 2004, Nasdaq Economic Advisory Board, Washington, DC  2002-2004

Research/Teaching – Finance

• Full Professor, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University  2013-2017

• Associate/Full Professor, Wisconsin School of Business, UW-Madison  2003-2013

• Assistant Professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania   1996-2003

Government

• Assistant Economist, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System, Monetary Affairs, 1988-92