The Duke Financial Economics Center (DFE) seeks to
- empower Duke undergrads of all majors with finance education, skills training, and networking opportunities for success in finance careers.
- support leading edge research in financial economics and econometrics by maintaining a core group of distinguished research faculty.
DFE was established in 2010 under the directorship of Richard Y. Li Professor of the Practice Emma Rasiel and Duke alumnus and Wall Street veteran John Caccavale. DFE's research faculty is headed by Research Director and Juanita & Clifton Kreps Professor of Economics Tim Bollerslev.
Read our 2025-2026 Year in Review.
Mission
Empower all Duke undergraduates, regardless of academic focus, to gain a foundational understanding of finance and enter finance careers uniquely prepared to succeed.
Vision
By leveraging Duke University’s renowned liberal arts curriculum, world-class faculty, and expansive network of alumni, parents, and industry partners, the Duke Financial Economics Center seeks to be a leader in the field of financial economics education through its pedagogical approach, co-curricular experiences, and innovative research.
Directors
Research Director: Tim Bollerslev, Juanita & Clifton Kreps Professor of Economics
Executive Director: John Caccavale, Executive in Residence
Teaching Director: Emma Rasiel, Richard Y. Li Professor of the Practice of Economics
Faculty
Tim Bollerslev, Juanita & Clifton Kreps Professor of Economics
Connel Fullenkamp, Professor of the Practice of Economics
Grace Kim, Associate Professor of the Practice of Economics
Lawrence Kreicher, Associate Professor of the Practice of Economics
Aino Levonmaa, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Economics
Andrew Patton, Zelter Family Professor of Economics
Emma Rasiel, Richard Y. Li Professor of the Practice of Economics
Lee Reiners, Lecturing Fellow of Economics
George Tauchen, William Henry Glasson Professor Emeritus
Executives in Residence
Mark Augusti
Tim Brown
John Caccavale
Marilyn Ceci
Daniel Egger
John Forlines III
Linsey L. Hughes
Urban Larson
Diana Propper de Callejon
Jason Scott
Chris Wedding
Instructors
Steve Columbaro
Kevin Ryan
Ben Thomason
Staff
Tamara Burns, Staff Assistant
Jen McLaughlin, Program Coordinator
Jennifer Valentyn, Program Director
The members of DFE's Steering Committee
- Provide counsel, valuable insights, and diverse perspectives to DFE leadership on significant matters affecting the direction of the center.
- Facilitate engagement with finance professionals who could become resources for students and faculty.
- Aid in setting goals and strategy for successful DFE fundraising.
Current Steering Committee Members
Chair: Paula Arrojo ‘92
Gianna Affi ‘22
Ranjit Ahluwalia ‘97
Karin Ajmani P’23
Gregory Baecher ‘02
Ari Berger ‘98
Gillis Cashman ‘97
Mike Castleforte ‘04
Derek Chait ‘17
Jordan Cila ‘04
Andrew Cooper ‘92
Dante Cordaro ‘17
Christopher Cormier ‘94
Barbara Euripides ‘21
Andrew Freeman ‘95
Joseph Huffsmith ‘04
Daniel Kapnick ‘08
Karam Katariya ‘20
Susan Wohlfort Kendall ‘93
Andy Layton ‘90
Derek McNulty ‘90
Laura Miles ‘94, P‘27, P‘30
Nick Pell ‘99
Donny Platner ‘06
Shelby Powers ‘19
Nick Romano ‘01
Ari Redbord ‘97
Nick Silvers ‘98
Stephen Star ‘07
Andrea Remyn Stone ‘96
Jonathan Swope ’03, M.B.A. ‘10
Dave Thomas ‘96, P‘28
Ashi Varia ‘98
Thomas Wanty ‘81
Julia Weidman ‘20
Andrew Weinberg P‘29, P‘30
Danny Wrublin ‘03
Eric Wu '02
Benjamin Wyatt ’20, M.M.S. ‘21
Student Advisory Committee
DFE maintains a student advisory committee of Duke undergraduates. Meeting on a monthly basis, the committee provides a student perspective on current DFE programs, including how they can be enhanced and effectively promoted to have the widest possible reach. In addition, the input of the Student Advisory Committee is crucial in developing new DFE programming that is responsive to students’ evolving needs in their pursuit of finance education and careers. The members of the committee have all been active participants in DFE programs.
2026-2027 DFE Student Advisory Committee Members
Sophie Braithwaite '28
Claire Chen '28
Raiyan Choudhury '27
Kiki Henry '28
Bella Hokama '27
Charlie Pausic '28
Eden Raviv '27
Jack Shaw '28
Alexander Soudmand '27
Aiden Tauro '27
Lindsey Wang '27
Jeannette Yang '28
DFE Student Ambassador
Anusha Bansal '27 is DFE's Student Ambassador in the 2026-2027 school year. As such, she assists the center with special projects and represents DFE at campus events.