Jeffrey R. Brown, PhD, Joins The College’s Board of Trustees

Key Points

• Jeffrey R. Brown, PhD, was named a member of The American College of Financial Services’ Board of Trustees as of November 4, 2026
• Brown brings his knowledge as one of the nation’s leading experts on retirement income security to his advisory role
• Brown’s appointment underlines The College’s commitment to becoming known for excellence in retirement planning education and research

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – November 4, 2026 – Brown is one of the nation's leading experts on retirement income security and currently serves as the Larry Gies Family Professor of Business and Professor of Finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has been on the faculty since 2002. He previously served as dean of the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois from 2015 to 2024.

“I’ve spent my career focused on two things: education and financial security. Serving on the board of The American College of Financial Services brings those two passions together in a particularly meaningful way,” Brown said.

A History of Retirement Planning Expertise

For more than two decades, Brown’s research has examined annuities, Social Security, pensions, long-term care, and the behavioral and economic factors that shape how people turn savings into lifelong income. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a former director of the NBER Retirement Research Center, and the author of dozens of articles in leading economics and finance journals. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a fellow of the LIMRA Retirement Income Institute.  

Brown has advised policymakers as a senior economist with the White House Council of Economic Advisers, an economist with the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, a Presidential appointee to the Social Security Advisory Board, and a member of the Social Security Technical Panel. He has served as a trustee of TIAA since 2009 and chairs its risk and compliance committee.  

An Ongoing Commitment to Retirement Planning Specialization

“Retirement income planning is an indispensable area of specialization for financial advisors today, and The College is continuing to stake its claim to leadership in this area by bringing people like Jeffrey on board,” said George Nichols III, CAP®, president and CEO of The College. “I’m proud to include a knowledgeable and experienced professional with such an impressive leadership and academic background on our board of trustees and have no doubt his insights will prove invaluable as we continue to grow and refine our retirement planning program offerings.”

As dean at Gies, Brown led a period of transformative growth and innovation. He was named Business School Dean of the Year by Poets & Quants in 2021 and received the Times Higher Education Lifetime Achievement Award for a Business School Dean in 2024. His forthcoming book, Will My Money Last? (Greenleaf, May 2027), shifts the retirement conversation from accumulating wealth to building dependable lifetime income.  

Brown holds a PhD in economics from MIT, an MPP from Harvard University, and a BA from Miami University.

For more information, contact:

Jared Trexler
610-526-1268
jared.trexler@theamericancollege.edu 

Sarah Tremallo
908-967-0381
americancollege@jconnelly.com 

About The American College of Financial Services

The American College of Financial Services is the nation’s largest nonprofit and accredited educational institution devoted to financial services professionals. Nearly one in five advisors or agents is an alum of The College. The College offers a learning platform that includes professional designation, certification, and degree programs and encompasses early-career foundational knowledge as well as deep, specialized education in tax, retirement income, philanthropy, risk management, and more with the highest-quality combination of rigor and relevance. The College’s faculty represents the foremost thought leaders in the financial services industry. Its educational programs, research, and events offer professionals the opportunity to expand earnings, deepen relationships, and deliver improved client outcomes.

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