Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University where he serves as the Director of Graduate Studies in Charitable Planning and is the CH Foundation Chair in Personal Financial Planning. He teaches graduate level Charitable Gift Planning courses both in the Department of Personal Financial Planning and at the Texas Tech University School of Law, and previously taught a graduate course in Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study Design and Analysis. He holds a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law where he received the United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning. His Ph.D. in Consumer and Family Economics is from the University of Missouri, where his dissertation was on the topic of charitable giving.
Dr. James received the 2012 Outstanding Teacher of the Year award from the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning Student Association, and previously received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award at the University of Georgia. In addition to his work as a professor, Dr. James has worked as an estate planning attorney, as a director of planned giving, and as a college president.
His research focuses on uncovering practical methods to encourage generosity and satisfaction in financial decision-making. Dr. James has over 145 publications in academic journals, conference proceedings, books, and professional periodicals. He has presented his research as an invited speaker at universities in the U.S., England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Spain, and The Netherlands and at organizations including the American Cancer Society, World Wildlife Fund, Community Foundation of Ireland, and Giving Korea. He has been quoted on financial and charitable topics in a variety of media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Bloomberg News, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today.
His research has been published in a wide variety of academic research journals including Ageing & Society, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, The American Review of Public Administration, Applied Economics, Applied Economics Letters, Educational Gerontology, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, International Journal of Educational Advancement, Financial Counseling & Planning, Financial Services Review, Journal of Personal Finance, International Journal of Consumer Studies, Environment & Behavior, Social Indicators Research, the Journal of Consumer Affairs, and several others.