The Kogod School of Business’s relationship with its namesake family continues to flourish, as demonstrated by a monumental donation from the Kogod family. Robert and Arlene Kogod recently gifted the school fifteen million dollars to establish three endowed chairs—the Arlene R. and Robert P. Kogod Eminent Scholar Chairs—and support our faculty’s strides in research and scholarship in three key areas of focus: finance, marketing, and sustainability. Professor of finance Valentina Bruno will serve as the Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Finance, and professor of marketing Sonya Grier will serve as the Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing. The endowed chair in sustainability will be named in the future.  

“I am particularly grateful to Bob and Arlene Kogod, who are supporting groundbreaking scholarship which will reshape business education,” Bruno said of the distinction. “I’m honored to be part of a group of inspiring changemakers.” 

“It’s more than an honor,” Grier agreed. “Working alongside other trailblazing colleagues furthered my vision and inspired me to take the risks that make my work all the more relevant in today’s world.”  

An endowed chair is considered among the highest academic honors a faculty member can receive. Funded by gifts such as the Kogod family’s, the distinction opens up more resources to professors in the role, who can expand their research capabilities. An endowment provides a steady funding source, meaning that endowed chairs can pursue their research goals with a reliable support system. Beyond the financial aspect, being named an endowed chair carries weight in the academic world, raising the reputation of Kogod’s already renowned faculty.  

Professor Grier is among the world’s foremost experts in the interaction between race and marketing; her research explores consumer well-being, racial inequity, and health disparities, among other topics. As a cofounder of the Race in the Marketplace Network, she has led the charge of furthering knowledge in this field, and she will continue to do so as the marketing field becomes increasingly global. 

The changing composition of marketplaces worldwide makes it imperative that companies, nonprofits, governments, and other institutions understand the underlying issues of both topics to better connect with individual communities and society as a whole. — Sonya Grier, Professor of Marketing, Kogod School of Business

“There’s a fundamental misperception that race and diversity are ‘risky topics’ when these are central social sustainability issues,” Grier explained. “Enterprises that engage, examine, and question will thrive, and those that don’t will put themselves at a distinct disadvantage in a changing global marketplace.”  

Professor Bruno is an expert in macroeconomics and global finance, with particular interests in how global markets and economies interact. Her work has appeared in major media outlets and respected research publications, and she is highly regarded for her understanding of the field. Her research centers on the role and reputation of the US dollar in the global economy, a topic that has mattered for decades and will continue to matter as international economies remain intertwined.  

“The US dollar is the most used currency in financial transactions outside the US. What happens here has spillover effects to the rest of the world, which then feed back into the United States,” Bruno said. 

I tell my students to think about countries not as separate islands but as a network of interrelated relationships.— Valentina Bruno, Professor of Finance, Kogod School of Business.

Now that both professors are Eminent Scholar Chairs, their research in these highly relevant areas will continue to expand and thrive. When the third chair—a joint appointment between Kogod and American University’s School of Public Affairs—is announced, that faculty member will also be able to develop their research in sustainability, an equally vital sector in a world facing the impact of climate change.  

Grier and Bruno look forward to continuing their academic and research careers at Kogod. Grier has found a standout group of colleagues and collaborators among the school’s marketing faculty, and she’s proud to work with fellow professors who want to change the world through their research.  

“Kogod’s marketing department was a natural fit for me. It was one of the few in the country that focused on public policy and marketing issues,” she said. “Moreover, AU has a wealth of scholars and practitioners working to make the changes we need to see in the world for everyone to thrive.” 

Professor Bruno concurred: “At American University, I found people who have supported me and encouraged me through my career—people to whom I am very grateful.”