Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series
The Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series offers the Smith community an opportunity to engage with influential leaders from business, government and academia. Each event features candid conversations and expert perspectives on the ideas, challenges and innovations shaping today’s world.
Past Events
Dan Ives
Managing Partner and Senior Equity Research Analyst
Wedbush Securities
November 11, 2025
Daniel (Dan) Ives is managing director and senior equity research analyst covering the technology sector at Wedbush Securities, where he has worked since 2018. He also serves as the firm’s global head of technology research. Ives has been a Wall Street tech analyst for more than two decades, beginning his career as a financial analyst at HBO before earning his MBA in finance from the University of Maryland. He later became a managing director at FBR Capital Markets, where he spent 16 years focused on enterprise software and hardware, including cybersecurity, cloud computing, big data and the mobile industry. His current research includes electric vehicles and disruptive technologies expected to shape the next decade. Ives is a frequent commentator on the technology sector, speaking at events worldwide and appearing on networks including CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Fox News, BBC and Sky News. His insights have been cited in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Sydney Morning Herald. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Penn State University and an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Michael Faulkender
William E. Longbrake Professor of Finance
Former United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
September 24, 2025
Michael Faulkender, the William E. Longbrake Professor of Finance at Maryland Smith, joined the University of Maryland in 2008 and served as associate dean of master’s programs in 2017-2018. Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 26, 2025, as the 16th deputy secretary of the Treasury, he was later appointed acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service on April 21, 2025. He previously served as assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department from 2019, where he advised the secretary on domestic and international economic issues, helped negotiate the CARES Act and led the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of his service, he received the Alexander Hamilton Award for Distinguished Leadership, the department’s highest honor. His research, which explores the intersection of financial economics and public policy—including corporate capital structure, risk management, liquidity, executive compensation and the job impacts of the PPP—has been published in leading academic journals, won numerous best paper awards and been cited in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times.