Sarah D. Asebedo, Ph.D., CFP®
Sarah D. Asebedo, Ph.D., CFP®, was named the new School Director for the School of Financial Planning at Texas Tech University. Former Interim Director, Chris Browning, Ph.D., will continue to serve as the undergraduate program director and associate school director for the Personal Financial Planning (PFP) program.
The School Director role entails a variety of leadership and administrative duties. In this position, she will drive innovation, growth and funding for the School of Financial Planning. Asebedo said it was an honor to be selected for this position and is excited to lead the program.
“This position offers me the opportunity to have a broader positive impact on others—our students, alumni, faculty, staff, financial planning professionals, the local community, and the future clients our students serve and conduct research for,” Asebedo said. “I've always sought ways to realize positive change for those around me and this position facilitates this life goal.”
She says she embraces leadership by consensus and collaboration. The program has talented faculty and staff members that contribute ideas and expertise to take PFP to an even higher level of excellence in the upcoming years. The future for the School of Financial Planning is bright, with Asebedo at the forefront.
“The School of Financial Planning's reputation and history as innovators and market leaders of research and education place our School in an advantageous position to lead the financial planning profession,” Asebedo said. “Our future embodies a vision of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership, which makes me excited for the future as we evolve alongside a rapidly changing profession.”
Asebedo has served at Texas Tech since 2016 as an assistant professor and previously was Director of the Life Centered Financial Planning program at Texas Tech University. Prior to Texas Tech, Asebedo was an assistant professor of practice at Virginia Tech from 2014 to 2016.
Asebedo has received numerous accolades including PFPA Instructor of the Year, Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award, and Academy of Financial Services Best Paper award among others. Her research interests focus on psychosocial attributes and financial behavior, financial behavior change, financial planner/client interaction theory and practice; structural equation modeling with confirmatory factor analysis, and mediation modeling. This research has been recognized in many publications including the 2016 Montgomery-Warschauer Award (FPA/JFP); 2014, 2017, & 2018 Best Research Award (FPA/JFP); 2017 Top 40 Under 40 Award (Investment News) and many more. Outside of the classroom, Asebedo continues to impact the financial community as a member and past president of the Financial Therapy Association.