Mitzi Lauderdale, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®, currently serves as vice provost for Academic Innovation and Student Success with oversight and leadership responsibilities in support of student matriculation, engagement, and overall student success. Lauderdale brings nine years of experience as Associate Dean for Students in the College of Human Sciences where she worked with student services to improve and enhance student recruitment, retention, and engagement of undergraduate and graduate students.

As an associate professor in the School of Personal Financial Planning, Lauderdale teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in estate planning, legal and regulatory aspects of personal financial planning, special needs planning, and general personal financial planning. In recognition of excellence in teaching, she has received many honors including the Chancellor Council's Distinguished Teaching Professor Award, TTU President's Teaching Award for Excellence, Mortar Board Outstanding Faculty Member Award, TTU Alumni Association New Faculty Award, and is a member of the prestigious Teaching Academy at Texas Tech in which she has served on the executive council.

Lauderdale's research interests include Special Needs Financial Planning, Higher Education Selection and Attainment, Planned Giving Strategies, Philanthropy, and Estate and Gift Tax Planning Strategies. In addition to receiving grant support for her research, Lauderdale has published articles on charitable estate planning, special needs financial planning, and student success in higher education. Book publications include an estate planning textbook as well as book chapters on special needs financial planning. She actively conducts research and training in estate planning for special needs families, is a Certified Financial Planner™, and is a member of the Texas Bar.

She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law, a Master of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management from Texas Tech University. As a life-long learner, she went back to school and most recently earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time and traveling with her husband and two children and is engaged in the Lubbock community, serving as a board member at High Point Village – a village to enrich the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities.