The Tippie College of Business’ Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) program took another noteworthy step this year with the addition of Martin F. Grace to the faculty as the Clement T. and Silvia Hanson Family Chair of Finance.

Grace is the third new faculty member to join the college’s RMI program and Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance in the last three years. His addition brings the total to five tenured or tenure-track faculty. He will also serve as the faculty director of the Vaughan Institute. 

His appointment is part of the university’s transformational hiring initiative designed to bring world class scholars in key areas of innovation and interdisciplinary strength. Amy Kristof-Brown, dean of the Tippie College of Business, says Grace’s appointment demonstrates the University of Iowa’s ongoing commitment to supporting one of the state’s economic pillars. 

“The risk management and insurance industry is the largest non-agricultural economic sector in Iowa and makes up 11% of the state’s economy,” she said. “Hiring a distinguished scholar of Martin’s magnitude is another investment we’re making to prepare students to work in this very important industry. It’s the next step toward Tippie becoming an academic and talent development powerhouse in RMI.”

Grace’s research expertise covers a wide range of risk management and insurance topics, including the impact of catastrophic events on insurance companies and thinking about new ways of insuring for catastrophes that provides customers with the coverage they need while protecting the financial viability of insurers.

He also studies the intersection of law and risk management and insurance, and has testified before Congress and several state legislatures. He is also a former president of the American Risk & Insurance Association and the Risk Theory Society. 

“Marty Grace is one of those exceptional academics who does research highly relevant to the industry and policymakers,” said Terri Vaughan, the former director of the Vaughan Institute who has also held numerous leadership positions in insurance organizations at the state and national level. “He is well-known and respected in both academic and industry circles and will be both an inspiration and a mentor to our students. He is an outstanding addition, one who will continue to build the reputation of the Vaughan Institute.”  

Grace previously taught at the Robison College of Business at Georgia State University and the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and his JD and Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

“I’m so pleased to join Tippie and the Vaughan Institute and look forward to strengthening our program and the risk management and insurance industry in the state and the country,” said Grace. 

Media contact: Tom Snee, 319-384-0010 (o); 319-541-8434 (c); tom-snee@uiowa.edu