Dr. Brandy Hadley is an associate professor of finance and the David A. Thompson Distinguished Scholar of Applied Investments at Appalachian State University. She earned her Ph.D in Finance from the University of Tennessee with a Collateral in Economics. She teaches courses in FinTech & InsureTech, Corporate Finance, Financial Modeling & Valuation, and Investments. In addition, she has facilitated executive training in Data Analytics & Programming as a Teaching & Research Fellow with the Center for Analytics Research & Education at Appalachian State. Dr. Hadley is an active researcher in the areas of Corporate Governance and Political Financial Influence. Her 16 research articles have been published in the Journal of Corporate Finance, The Financial Review, European Financial Management, Managerial Finance, the Journal of Applied Financial Research, and the Journal of Financial and Economic Practice, among other academic and trade journals, earning four Best Paper Awards. In addition, she has made over 35 presentations at national and international industry conferences and has contributed as a financial expert to outlets such as MarketWatch, Bloomberg, and The Conversation.