Keith C. Brown Endowed Scholarship
Texas McCombs alumna Danielle DiMartino Booth, MBA ’96, invests in accessibility for undergraduates
The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business is pleased to announce the newly established Keith C. Brown Endowed Scholarship, named to honor one of the school’s celebrated finance professors. Made possible by the generosity of one of Brown’s former students, Danielle DiMartino Booth, MBA ’96, and her husband, John, the scholarship will support high-potential Texas undergraduate students from low- and middle-income families, with a preference for students at Texas McCombs.
“At McCombs, we recognize that many highly talented and hardworking students find the cost of UT Austin beyond their reach. I am therefore so grateful to Danielle and John for establishing this scholarship, which we will use to open up a McCombs education to excellent students in need of financial assistance,” said McCombs Dean Lillian Mills. “In addition, my congratulations to Keith for this honor! It is well deserved — a testament to his ability to inspire our students to change the world.”
Recipients of the Keith C. Brown Endowed Scholarship will be selected using the criteria for the Texas Advance Commitment scholarship program, which provides free tuition to undergraduates whose families have an adjusted annual gross income of $100,000 or less and generous assistance to those with $125,000 AGI. This Texas Challenge gift is qualified for University matching funds, and there are still matching opportunities available for donors.
DiMartino Booth is the founder, chief executive officer, and chief strategist for QI Research, an economic consulting firm. She has also worked as a financial columnist and adviser to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Her work at the Dallas Fed during the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath focused on financial stability and the efficacy of unconventional monetary policy. DiMartino Booth began her career in New York at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where she worked in the fixed income, public equity, and private equity markets.
She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Master of Science in journalism from Columbia University, and an MBA in finance and international business from Texas McCombs. She and John have three sons and one daughter, and their two oldest, William and Henry, are currently undergraduate students at McCombs.
“Keith Brown is a gifted teacher. Taking his investment class made the world of finance real to me and inspired me to pursue a career on Wall Street, one which ultimately led me to an incredibly gratifying career,” said DiMartino Booth. “My sincere hope is that the recipients of the scholarship will grasp the opportunity provided — a first-rate education at McCombs — with both hands.”
A member of Texas McCombs’ Department of Finance for more than 40 years, Brown has taught courses ranging from empirical methods and investment theory to portfolio management and security analysis, and he has gained a reputation for designing classes with immersive impact. Brown has also worked as a consultant for dozens of companies and organizations. A highly respected researcher, Brown has written numerous articles and textbooks on security markets, investment analysis, portfolio management, and asset valuation that have been cited more than 10,000 times.
“I’ve been on faculty for a long time, and this is just about the coolest thing that has ever happened to me! I’m truly honored, humbled, and completely surprised by this amazing gesture,” said Brown. “I’m so proud to have had a positive impact on Danielle as she has been out there changing the world in such a meaningful way. It is great to know that with this scholarship, she will continue to have an impact on McCombs students for years to come.”
