Michael R. Melton

Michael Melton, Ph.D., is a professor of finance and the founder and director of Roger Williams University’s Center for Advanced Financial Education (CAFE) program, an award-winning student portfolio management program, at RWU’s Mario J. Gabelli School of Business. Melton holds the Yeaton Professor of Finance, Director, Center for Advanced Financial Education Endowed Faculty Professorship at RWU.

Melton has taught at RWU since 2003. His areas of expertise include equity analysis/portfolio management, minority led venture capital and private equity targeting underserved markets, and socially responsible investing incorporating the core principles of ESG.

In addition to role as professor, Dr. Melton has filled numerous functions within industry. In the capacity of portfolio manager, over the last two decades Dr. Melton has overseen the management of various investment funds ranging in objectives from International Growth to Domestic Mid-Cap Growth and Large-Cap Value. In the role of financial consultant, Dr. Melton has performed numerous capital project valuations throughout the United States and the Middle East. As a private equity/venture capital specialist, Dr. Melton has assisted in the due diligence, deal structure, and acquisition of capital at both ground-floor and mezzanine levels.

In 2004, Melton established the CAFE program with the mission of training students to be fund managers, analysts, and traders, equipped to become leaders in the financial industry.

Dr. Melton has an MBA and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and currently holds the designation of Chartered Portfolio Manager (CPM) by the Global Academy of Finance and Management (GAFM).