Peter Rodriguez (economist)

Peter Rodriguez (born February 13, 1968) is an American economist and professor who has served as the dean at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business since 2016. From 2003 to 2016, he was a professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and from 1997 to 2003 was a professor at Texas A&M University.
He is Rice University's first Hispanic dean. In 2017, the Texas Diversity Council awarded him for his multicultural leadership. In 2009, Diversity MBA Magazine included him in their Top 100 Under 50 Executive & Emerging Leaders.
Rodriguez is a board member of Good Reason Houston, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, and Texas 2036. In December 2021, he was appointed to the Houston Branch Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
==Early life and career==
Rodriguez was raised in Kilgore, Texas. His father was a chemistry professor.
In 1990, he received a Bachelor of Science in economics from Texas A&M. He earned a master’s in economics in 1992 and a Ph.D. in economics in 1998, both from Princeton University. While at Princeton, he studied under Ben Bernanke, former chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Early in his career, Rodriguez worked as an associate in the Global Energy Group at JP Morgan Chase in Houston.
After completing his doctorate, he joined Texas A&M as an assistant professor of management specializing in corruption, globalization, economic development, and social institutions. While there, he was recognized for excellence in teaching and research.
In 2003, Rodriguez was a visiting professor in Mexico at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). That year, he joined the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia as a tenured professor. In 2014, he gave the “Last Lecture” at UVA – a tradition that invites distinguished faculty members to deliver a lecture on a topic of their choosing as if it is their final opportunity to do so.
While at Darden, Rodriguez served as senior associate dean for degree programs and chief diversity officer.
===Rice University===
In 2016, Rodriguez became the dean at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. 
Since joining Rice, Rodriguez launched Rice Business Wisdom, an online journal that summarizes the school's research for everyday readers. He has doubled MBA enrollment and grown the tenure-track faculty by more than 35%. He has introduced several new degree programs, including the first online graduate degree at Rice, the undergraduate business major, and the Hybrid MBA program. He has led the school through major events like Hurricane Harvey, a major freeze, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Rodriguez's leadership, Rice has gained national prominence for its emphasis in entrepreneurship. To date, The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine have ranked Rice the #1 graduate program in entrepreneurship for four consecutive years (2020-2023).
Rodriguez has been featured on Bloomberg Markets as an expert on U.S.-China trade and diversity on Wall Street.
==Notable awards and honors==
* 2017 Multicultural Leadership Award, Texas Diversity Council
* 2009 Top 100 Under 50, Diversity MBA Magazine
* 2009 University Teaching Award, University of Virginia
* 2007, 2008 Mead/Colley Award for Engagement with Students, University of Virginia
* 2004, 2005 Excellence in Diversity Fellow, University of Virginia
* 2002 Faculty Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award, Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University
* 1999 Elected Fellow, The British-American Project at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
* 1996 University-wide Teaching Excellence Award, Princeton University 
==Personal life==
Rodriguez is married to Kathleen Rodriguez and has three children, Gabriella, Sam, and Michael.
Category:1968 births
Category:American people
Category:Princeton University alumni
Category:Economists
Category:Professors