Damion McIntosh
Auburn University Raymond J. Harbert College of Business
“To put it simply, Dr. McIntosh is one of the most outstanding professors, mentors, and role models I have had, and I am certain I am not the only student who thinks of him so highly. His passion for teaching shines through every lecture, conversation, and interaction with his students, and I am confident that I would not be where I am today were it not for his influence. I implore my peers to take Dr. McIntosh’s classes, and I truly wish that every finance student had the unique privilege of learning from such a wonderful professor.” – Reagan Giles
Damion McIntosh, 46, is an accounting, banking, and finance professor of practice at Auburn University Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. He has more than 25 years of experience.
Most of his professional experiences have been in financial institutions regulation and supervision. Beyond his academic career, he is also a banking supervision advisor with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and independent consultant on financial institution regulatory and supervisory issues. As such, McIntosh has provided technical assistance and technical consultancy to regulatory and supervisory authorities globally.
He was a finalist for the Pearson Excellence in Higher Education Award for Exemplary Teaching and Learning in 2023. He received the Auburn University Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Award, and the Auburn University Harbert College of Business Lowder Teaching Award, in 2023. In 2021, McIntosh received the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center for the Public Interests’ Campus Being A Difference Award for Auburn University, and the Auburn University Harbert College of Business McCartney Teaching Award.
Previously, he was Southern Illinois University Outstanding Graduate Assistant Teacher (2009), and the recipient of its College of Business Outstanding Graduate Assistant Teaching Award in two consecutive years, 2009 and 2010.
McIntosh is a Fulbright Scholar (2006) and a Citibank Scholar (1999).
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? Since 2012 (except for 2015 – 2018).
Education: BS Accounting and Management, University of the West Indies (Mona); MBA, Southern Illinois University; Ph.D. Finance, Southern Illinois University
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Financial Markets and Institutions, (Risk) Management of Financial Institutions, Financial Sector Regulation and Supervision, Multinational Financial Management.
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when …I first started teaching typewriting, business, and accounting as a high school senior to adults as part of an adult education program created by my high school.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I have been researching the efficacy of anti-money laundering (AML) enforcements on financial institutions. While legislative enforcements such as fines and other penalties have impacted affected financial institutions, it is likely that the costs have not exceeded the benefits to deter repeat offenders. Other tools available could include depositor discipline to rein in offenders. However, my findings are showing that depositors rarely shift their deposit behavior in the presence of AML enforcements against their financial institutions suggesting that it does not materially affect their deposit decisions.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be …a financial sector regulator which I was prior to becoming a business school professor. I would also be a financial literacy advocate. In fact, I am currently pursing the Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) designation.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? My real-world practical and global experiences in financial markets and institutions help me to create an immersive learning environment for students that inspires them for careers and opportunities in financial markets and institutions.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Empowering
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: Well, it is more so the world of financial markets and institutions that I wish someone had told me how dynamic it is. To keep pace can sometimes be exhausting, especially at the global level. Yet, it is a necessary evil because that is the landscape for which I am preparing my students. This may account for why I am always exhausted.
Professor I most admire and why: Hands down that person is Dr. Suzanne Altobello who taught me Multivariate Statistics in graduate school. It was the way she articulated a perspective or an idea that deconstructs the most complex to appear simple, or reduces a presentation to a personable conversation, or just her demeanor that makes you comfortable to ask questions and desired to learn and do more.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? While I enjoy the period during which I teach students, I mostly enjoy the period after they graduate. Whether it is a year later or several years later when they contact me to share how much they having been living/utilizing the principles that they have learned in my courses. Oftentimes they would contact me after several years to share that they wish they were still students in my courses just so they could participate in discussions that they know I am currently having with my current students regarding events now happening in financial markets and institutions.
What is most challenging? There is so much happening in the world of financial markets and institutions, from the impact of technological innovations to COVID-19 aftereffects. Therefore, balancing current event discussions and while covering the requisite course content in limited semester/class time can be a juggle. I try to balance this by designating some class time as discussion time or utilizing out-of-class technology discussion-based platforms such as Canvas discussion boards or Packback.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious. This student has a thirst for learning which does not make them afraid to ask questions in and out of class. This student engages in out of class discussions with me on related topics not covered in the course content. This student is always interested in the significance or impact of the subject matter to everyday life. This student is disciplined in following course requirements but may also engage in related additional activities outside those boundaries. This is the student that is passionate about learning.
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Entitled. This student grossly underperforms during the course yet demands an undeserving grade to maintain a desired GPA or to graduate.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as …Objective
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Road running. I am a marathoner who also travels globally to run marathons.
How will you spend your summer? Teaching summer classes, engaged in consulting assignments, traveling, and marathon training.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Any place close to the ocean.
Favorite book(s): Anything about running
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I am a huge finance and financial crimes geek which may account for me being a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). Therefore, movies like Margin Call, The Big Short, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Accountant, and Arbitrage are my favorites.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I am Jamaican so my bias is towards reggae music, especially songs by Bob Marley. There is a consciousness in his lyrics that reflected his environment at the time, yet their continued relevance demonstrate that they are time invariant.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … The business school would customize assessment tools to reflect the learning nuances and diverse capacities of students. Some students in the same course are exceptional in articulating the material with effective grasp and understanding of the course content but are poor exam takers or writers of papers. Some students are exceptional at sitting exams to score an easy A but lack the technical capacity to articulate a genuine understanding of the subject matter. Yet finding an assessment tool generalized to all students in the same course assumes all students have the same learning nuances and capacities. Finding a set of assessment tools that adequately captures the average student may still leave others at a disadvantage. Customizing assessment tools would help to better balance the GPA scoring model for such students.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … creating entry-level opportunities that reflect the profiles of recent undergraduates. Too often I see entry-level vacancies requiring a year or more work experience when most recent undergraduates may have just acquired a few months of internship experience, if any. As a result, companies and organizations need to do better in identifying alternative qualifying criteria that is consistent with the profile of recent undergraduates for entry-level opportunities.
I’m grateful for … the opportunity, resources and support that Harbert College of Business and its leadership have provided to allow me to do what I do best in and out of the classroom. I am grateful to the students who eagerly enroll in my courses to satisfy their learning desires and eventually embark on careers in financial markets and institutions. I thank them for inviting me to be part of their learning experience at Auburn! I am also grateful for my experiences in global financial markets and institutions that have allowed me to share intimate insights with students so I can expand their horizon into a global financial marketplace.
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