Professor George Comer Named Director of Underrepresented Minority Student Support

Faculty member George Comer has been appointed the school’s first director of underrepresented minority (URM) student support, where he will work toward building a more inclusive culture throughout Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. 

“We are grateful to Professor Comer for his ongoing support of our students,” said Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkley Chair. “For many years, George has made it a priority to support our underrepresented students at McDonough and throughout Georgetown, as well as in the community.”

Comer will help ensure McDonough fosters an environment in which URM students thrive academically and have a greater attachment to the Georgetown community. Most importantly, he will be available to support and mentor individual URM students throughout their time at Georgetown McDonough. 

In addition, he will complement other ongoing initiatives, such as the Business Scholars Program at the undergraduate level and will support the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management MBA students. 

This appointment is a recommendation from the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Standing Committee and also supports the university’s efforts to build a comprehensive structure to help URM students navigate Georgetown. 

Comer, who also is an associate professor of finance, has served as a mentor to a significant number of URM students during his 20 years at Georgetown. As part of the school’s DEI initiatives, this new position provides him the opportunity and resources to more formally engage the URM population. Comer will serve the Undergraduate Program, MBA, and other graduate students. He will work closely with the students and the respective program offices to provide support and develop programming that will enhance the students’ experience.

“Having a position devoted to our URM students is vital to our DEI efforts, and if we are successful, will have a tremendous impact on the broader business world through their continued success,” Comer said. “I would especially like to thank Dean Almeida and Vice Dean Dennis Quinn for their support and commitment to our URM students.” 

Comer also serves as co-director of Georgetown Reach, a free, four-year McDonough program providing underrepresented 8th-grade students and families guidance and exposure to the college search. Comer and his co-director Professor Bonnie Montano offer a combination of skills workshops, information seminars, mentors, and on-campus experiences to help underrepresented minority groups in Washington, D.C., navigate the college application process.

Comer’s research focuses on the performance and behavior of institutional money managers. His past and current research projects have focused on hybrid mutual funds, exchange traded funds, municipal bond funds, international mutual funds, and unit investment trusts.

Comer currently serves on the Georgetown University 403b Investment Advisory Committee, is a faculty advisor for the undergraduate Smart Start and BUILD programs, and has been a member of the PhD Project Finance Doctoral Student Association since its inception.

Comer was awarded the Robert E. McDonough School of Business Joseph LeMoine Award for Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Excellence (2006), the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Professor of the Year Student Choice Award (2016), and the McDonough School of Business MBA Excellence in Teaching Award (2020).

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, a master’s from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. from New York University.

This article was originally published by the McDonough School of Business. Please follow the link to read the full story.