Steven M. Wilson

Steven M. Wilson serves as a Part-Time Lecturer and Director of the Investment Management Initiative in the Department of Finance at the School of Business, University of Connecticut. With 43 years of Wall Street experience managing institutional equities for blue-chip clients, he focuses on expanding experiential learning in investment management for underrepresented student populations.

His educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Science, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1981, Cum Laude)
• Master of Business Administration, New York University (1985)
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) (1985)

Wilson specializes in bridging academic theory with real-world finance through hands-on investment training. His expertise spans equity research, portfolio construction, and corporate valuation, with emphasis on preparing students for careers in asset management through practical market exposure. He designs curriculum integrating accounting, economics, and capital markets to develop job-ready analytical skills.

His professional recognition includes:

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation

As Director of the Investment Management Initiative, Wilson mentors students in the Opportunity Fund program where they manage university endowment assets. He specifically targets women, younger students, and underrepresented groups to address the industry's diversity gap, having increased participation from under 1% to broader campus engagement. His courses "The Building Blocks of Investment Analysis and Research" and "Applied Investment Analysis - Managing the Opportunity Fund" serve as pipelines to competitive finance internships.

Wilson leads the Opportunity Fund student-managed investment program, restructuring UConn's traditional Student Managed Investment Fund to create multi-tiered access points. This initiative operates as a feeder system into Wall Street careers, with students progressing from foundational coursework to live portfolio management of university endowment capital while developing competitive analysis frameworks for institutional investors.