Dee Warmath

Dr. Dee Warmath is an Associate Professor and Leadership Fellow for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics department at the University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Her research examines how consumer decision making translates into well-being in financial and health domains, with particular focus on decision-making ability, self-efficacy, motivation, and the involvement of others in achieving well-being outcomes.

Dr. Warmath earned her Ph.D. in Consumer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012) and her M.S. in Sociology from Vanderbilt University (1991). Prior to her academic career, she spent 28 years in industry, including roles as Senior Vice President at The NPD Group, Vice President at Kohl's Department Stores, and Director at J.C. Penney and Service Merchandise.

Her research program spans several interconnected areas: consumer decision-making capacity (particularly financial literacy beyond mere knowledge), financial well-being measurement and application across cultures, concussion reporting behavior among young athletes, and the role of shared decision making in financial outcomes. She has served as Principal Investigator for significant projects including the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection's project to define and measure financial well-being and the NCAA/Department of Defense Mind Matters Challenge examining concussion reporting.

Dr. Warmath's work has been published in top journals including Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Business Research, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, and Journal of Consumer Affairs. She is particularly known for developing the conceptualization of financial well-being as comprising current money management stress and expected future financial security.

• Best Reviewer of the Year, Journal of Consumer Affairs (2019)
• Editorial Board, Journal of Consumer Affairs (2019-)
• Associate Editor, Journal of Consumer Affairs (2021-Current)

As an educator, Dr. Warmath coordinates both the Social Entrepreneurship major and the Applied Consumer Analytics Master's program. She teaches courses including Consumer Well-being, Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Capstone, Consumer Analytics, and The Social Psychology of Consumer Decision Making. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes building competence, mastery, and confidence in students through courses that are fair, respectful, focused, open-minded, adaptive, inspiring, and innovative.