Scott Miller, Ph.D.

Scott Miller is a Professor of Finance at the University of Tampa. Dr. Miller was previously the John and Francis Duggan Professor of Finance at Pepperdine University and a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of California. His research has been presented at the San Francisco Federal Reserve and published in various outlets including the Journal of International Money and Finance, the Journal of Financial Stability, and the Journal of Economics and Finance. Although now based in Tampa, Florida, Dr. Miller is still actively involved in the inner-city communities of Los Angeles and serves on the board of directors for the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center and the advisory board of iMentor Global. He also directs the Shawn Patterson Memorial Basketball Camp every summer in Tampa and south-central Los Angeles. Dr. Miller received his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Arkansas and his MBA from Drake University.

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In 2012, Dr. Miller partnered with the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center to establish a microfinance initiative in south-central Los Angeles. This initiative connected the students, alumni and resources of UCLA and Pepperdine University with entrepreneurs in underserved neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The program supported the launch of several small businesses, gave students hands-on experience and the model was recognized by members of the academic and business communities across the country.  Building on the fundamentals of this program, Scott founded IMPACT, a Tampa-based microfinance organization in 2018. 

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“A bunch of people I run with check the weather the night before, and the weather will change their motivation up or down.  If it’s 70 and sunny, they’re motivated.  If it’s 30 and a blizzard, they’ll go back inside and sit on the couch.  That motivation will go away real fast.  A person with ambition will go inside and get a new hat, because they’re going to get their run in today.  To them, there’s no reason to even waste the time to check the weather because they’re going to get the job done.” – David Goggins