Matos Appointed to Endowed Professorship Thanks to Gift from Grateful Alumnus

An endowed professorship is among the highest forms of recognition for a faculty member’s scholarship, teaching and service. Not only do endowed chairs help universities retain faculty leaders, but they also help attract top faculty talent from around the world. And for the donors who fund them, named professorships leave a powerful legacy.

University of Virginia Darden School of Business Professor Pedro Matos already holds the John G. Macfarlane Family Chair in Business Administration by virtue of being the academic director of the Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management. However, Matos received the additional honor of a permanent endowed professorship last week when the UVA Board of Visitors approved his election as the James A. and Stacy Cooper Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration.

At Darden since 2011, Matos is an expert in asset management, investments, corporate governance and international finance. His research focuses on international corporate governance and the growing importance of institutional investors in financial markets worldwide. His work has been published in top academic journals and featured in the press, including The Economist — which recently highlighted Matos’ research on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing in the article “Dubious Green Funds are Rampant in America.”

At Darden, Matos has published numerous case studies and has twice won the Wells Fargo Award for Excellence in Course Material Development, the Wells Fargo Award for Outstanding Research Publication and the Darden Multiyear Publications Award. He is also the faculty advisor for Darden Capital Management — a student-led organization that manages over $26 million across six investment portfolios.

Before Darden, Matos served as an economist for the Portuguese Ministry of Finance and as a consultant for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and taught at the University of Southern California. He is a research associate at the European Corporate Governance Institute.

ESG Investing, Asset Management and Reading Recs: An ‘Office Hours’ Conversation with Professor Pedro Matos

This newly endowed professorship results from an investment in the Darden School from James A. (MBA ’84) and Stacy Cooper, who took advantage of the UVA’s Bicentennial Professors Fund — a University fund-matching program to boost funding for faculty support.

“I’m so grateful to Jim and Stacy Cooper for their strong support of faculty excellence at Darden,” Matos said. “In particular, I appreciate their support of my work at the Mayo Center to prepare skilled future asset managers and focus on elevating the center’s profile on a national and global scale.”

Jim Cooper (MBA ’84)

Active in private equity for 25 years, Jim Cooper founded Thompson Street Capital Partners in 2000 and is the firm’s senior managing partner. He is chair of Darden’s Powered by Purpose campaign, a member of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees, and a member of the Principal Donor Society, which recognizes those who support Darden at the highest level of lifetime giving.

Stacy Cooper earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 and currently volunteers in her community. She previously served as trustee and an executive board-at-large member of the City Academy in St. Louis, Missouri, a private elementary school offering full scholarship support.

“Darden was built on the shoulders of its faculty,” said Jim Cooper. “And faculty remain Darden’s most valuable asset. Rising stars like Pedro are so important to powering the next generation of leaders and ideas that move business practice forward. Stacy and I are proud of all that Pedro has accomplished and cannot wait to see what he does next for Darden, his students and the world.”

To learn more about establishing an endowed professorship, please contact Samantha Hartog, interim vice president for advancement, at HartogS@darden.virginia.edu or +1-434-982-2151.