William D. Danko, Ph.D.

After 31 years on the marketing faculty - nine as chair - Bill Danko achieved emeritus status in 2007 at the School of Business, State University of New York at Albany. During his tenure, he studied consumer behavior, and in particular the topic of wealth formation. He is the coauthor of The Millionaire Next Door, a research-based book about wealth in America that has been ranked as a bestseller by The New York Times for more than three years. More recently, he coauthored Richer Than A Millionaire ~ A Pathway To True Prosperity, a book that shows how to build wealth with a greater purpose in mind. His academic publications have appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising Research, and other leading journals. He has presented his research findings in nearly every State, as well as in Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

Dr. Danko earned his Ph.D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s (RPI) Lally School of Management in 1983. In recognition of conspicuous attainments and service in collegiate activities, Professor Danko was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa society in 2005. He resides in upstate New York with his wife, and is the father of three, and the grandfather of five.

Richard J. Van Ness, Ph.D.

Richard Van Ness is Professor Emeritus, SUNY Schenectady. For 28 years he was Professor of Finance, Accounting, and Management. Additionally, he taught management courses in an MBA program at the State University of New York at Albany. During his tenure he served as management consultant to many different industries.

He traveled internationally to research and write about economic wellbeing and sustainability for micro-enterprises. He has written books for Non-Government Organizations and other publishers on the subjects of Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Management. Dr. Van Ness is a recipient of the George Washington Honor Medal for Excellence in Economic Education. Prior to teaching, he was the controller of an international construction company.