Keith Crocker, the William Elliott Chaired Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, has been named chair of the Department of Risk Management in the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
He succeeds Austin Jaffe, who was recently appointed associate dean of international programs.
Crocker’s current research interests include the examination of tax and accounting fraud, claims fraud in the context of insurance settlements and the role of job attachment in the design of optimal employer-sponsored health insurance policies. In addition, he has served as an expert witness in cases involving antitrust and insurance concerns, including captive taxation and workers compensation.
Before joining the Smeal faculty in 2003, he held the Waldo O. Hildebrand Professorship of Risk Management and Insurance at the University of Michigan. His previous experience includes positions at the University of Virginia and as a staff economist at the Federal Trade Commission.
Crocker holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Washington and Lee University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Carnegie Mellon University.