School of Business Dean Dave Brat to serve on Governor Youngkin’s economists panel

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has named Dr. Dave Brat, Dean of Liberty University’s School of Business, to the Joint Advisory Board of Economists, a panel that will advise Youngkin on the state’s revenue estimates leading to his December budget revision.

The 15-member panel will include economic and business experts from a variety of sectors and industries to help shape the state’s revenue and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) evaluations.

“Getting to link my Judeo-Christian worldview to economics and policy and be a ‘man in the arena’ is a great challenge and makes life great. It’s very humbling,” said Brat, who has contributed his breadth of business knowledge to both the education and public square over several decades.

The former U.S. Congressman represented Virginia’s 7th district from 2014-18. He served on the same board for past Virginia Governors Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell.

“On a personal level, serving on this panel is part of my calling,” he added. “Sometimes people think economics and public policy is just theoretical. This opportunity is great because students get to see a lifetime of academic work manifest into something truly important. It’s good for the students to see how all their studies can pay off, because in this panel, many experts across several sectors and skill sets will give input on very important decisions that will affect all Virginians’ lives.”

While in Congress, Brat served on the Budget, Education and Small Business Committees, and he chaired the subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access. He was a member of the Virginia Board of Accountancy and served as president of the Virginia Association of Economists. He was also an economic consultant with Arthur Andersen and the World Bank.

Brat has more than 20 years of experience in higher education teaching economics and ethics. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from The American University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Business Administration from Hope College.

Multiple Liberty professors, administrators, and alumni have recently been appointed to Gov. Youngkin’s administration, including two professors from the School of Behavioral Sciences.