Rodney E. Lake

Mr. Lake teaches graduate and undergraduate finance courses primarily associated with and developed by the GW Investment Institute. Students enrolled in these courses manage university endowment capital through the GW Investment Institute’s student investment funds, consisting of multiple funds across different asset classes and with more than $9 million of assets under management (AUM) as of March 31, 2024.

Mr. Lake serves as the director of the GW Investment Institute where, in addition to teaching courses associated with student investment funds, he oversees the portfolios, connects with alumni and industry practitioners, leads the GW Investment Institute Live Show and other events, and oversees GW Investment Institute’s day-to-day operations, including staff and budget.

Additionally, Mr. Lake serves as vice dean for undergraduate programs, working towards achieving GW’s mission of excellence. Prior to this leadership position, he served as a co-chair for the Department of Finance at GWSB for several years.

Mr. Lake serves as GW Faculty Member in Residence. The program is a partnership between Academic Affairs and the Center for Student Engagement. It provides faculty members with unique opportunities to connect with students in a residential setting. The faculty facilitate educational and cultural development activities in their community, such as: programs, events, and informal interactions with GW residential students.

Mr. Lake serves as a member of GW’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership Council and for several years served as a mentor-in-residence for the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He continues to provide guidance, coaching, support, and connections to students interested in entrepreneurship and finance overall.

Mr. Lake serves in some opportunistic roles such as, co-host for George Talks Business, a team coach for student competitions, as a mentor for student teams in GW’s New Venture Competition, as a judge for George Hacks, hackathons that facilitate the application of classroom knowledge to real-world medical issues, and as an advisory committee member for the GWU Credit Union Initiative, which seeks to start a chartered student-run credit union at GW.

Honors and Awards

• GW School of Business, 2021 Dean’s Teaching Awards - Teaching Award for Specialized Faculty Recipient
• GW School of Business, 2020 Dean’s Awards for Excellence - Faculty Service Award Recipient
• GW School of Business, 2020 Faculty Awards - Outstanding Global Master of Business Administration Faculty Award Recipient
• GW Student Life Awards - Nominated in 2019 for the The Honey Nashman Spark A Life Award for Faculty Member of the Year

Prior to Mr. Lake’s current appointment in the GWSB Department of Finance and the GW Investment Institute, Mr. Lake worked as a senior investment officer in the George Washington University Investment Office. The GW Investment Office was responsible for managing the university’s then $1.5 billion endowment fund.

Prior to the GW Investment Office, he was a senior financial analyst in the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s Office at GW, where he served as an internal consultant for projects ranging from financial and optimization modeling to developing spin-out strategies and valuations for internal businesses. Prior to joining GW, he was a financial analyst in portfolio management at a mortgage banking subsidiary of California Federal Bank (now part of Citi).

Mr. Lake graduated cum laude from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He received his MBA from the George Washington University.