John Garcia

Associate Professor of Finance & Analytics · Cal Lutheran
(effective Fall 2026)

From immigrant field worker roots to finance researcher — bridging industry and academia.

Recent Updates

Mar 2026
Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor California Lutheran University
Effective Fall 2026.
January 2026
Paper Accepted Review of Behavioral Finance
"A Stabilizing Force? How Religiosity Moderates the Effect of Sentiment on Stock Liquidity" accepted for publication.

My Story

I am an educator and finance researcher who transitioned to academia after 21+ years of executive leadership. Starting from humble roots as the son of immigrant field workers, I built a career spanning Ernst & Young and Toyota North America, where I rose from Assistant Controller to corporate executive roles in finance and analytics. Today, my academic focus includes behavioral finance, investor sentiment, the application of machine learning to financial markets, and championing Generative AI literacy across disciplines.

Areas of Expertise

Finance & Strategy

Analytics & Technology

Interdisciplinary Focus

Education & Credentials

2020
Doctorate in Business Administration (Finance & Analytics) Creighton University
Dissertation: “Measuring The Effect of Investor Sentiment on Liquidity and Financial Distress”
2017
Master of Science in Predictive Analytics Northwestern University
2000
Master of Science in Accountancy University of Notre Dame
1999
B.S. Business Administration California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Certifications & Programs

Teaching

I teach 8+ courses across undergraduate, MBA, and EMBA levels, integrating analytics, finance, and artificial intelligence into the business curriculum. My median instructor evaluation is 4.8 / 5.0.

Course	Level
UNIV-3ST Generative AI Literacy	Undergraduate
BUS-356 Business Analytics II	Undergraduate
MBA 526 Business Analytics	MBA
Additional courses in Machine Learning & FinTech	UG / Grad

Research & Publications

Research Interests

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

2026
DOI “A Stabilizing Force? How Religiosity Moderates the Effect of Sentiment on Stock Liquidity” Review of Behavioral Finance
2025
DOI “The Power of Attention: Examining The Roles of Institutional Investor and Macroeconomic News Attention in Shaping Share Liquidity” Global Finance Journal, 67, 101160
2025
DOI “Beyond the Headlines: Sentiment Divergence and Financial Distress” Global Finance Journal, 66, 101126
2025
DOI “Sentiment Divergence and its Impact on Share Liquidity” Multinational Finance Journal
2024
DOI “Herding the Crowds: Effect of Sentiment on Crowdsourced Earnings Forecasts” Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, 38(3), 331–370
2023
DOI “Do Employees Wave Financial Red Flags Through the Glassdoor?” Journal of Forensic Accounting Research, 8(1), 160–187
2023
DOI “Measuring Valuation Uncertainty: A PCA Approach” Applied Finance Letters, 12(1)
2022
DOI “Analysts’ Stock Ratings and the Predictive Value of News and Twitter Sentiment” Investment Analysts Journal, 51(4), 236–252
2022
DOI “An Evaluation of Bankruptcy Prediction Algorithms Using Synthetic Samples” Machine Learning with Applications, 9, 100343
2021
DOI “Analyst Herding and Firm-Level Investor Sentiment” Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, 35(4), 461–494
2021
DOI “Measuring the Effect of Investor Sentiment on Financial Distress” Managerial Finance, 47(12), 1834–1852
2021
DOI “Measuring the Effect of Investor Sentiment on Liquidity” Managerial Finance, 47(1), 59–85

Working Papers

2026
SSRN “Algorithmic Anchoring: How Prompt-Embedded Reference Points Bias LLM Financial Estimates”
2025
SSRN “Homo Silicus is Hyper-Rational: Why LLM Agents Fail to Replicate Attention-Driven Trading” Presented at SWFA 2026
2025
SSRN “The Attention Economy of Retail Trading: Evidence from Robinhood and Social Media” Under review at Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance

Professional Experience

Academic Positions

2021 – Present
Assistant Professor of Finance & Analytics California Lutheran University
Developed 8 new courses in Business Analytics, Machine Learning, and FinTech. Median instructor evaluation: 4.8 / 5.0.
2020 – 2021
Clinical Assistant Professor University of North Texas
Taught in the M.S. in Advanced Data Analytics programs.

Industry Experience

2018 – 2020
Executive — Corporate Finance Analytics Toyota North America
Led data science and finance teams for strategic corporate decision-making.
2007 – 2018
Executive — Pricing & Analytics Toyota North America
Managed risk, pricing, and profitability for financial services.
2005 – 2007
Assistant Controller Toyota North America
Directed financial planning and tax optimization strategies.
1999 – 2005
Manager Ernst & Young LLP
2022 – Present
Senior Consultant Fortitude Research and Marketing Consulting

Technical Skills

Fluent in Spanish

Awards & Service

Recognition

Outstanding Research Achievement Award (2023) — School of Management Advisory Council
FMA Diversity Emerging Scholars Initiative — Selected 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
Research Hub Contributor, AI in Education at Oxford University (AIEOU) — International appointment, 2024 – Present

University & Professional Service

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Chair (2025 – 2028)
Faculty AI Task Force (2025 – Present)
Faculty Senator (2022 – 2024)
Peer reviewer for 10+ journals including Global Finance Journal and Expert Systems With Applications
Board Member, Treasurer & Audit Committee Chair, Westminster Free Clinic (2025 – Present)