Dr. Palmer joined the faculty at VMI in 2023, where he teaches courses in accounting and executive compensation. He earned a B.S. in economics from Brigham Young University and an M.A. in economics from The University of Texas at Austin before obtaining his Ph.D. in business administration from The University of Utah. His research focuses on the forms and effects of executive compensation and executive wealth, including how CEO wealth influences firm behavior and outcomes. Prior to academia, Dr. Palmer worked in tax operations at Morgan Stanley and as an operations analyst at Clarke Capital Partners. When not working with cadets, Dr. Palmer enjoys spending time with his family, coding, and playing the drums.

Dr. Palmer’s research spans several areas of accounting and corporate governance, including CEO participation in firm securities offerings, the use of stock appreciation rights in executive compensation, and the relationship between CEO wealth and firm investment decisions. Additional research interests include accounting history, executive compensation regulatory changes, and compensation practices in collegiate athletics. His teaching focuses on principles of accounting, covering both financial and managerial concepts, as well as elective courses in executive compensation and international accounting.