David Booth is the Founder and Chairman of Dimensional Fund Advisors, a global investment manager headquartered in Austin, and the author of Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life. Under David’s leadership, Dimensional has grown from a small business he launched from the spare bedroom of his Brooklyn brownstone apartment to a global firm managing more than $1 trillion in assets.

A trailblazer in the financial world, David helped create one of the first index funds in the 1970s and has spent his career applying groundbreaking financial theory and research to the practical world of asset management.

David earned degrees in economics and business from the University of Kansas, followed by an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has been a strong supporter of both schools. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is named in David’s honor, and he has made a series of major gifts supporting academics and athletics at the University of Kansas, including the largest gift in the university’s history. As a boy, David served as an usher at Jayhawk football and basketball games and has been a passionate sports fan since.

A longtime Austin resident and proud supporter of the Verde and Black, David has been an Austin FC season ticket holder since Q2 Stadium opened. He strongly believes in the role sports can play in bringing people together and keeping communities connected. David is also an avid art collector and supporter of the arts; the David Booth Conservation Center and Department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York is dedicated to preserving the museum’s collection.