Denver Travis, a new assistant professor in the Department of Management, is less than four months away from achieving his doctorate in finance from the University of Kentucky.

He and his wife were living in Cadiz, Ky., when Travis received a call from Sacramento State and went before the Financial Management Association hiring committee.

“Travis was a good fit with the requirements that we were looking for in teachers,” said Herbert Blake Jr., chairman of the Department of Management.

After he received his B.A. in chemical engineering in 2001, Travis began to teach finance courses. He continued to teach at the University of Kentucky while earning his M.A. in economics in 2003.

“I always loved math, both researching and teaching it,” Travis said. “The students here are motivated and interested in learning.”

There are a few cultural differences between California and Kentucky. Travis said that Sacramento is much slower-paced than in Lexington, Ky.

“Sacramento has the benefit of having a better freeway system,” Travis said. “Over in Lexington, there are fewer highways, so the driving experience is worse.

“There’s just a certain good feeling to Sacramento. Everyone’s happy and friendly. There’s also an amazing cultural diversity here.”

Fellow finance professor, Ralph Pope, has been impressed with his new colleague.

“Denver is scholarly, intelligent and very easy-going,” Pope said.

When Travis is not working at Sac State, he spends his time with his wife kayaking at the river or bicycling along the bike trails.

He and his wife also like to travel either to San Francisco or to the foothills. They have yet to, but would like to go to Napa Valley to do some wine tasting.

Travis and his wife also like Asian culture and philosophy. He has learned Aikido, a Japanese martial art, and is now interested in trying some martial arts from the Philippines.

“It’s great fun, exercise and useful knowledge for self-defense,” Travis said.

While teaching at Sac State, Travis will be continuing to research interest rates in the financial market and derivatives.

Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]