Investment Management and Financial Analysis (Master's)
Harper Center for Student Life & Learn 3016-D
Melissa Woodley, PhD, CFA
Associate Professor
Economics and Finance
Dr. Woodley is an Associate Professor of Finance. She has taught a variety of courses at the undergraduate and master's levels, including corporate finance, investments, fixed income, and derivatives. Dr. Woodley also leads the Portfolio Practicum course, a two-course sequence that provides students with hands-on experience managing a $15 million large-cap equity portfolio on behalf of Creighton's endowment, as well as a travel course that provides students with the opportunity to gain an on-site understanding of different areas of finance through a week-long program in New York City.
Dr. Woodley's research interests include bond market liquidity and the impact of information revelation on bond markets. Her work has been published in numerous finance journals, including The Financial Review, Journal of Fixed Income, Journal of Applied Finance, and Journal of Accounting and Finance. She is a past president of the Southern Finance Association and currently serves as Editor of the Journal of Financial Research and the Journal of Undergraduate Research in Finance.
Dr. Woodley earned her Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Alabama in 2007, an M.A. in Finance with a concentration in financial risk management from the University of Alabama in 2002, and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1999. She has been a CFA charterholder since 2012. Prior to joining Creighton's faculty in 2012, Dr. Woodley held faculty appointments at Samford University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before her academic career, Dr. Woodley was an investment analyst and portfolio manager for a major regional bank.
Research Focus
Information Revelation and Liquidity in Corporate Bond Markets Style Investing
Financial Review Woodley, Melissa, Rhodes, Meredith Tax Incentives and Flow-Performance Sensitivity: Evidence from National and State Municipal Bond Funds 2025
Journal of Fixed Income Woodley, Melissa, Owen, Stephen; Rhodes, Meredith Managing Duration and Tax Risk in Municipal Bond Portfolios 2025
Journal of Financial Service Professionals Washer, Kenneth, Woodley, Melissa Eight Things to Know about Municipal Bonds 78, p. 12 2024
Financial Review Woodley, Melissa K., Woodley, Melissa , Peter DaDalt, and John R. Wingender, Jr., The price and volume response to earnings in the corporate bond market. 54(4), November 2020, p. 669-696 2020
Quarterly Journal of Finance & Accounting Woodley, M., S. Jones, and J. Reburn, The "Fear Index" and the Effectiveness of the Piotroski Model 2018
Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge Wingender, J and Woodley, M. The Impact of Liquidity on Corporate Bond Yield Spreads 23(2), p. 25-32 2018
Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge Wingender, JR and Woodley, MK. Over-the-Counter Bonds and the Stock Price Response to Earnings Announcements. 21(2), p. 31-38 2016
Academy of Economics and Finance Journal Pettengill, GN, Thelen, N, and Woodley, MK. The Piotroski Screen Reexamined: Seasonal and Structural Change. 6, p. 117-130 2015
Journal of Applied Finance Woodley, M., Flushed Away: The Jefferson County, Alabama Sewer Debt Crisis 22(1), p. 6-18 2012
Journal of Accounting and Finance Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J. Value stocks and Accounting Screens: Has a Good Rule Gone Bad? 11(4), p. 87-104 2011
Journal of Trading Woodley, M., The Cross-Section of Trading Activity in the Over-the-Counter Market for Corporate Bonds 5(2), p. 78-91 2010
Publications
Proceedings of the Academy of Economics and Finance Annual Meeting Woodley, M, S. Jones, and J. Reburn, The Fear Index and the Effectiveness of Accounting Screens in Selecting Value Stocks 2017
Proceedings of the Academy of Economics and Finance Annual Meeting Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J., Revisiting the Piotroski Model: It's Not Just for Value Stocks Anymore 51, p. 113-116 2014
Proceedings of the Academy of Economics and Finance Annual Meeting Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J., Economic Cycles, Investor Sentiment, and the Fundamental Analysis of Value Stocks 39, p. 111-117 2012
Proceedings of the Academy of Economics and Finance Annual Meeting Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J., Value Stocks and Accounting Screens: Has a Good Rule Gone Bad? 38, p. 105-111 2011
Proceedings of the Academy of Economics and Finance Annual Meeting Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J., Fundamental Analysis and Value Stocks: Do Accounting Screens Work in a Down Market? 37, p. 65-70 2010
Presentations
Eastern Finance Association presentation of "Price and Volume Reaction to Earnings Announcements in the Over-the-Counter Corporate Bond Market", Jacksonville, FL 2017
Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J., Academy of Economics and Finance; Revisiting the Piotroski Model: It's Not Just for Value Stocks Anymore 2013
Woodley, M., DaDalt, P., Financial Management Association; Intra-Industry Effects of Bankruptcy: Evidence from the Corporate Bond Market 2012
Woodley, M., DaDalt, P., Nguyen, L., Eastern Finance Association; Do Management Earnings Forecasts Affect Corporate Bond Markets? 2012
Woodley, M., DaDalt, P., Nguyen, L., Southern Finance Association; do Management Earnings Forecasts Affect Corporate Bond Markets? 2011
Woodley, M., DaDalt, P., Nguyen, L., Financial Management Association; Do Management Earnings Forecasts Affect Corporate Bond Markets? 2011
Woodley, M., Jones, S., Reburn, J., Academy of Economics and Finance; Value Stocks and Accounting Screens: Has a good Rule Gone Bad? 2011
Woodley, M., Thornton, J., Academy of Economics and Finance; Municipal Credit Contagion 2011
Woodley, M., Helms, S., Sutton, B., Khodneva, Y., Academy of Economics and Finance; Do Precursor Laws Matter? An Investigation into the Methamphetamine Market in the U.S. 2011
Alabama Automated Clearing House Association Annual Conference: Essentials of Treasury Managment 2010
Panelist at Samford University: Financial Reform After the Wall Street Meltdown 2010
Woodley, M., DaDalt, P., Eastern Finance Association; Credit Market Spillovers from Bankruptcy Announcements: An Analysis Using TRACE 2010
Woodley, M., DaDalt, P., Southern Finance Association; Credit Market Spillovers from Bankruptcy Announcements: An Analysis Using TRACE 2009
Eastern Finance Association; Nondefault Components of Corporate Bond Yield Spreads: Evidence from TRACE 2009
Midwestern Finance Association; Nondefault Components of Corporate bond Yield Spreads; Evidence from TRACE 2009