Linda Brewster Stearns, Professor of Sociology in Dedman College, earned B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of New York at Stony Brook. After beginning her career at LSU, she joined the University of California-Riverside, where she served as Sociology Department chair. She came to SMU in 2003 to rebuild the Sociology Department and direct the newly created interdisciplinary markets and culture program. Under her leadership, the Sociology Department grew in numbers of faculty and students, and the markets and culture major became the fifth largest in Dedman College. Stearns holds a joint appointment in the Cox School of Business as research professor of economic policy. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation and Howard Foundation for her research, which focuses on interlocking directorates, mergers and financial decision-making. A scholar of economic sociology, she has published regularly in prestigious journals and co-authored a book, Politics of Privacy. Stearns was twice named as a Russell Sage Foundation Fellow. Her professional contributions include serving as an NSF reviewer and editorial board member for several professional journals. She retires as Professor Emeritus of Sociology.