About the Author

Elizabeth B. Goldsmith (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is Professor of Resource Management and Consumer Economics at Florida State University where she has been the recipient of the University Teaching Award and the Teaching Incentive Award for teaching excellence. Dr. Goldsmith's published writings include journal articles, encyclopedia chapters, and a textbook, Resource Management for Individuals and Families, Second Edition. She has served as associate editor of the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, and as an advisor to the Wall Street Journal, the United Nations, and other organizations. Her research interests focus on work and family, women and money, the functioning of the American home, and environmental issues. During a 1992 sabbatical, she conducted research at the White House and the Smithsonian Institution. Since then, she has had grants from the Smithsonian, Duke University, the Hoover Presidential Library, and been a researcher, policy advisor, and guest at the White House. In 1996, she was named Outstanding Alumna of Michigan State University. During a 1999 sabbatical, she conducted research in Ireland and at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston. In 2002-2003 she was featured in the Florida State University Bulletin as a Distinguished Faculty Member. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Consumer Studies and has given speeches in Wales, Mexico, Finland, Sweden, Australia, Malta, England, Northern Ireland, and Germany. She also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Family and Economic Issues and represents consumers on the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the Florida Motor Vehicle and Repair Council.