Title:Psaros family invests $25M in the Georgetown Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy

The Psaros family—including Michael G. (B’89) and Robin Psaros (Parents ’21)—has expanded its investment in the Georgetown Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy, bringing the family’s total commitment to the center to $25 million.

Housed in Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, the Psaros Center is a leading destination for unbiased global finance and policy expertise. The family’s commitment includes an $11 million gift to endow the center in 2022 and a new $14 million investment made as part of the recently concluded Called to Be campaign.

This transformational investment will expand the Psaros Center’s ability to shape the future of global finance through the development of objective, research-driven solutions, by convening leaders from the private sector, government, and academia.

“The financial markets touch virtually every aspect of American life. Financial policy, from legislation to regulation, has an outsized influence on our financial markets, economy, and day-to-day life,” says Michael G. Psaros, co-founder and managing partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP, a leading global private equity firm. “The Psaros Center serves the national interest by helping ensure that financial policy is informed by rigorous research, practical experience, and bipartisan dialogue. My family’s gift to the Psaros Center is an act of patriotism, not an act of philanthropy. It is our family’s way of giving back to our country.”

As an unbiased, academic-based research institute, the Psaros Center produces original analyses on major market issues and shares them widely to inform decision-making and help shape financial policy, creating meaningful change. The center also convenes industry leaders through numerous public and private convenings, including its annual Financial Markets Quality Conference, and engages students through experiential learning, competitions, and career development opportunities.

Its Distinguished Fellows–including Rostin Behnam (C’00), former chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Lael Brainard, former director of the White House National Economic Council and vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board; and Patrick McHenry, former member of Congress and chair of the House Financial Services Committee–extend the center’s reach across government, financial regulation, and industry bringing firsthand expertise to its research and programming.

“Georgetown University is honored by the significant investment the Psaros family has made in establishing the Psaros Center as a leading source for vital thought leadership, scholarship, and discussion shaping the future of finance and policy,” says Georgetown University President Eduardo Peñalver. “This transformative commitment reflects Michael, Robin, and the Psaros family’s steadfast dedication to Georgetown University, the McDonough School of Business, and to our students who are the next generation of leaders.”

‘We are where Wall Street meets Washington’

The Psaros family’s support of Georgetown extends well beyond the Psaros Center, totaling more than $32 million in support of leadership, faith-driven, and civic-minded initiatives across the university. Their contributions have supported the creation of the Michael G. and Robin Psaros Endowed Chair in Business Administration in the McDonough School of Business and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Endowed Orthodox Chaplaincy—the university’s first fully endowed chaplaincy. The family also funded the university’s Orthodox Christian Iconostasis and accompanying Iconography for the Copley Crypt Chapel.

Michael Psaros has been an active member of the Georgetown alumni network, serving on the university’s Board of Directors for six years, from 2017 to 2023, and currently serving as vice chair of the McDonough School of Business Advisory Board, a position he has held for over 15 years. In 2025, he was the keynote speaker for Georgetown McDonough’s undergraduate commencement ceremony and received an honorary doctorate.

“Mike is driven by the idea of using business as a force for positive impact. At Georgetown and beyond, he has leveraged his tremendous success as a business leader into investments in future generations of Hoyas,” said Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkley Chair of the McDonough School of Business. “Through the Psaros Center, his family leaves a legacy of impact, both on the formation of our students and on the expertise the center lends to the development of financial markets practices and policy.”

The Psaros Center represents the family’s most transformative gift to Georgetown and the culmination of a collaboration with his mentor and former professor, Reena Aggarwal, the Robert E. McDonough Professor of Finance and director of the Psaros Center. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Aggarwal shared with Psaros her plan to create a global hub at Georgetown to bridge the divide between policymakers and financial-sector leaders through objective, data-driven research. Psaros provided the seed funding to help bring that vision to life.

“It is a privilege to work with someone as dedicated and passionate as Mike,” says Aggarwal. “He’s been interested in finance and policy since he was a student. He understands both why financial markets are important, and how policy can play a significant role.”

AI, tokenization, crypto, and prediction markets are reshaping financial markets, Aggarwal says, raising new questions for policymakers and market participants alike. “Data has also become a big asset, and there is a re-examination of several fundamental market structure regulations,” she adds. “Some of these issues didn’t even exist a few years ago.”

In the midst of this change, “the Psaros Center will play a role in making sure that the financial sector is working effectively so that the global society can benefit from innovation, job creation, and economic growth,” says Aggarwal.

That growing role reflects how far the center has come since Aggarwal and Psaros first began building it together. “We owe a lot to the Psaros family,” Aggarwal adds. “The Psaros Center wouldn’t have the momentum and be where we are today without this transformational gift and their dedication and commitment. They’ve made the center a reality.”

That momentum has positioned the center to serve as a bridge between two worlds that increasingly need to understand one another, according to Psaros.

“We are where Wall Street meets Washington, and I am proud that the Psaros Center is recognized as one of the few truly nonpartisan institutions in Washington respected by both sides of the aisle,” he says. “The Psaros Center is moving the needle in policy and practice in the real world, and elevating Georgetown University’s role in shaping the conversation around finance and public policy.”

Investing in the greater good

The Psaros family’s latest gift equips the Psaros Center to widen the scope of its thought leadership, programming, and reach at a time of rapid change across global financial markets.

“There is increasing debate about the role of capitalism and markets in society,” Psaros says. “The Psaros Center is uniquely positioned to convene those conversations and help shape market practices and policies that benefit the greater good.”

The Psaros Center’s annual Financial Markets Quality Conference convenes leading voices from finance, policy, and academia to examine pressing issues affecting markets and policy. The 2026 conference will be held on September 23 and will feature industry leaders, policymakers, and regulators. Past speakers for FMQ and other center events have included the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board, and the CEOs of JPMorganChase and Goldman Sachs.

The center also cultivates the next generation of leaders by providing opportunities for Georgetown students interested in finance and policy to gain work experience, network with industry leaders, and contribute substantively to the center’s work. Its competitive Psaros FinPolicy Scholars Finance Trek selects students from across Georgetown’s undergraduate schools. These students participate in a week-long opportunity to meet policymakers, regulators, and business leaders in Washington, D.C., and New York City, and programming continues throughout the year. Undergraduate Stock Pitch Competitions also allow students to practice various aspects of investing and demonstrate their entrepreneurial and research-based investment capabilities to a panel of industry professionals.

“As Hoyas, my son, Leo (B’21) and I are proud that the Psaros Center provides numerous incredible opportunities for our students, from the Psaros FinPolicy Scholars Finance Program to direct exposure to Wall Street CEOs and senior policy makers, spanning the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC),” says Psaros. “Additionally, we are proud to see the continued scale and impact of the Psaros Center’s annual Financial Markets Quality Conference.”

New leadership builds on Center momentum

The new investment also comes as the Psaros Center enters a new phase of growth under Executive Director Michael Piwowar (MBA’94), who joined after serving as executive vice president of Milken Institute Finance. Piwowar previously served as acting chairman and commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and held roles across multiple presidential administrations and key federal financial regulatory agencies.

“At this point in my career, coming to the Georgetown Psaros Center is a dream come true, particularly when there’s so much going on in the policy world dealing with financial markets,” says Piwowar. “What excites me most about joining the Psaros Center is building on its momentum through engaging students; engaging business leaders; and bringing students, policymakers, and market participants together through thought leadership and nonpartisan debate on today’s most pressing issues.”

Piwowar’s appointment brings the center’s story full circle for Aggarwal, who has now seen two of her former students play defining roles in its growth. “This is a very special moment for me,” says Aggarwal. “We have Mike Psaros, my former student, who has made the Psaros Center possible, and then we have Mike Piwowar joining us as the new executive director, another former student. It’s just wonderful to have this collaboration between former students and Georgetown faculty.”

Psaros believes Piwowar’s arrival positions the Psaros Center to extend its influence even further.

“Mike joining the Psaros Center as executive director is a game-changer and a blessing,” says Psaros. “Mike is a globally respected thought leader and policy expert who understands today’s complex challenges. Having served as former acting chair of the SEC and executive vice president of the Milken Institute Finance, he is uniquely positioned to build on our momentum, broaden our reach, and lead us into our next chapter of global impact.”

As for what’s next for the Psaros Center, Psaros hopes his family’s latest commitment will allow the center to “think big and act bigger,” expanding its reach and deepening its impact in the years ahead.