Dr. Brian Fikkert is the Founder of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development and Professor of Economics and Community Development at Covenant College.

He is coauthor of the best-selling book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself as well as: Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn’t the American Dream and A Field Guide to Becoming Whole: Principles for Poverty Alleviation Ministries           

Dr. Fikkert earned a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, specializing in international economics and economic development. He is the author of numerous articles in both academic and popular journals. Prior to coming to Covenant College in 1997, he was a professor at the University of Maryland—College Park and a research fellow at the Center for Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector.

He and his wife Jill have 3 adult children and live in Chattanooga, Tenn.