Esther Ancel is an emeritus professor of finance in the Lubar School of Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her areas of research and teaching are in investments and corporate finance. She is a member of the Department of Employee Trust Funds' Teachers Retirement Board. Currently she is treasurer of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and serves on its finance and investment boards. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she holds a PhD in finance from the University of Texas-Austin.