Professor Ventry is a graduate of UC Los Angeles (B.A., History), UC Santa Barbara (Ph.D., Economic and Legal History), and New York University School of Law (J.D.). He is the author of dozens of articles, book chapters, and an edited volume. His research interests include tax policy, tax theory and history, family taxation, legal ethics and professional standards, tax administration and compliance, distributive justice, and public finance. 

He is a frequent contributor to Tax Notes, the leading publisher of tax policy and tax information, and he has provided commentary to popular media including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, International Business Times, USA Today, CNN, National Public Radio, and the Christian Science Monitor.

Professor Ventry has been awarded numerous fellowships, including residential appointments from the UCLA School of Law, NYU School of Law, the Brookings Institution, the American Bar Foundation, Harvard University, and the UC Washington Center. He is also an accomplished teacher, having won department and university-wide teaching awards.