Education
BS, Public Service and Administration in Agriculture, Iowa State University
MS, Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
PhD, Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2009
Specialty
Rural and regional economic development
Rural and farm policy
Spatial analysis
Entrepreneurial studies
Research
My research emphasizes how to support and facilitate rural economic development. In particular, I focus on studying entrepreneurship as a strategy to grow economies and understanding and analyzing how farms and rural businesses contribute financially to their regional economies. Through my research, I prioritize policy-relevant issues and add to the dialogue about how to form effective policy for rural America.
Extension
I am director of MU Extension’s Regional Economic & Entrepreneurial Development program (Exceed).
Teaching
- ABM 1230: Introduction to the Agricultural Policy Process
