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
My Extension program revolves around entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ecosystem building, and the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center.
Teaching
- ABM 1230: Introduction to the Agricultural Policy Process