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