I am a Professor and hold the Tyson Endowed Chair in Food Policy Economics in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas. My appointment is primarily devoted to research (80%) in the Division of Agriculture, and the remaining is devoted to teaching in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences. I appreciate working in a productive department where research and teaching are valued.

I was born in Arkansas and raised in Texas, where I learned about the importance of agriculture and the range of actors involved in getting food from farm to fork. I am a first-generation college student in my Mom’s family and a second-generation student in my Dad’s family. My Dad completed a degree at the University of Arkansas, and so we both have our name on Senior Walk - a cool tradition where every graduate’s name is etched into the sidewalk somewhere on campus that I’m proud to share with other alumni and alumnae.

From my personal experience, I understand the importance of informing students about opportunities for graduate studies and research. I know the value mentors can provide, and I appreciate the time my mentors invested in me. I strive to do the same for my students.

My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Marketing emphasis at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. While there, I was mentored by Dr. Latisha Settlage who advised me about the possibility of graduate studies and encouraged me to learn more about academic research.

I went on to complete a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics at the University of Arkansas and was advised by Dr. Bruce Dixon (also Latisha’s advisor). Bruce answered every question I asked as if he had pondered it for years, and he even treated me to a few rounds of golf at Fayetteville Country Club.

I went on to complete a Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Statistics at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Jayson Lusk was my advisor, and he ignited my passion for consumer economics and markets. Jayson taught me to ask questions that matter and how to move results past the pages in a journal.

After graduation, I accepted a tenure-track faculty appointment in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. This appointment was primarily devoted to teaching (60%), with the remaining appointment devoted to research. I remained in this role for a little over four years. It was a great experience with very supportive colleagues that allowed me to develop teaching and research programs. I then joined the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics at the University of Delaware where my appointment was primarily devoted to research (60%), and I had the opportunity to update the M.S. program as graduate director. I remained in this role for four years.

I have a wonderful wife, Jenna Brown, who is a coastal engineer for the United States Geological Survey. We met in Monterey, CA, I asked her to marry me on the top of Half Dome, and married in Big Sur. All that to say NORCAL holds a special place in our hearts. Thankfully she has been able to continue her research while being land-locked as I work for Land-Grant institutions. I have three children, Blaise, Aley, and Christian, who are all better people than I was at their ages.