Bio-statement for Stephan J. Goetz

The following bio-statement may be used in part or in full.

Stephan Goetz is the Director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development and Professor of Agricultural and Regional Economics at the Pennsylvania State University. He holds Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University, and an undergraduate degree in Agriculture/Agricultural Economics from the University of Guelph in Canada. Before coming to Penn State in 1999, he served on the faculty at the University of Kentucky for nine years with research and teaching responsibilities in economic development.

As Director of the NERCRD, Dr. Goetz provides leadership for rural and community development research and extension activities across 13 states. This responsibility includes linking state activities to regional and national initiatives. His research focuses on the determinants and effects of economic growth and development, with current applications of network science principles to economic growth, resilience and innovation.

Dr. Goetz has published or presented more than 200 professional papers and he is the senior co-editor of four books, including Targeting Regional Economic Development (Routledge, 2009). He is the principal investigator on external grants valued at over $15 million. He has served as President of the North American Regional Science Council and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania (a legislative agency of the PA General Assembly) for 21 years.