Director

Biostatement | CV

Stephen Alessi
spa15@psu.edu

Assistant Research Professor

Zheng Tian
ztian@psu.edu

Affiliate Faculty

Luyi Han
Research-Teaching Assistant Professor, Regional Economics & Rural Economic Development
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
lkh5474@psu.edu

Claudia Schmidt
Assistant Professor of Marketing and Local/Regional Food Systems
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
cschmidt@psu.edu

Board of Directors

The Center is guided by a regional board of directors that establishes policies and program emphases.

Research

Richard Rhodes III, Ph.D. (Board Chair)
Executive Director, Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NERA)
Aquaculture Center, University of Rhode Island, 14 East Farm Road
Kingston, RI 02881
rcrhodes@uri.edu

Troy Ott, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences;
C. Lee Rumberger and Family Chair in Agricultural Sciences;
Director, Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station
Penn State University
Email: tlo12@psu.edu

Extension

Brian Schilling, Ph.D.
Director, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Senior Associate Director, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
Email: schilling@njaes.rutgers.edu

Jinhee Kim, Ph.D.
Associate Dean and Associate Director of Extension,
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Email: jinkim@umd.edu

1890

Dr. Moses T. Kairo
Dean, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences
Research Director, 1890 Land Grant Programs
Administrator, UMES Extension
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Email: mkairo@umes.edu

USDA-NIFA Liaison

Dr. Edwin Lewis
National Program Leader
Division of Family and Consumer Sciences
Institute of Youth, Family, and Community
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Email: edwin.lewis@usda.gov

USDA-ERS Liaison

Dr. James C. Davis
Research Agricultural Economist
Economic Research Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Kansas City, MO 64141-6205
Email: james.davis2@usda.gov

Technical Advisory Committee

The primary role of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is to advise the Board of Directors and Center staff on issues and opportunities in the region.

Research

David Abler, Ph.D.
Professor of Agricultural, Environmental & Regional Economics and Demography
Interim Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education
Penn State University
E-mail: dga2@psu.edu

Heather Stephens, Ph.D. (TAC Chair)
Associate Professor, Resource Economics and Management
Director, Regional Research Institute (RRI)
West Virginia University
Division of Resource Management
PO Box 6108
Morgantown, WV 26506-6108
Phone: 304-293-5639
Email: heather.stephens@mail.wvu.edu

Extension

Doug Arbogast, Ph.D.
Rural Tourism Specialist
West Virginia University Extension Service
Morgantown, WV
Phone: 304-293-8686
Email: doug.arbogast@mail.wvu.edu

Adam Hodges
Community & Economic Development Program Leader
West Virginia State University
Email: ahodges7@wvstateu.edu
304-610-5655

David Kay
Senior Extension Associate
Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Global Development
275E Warren Hall
137 Reservoir Avenue
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 607.255.2123
Email: dlk2@cornell.edu

Shannon Rogers, Ph.D.
Nature Based Economic Development Specialist
Associate Extension Professor
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
Phone: 603 862-5171
Email: Shannon.Rogers@unh.edu