I am a passionate scholar dedicated to advancing knowledge and innovation in the field of Agribusiness, with a specialized focus on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina State University. Before joining NC State, I earned my Ph.D. in Business Administration (Agribusiness) from Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business. I also hold dual master's degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and Agricultural and Resource Economics, along with bachelor's degrees in Agricultural and Resource Economics and Global Studies: Economics from the University of Tennessee.

A diverse range of professional experiences complements my commitment to academic excellence. I currently teach Agricultural Markets at North Carolina State University, where I emphasize applied learning, real-world commodity market analysis, and the use of economic principles to understand agricultural markets and policy. Prior to joining NC State, I served as a Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant at Arizona State University, where I taught advanced undergraduate courses in agricultural policy, delivered guest lectures, conducted research on food supply chain challenges, and developed economic models to evaluate emerging agricultural technologies.

My research examines how technology, policy, and market conditions influence the resilience and performance of agricultural and food systems. Broadly, my work spans food supply chain resilience, food safety and traceability, controlled environment agriculture, commodity markets, agricultural policy, technology adoption, and environmental resource management.

A central focus of my research is understanding how producers, firms, and policymakers make decisions under uncertainty. My work has explored the economic value of improved traceability systems in fresh produce supply chains, the adoption of controlled environment agriculture in response to market and policy uncertainty, and the effects of agricultural and trade policies on commodity markets. More recently, my research has expanded to examine food safety, producer decision-making, and environmental resource management, with the goal of generating evidence that supports more resilient, efficient, and sustainable food systems.

My work is supported through programs that bridge academic research with real-world policy applications. I am a Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholar, where I collaborate with peers and mentors across academia, government, and industry to address emerging challenges in food and agricultural policy. I also served as a USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) Pathways Intern, where I worked on projects linking state-level agricultural expenditure datasets and analyzing producer support estimates (PSEs). These experiences have deepened my understanding of how economic research can inform evidence-based policy and improve the resilience of agricultural systems.

Prior to academia, I honed my analytical and leadership skills in roles at UBS Financial Services, Kroger, Louis Glunz Beer Inc., and Healthcare Corporation of America. At UBS, I automated the reconciliation process between two independent databases to identify and correct variances. I oversaw KPRs for a daily trade volume of $6 billion for a team of 10, and my most significant contribution was developing an Alteryx tool to migrate 92,106 Equity and Fixed-Income Accounts.

In addition to my academic and professional pursuits, I am actively engaged in community and student leadership. I volunteer annually at local FFA competitions and student outreach fairs to promote agricultural education. I also served as the Director of Events for the Graduate Professional Student Association (GPSA), ASU’s graduate student government, where I organized initiatives that fostered collaboration and connection among graduate students across disciplines.

With a strong foundation in quantitative analysis and proficiency in programming languages, I am equipped to tackle complex challenges and contribute meaningfully to academia and industry alike. I am grateful for the opportunities that have shaped my academic path and look forward to making a lasting impact in the field of agricultural economics and food system innovation.