Our department is a tight-knit, welcoming community of learners united by our passion to develop the next generation of leaders and bring usable, science-based information to the public.
We invite you to learn about the three disciplines in the department and read our strategic plans.
Founded in 1923, the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology joined two distinct, yet closely related social science disciplines in common purpose, with Dr. Frederick P. Weaver as its first permanent head. The Department of Agricultural and Extension Education started with a course in teacher training in agriculture in the year 1910-11, with Thomas I. Mairs, professor of agricultural education, in charge.
Read more about the history of each department:
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
- Department of Agricultural and Extension Education
The scholarship in AESE is related to people, society, and economic systems grounded in theory and methods from the social, behavioral and economic sciences. Faculty and students develop and employ rigorous approaches to discover fundamental and applied principles that advance science in their core disciplines and improve the health, prosperity and welfare of people in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond. The department offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees, some unique to the three core disciplines while others are organized along overarching themes.
The department has identified three thematic areas to guide our scholarship. "Agricultural and food systems" focuses on the interconnections among producers, distributors, regulators and consumers in a variety of issues related to food choices, markets, pollution and health. "Environment and natural resources" addresses the human impact on fundamental natural assets, such as land, water and air, tackling the challenges that growing populations create for economic efficiency, social equity and environmental sustainability. "Human, community and regional development" focuses on community resilience through civic engagement, leadership and entrepreneurship to support sustainable communities and regional economies. These three themes utilize the respective strengths of each of the three core disciplines while providing an overall collaborative framework for research scholarship, teaching and outreach.
The Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology programs, as well as the departmental main office are located in Armsby Building. The faculty of the Agricultural Extension Education program is in Ferguson Building.
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Abler, Ph.D. | Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics and Demography | dga2@psu.edu | 814-863-8630 |
| Carolyn Adrien | M.S. Candidate, Rural Sociology | cam5933@psu.edu | |
| Katrina Alford | PhD Rural Sociology | kda42@psu.edu | |
| Theodore Alter, Ph.D. | Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics | talter@psu.edu | 814-863-8640 |
| Elsie Assan | PhD Candidate in Agricultural and Extension Education | eza6@psu.edu | |
| C. Daniel (Dan) Azzara, Ph.D. | Alan R. Warehime Faculty Chair in Agribusiness | dazzara@psu.edu | 814-863-2847 |
| Ledeebari Banuna | M.S., Rural Sociology | lpb5411@psu.edu | |
| Michelle Barnyak | Administrative Support Assistant for the Department's M.S. and Ph.D degree program | mlf1@psu.edu | 814-865-0456 |
| Benjamin Bayly, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor in Family Studies, Child, and Youth Development | blb339@psu.edu | 814-865-7853 |
| Mary Kate Berardi | Ph.D. Candidate, Agricultural and Extension Education | mkb5001@psu.edu | |
| Sara Bonilla Anariba | Ph.D., Rural Sociology | seb6192@psu.edu | |
| Kim Boonie | Administrative Support Assistant for the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development | iob5@psu.edu | 814-863-7684 |
| Kathryn J. Brasier, Ph.D. | Professor of Rural Sociology | kbrasier@psu.edu | 814-865-7321 |
| Mark A. Brennan, Ph.D. | Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community, Leadership, and Youth Development | unescochair@psu.edu | 814-863-0387 |
| Daniel Brent | Assistant Professor | dab320@psu.edu | 814-865-7657 |
| Matthew Brooks | PhD Candidate Rural Sociology & Demography | mfb5341@psu.edu | |
| Jaclyn Butler | PhD Rural Sociology | jlb1063@psu.edu | |
| Paige Castellanos | Assistant Research Professor | pxd171@psu.edu | 814-863-5764 |
| Sizhuo Chen | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | spc5988@psu.edu | |
| Guangqing Chi, Ph.D. | Professor of Rural Sociology, Demography, and Public Health Sciences | gchi@psu.edu | 814-863-8245 |
| Robert Chiles, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology | rchiles@psu.edu | 814-863-8626 |
| Joseph Yeo Myung Cho | Part-Time Project Support | jyc21@psu.edu | |
| Aaron Matthew Cook | PhD Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics | amc521@psu.edu | |
| Sarah Cornelisse | Senior Extension Associate, Business Management | sar243@psu.edu | 814-863-8645 |
| Kevin Curry, Jr., Ed.D. | Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education | kxc554@psu.edu | 814-863-7069 |
| Kerry Daigle | Ph.D., Rural Sociology | kjd5825@psu.edu | |
| Kristen Devlin | Communications Specialist, NERCRD | krd111@psu.edu | 814-863-0575 |
| Weston M. Eaton, Ph.D. | Assistant Research Professor | eatonwes@psu.edu | 616-893-9537 |
| Stan Ernst | Assistant Teaching Professor, Agribusiness Management | stanernst@psu.edu | 814-865-7656 |
| John Ewing, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education | jce122@psu.edu | 814-863-7463 |
| Linlin Fan, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics | lpf5158@psu.edu | 814-863-5575 |
| Yining Feng | Ph.D. Candidate, Rural Sociology | yff5058@psu.edu | |
| Jinglin Feng | MS Energy, Environmental,and Food Economics | jpf5265@psu.edu | |
| Kaitlin Fischer | Ph.D. Candidate, Rural Sociology | kmf6106@psu.edu | |
| Karen Fisher-Vanden, Ph.D. | Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics and Public Policy | kaf26@psu.edu | 814-867-2752 |
| Kendra Flood | M.S., Agricultural and Extension Education | kaf5952@psu.edu | |
| Daniel D. Foster, Ph.D. | Associate Professor | foster@psu.edu | 814-863-0192 |
| Maggie Frederick | Research Project Manager | mas960@psu.edu | |
| Ted Fuller | Research Assistant | tef4@psu.edu | |
| Mark A. Gagnon, Ph.D. | Harbaugh Entrepreneur and Innovation Faculty Scholar | mag199@psu.edu | 814-865-0469 |
| Jane Gardner | Administrative Support Coordinator | jsg21@psu.edu | 814-865-5462 |
| Elisabeth Garner | PhD Rural Sociology & Women's Studies | elg154@psu.edu | |
| Halima Therese Gbaguidi | Ph.D. Candidate, Agricultural Extension and Education | hzg81@psu.edu | |
| Jackie Gibboney | Academic Adviser | jag545@psu.edu | 814-865-6362 |
| Alejandro Gil Aguirre | MS Candidate, Agricultural and Extension Education & International Agriculture and Development (INTAD) | axg664@psu.edu | |
| Leland Glenna, Ph.D. | Professor of Rural Sociology and Science, Technology, and Society | llg13@psu.edu | 814-863-8636 |
| Stephan Goetz, Ph.D. | Professor of Agricultural and Regional Economics | sgoetz@psu.edu | 814-863-4664 |
| Megan Griffin | MS Rural Sociology | mag525@psu.edu | |
| April Gunsallus | PhD Rural Sociology | alg978@psu.edu | |
| Alyssa Gurklis | Administrative Support Assistant for the Center for Economic and Community Development | azg5380@psu.edu | 814-863-3536 |
| Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D. | Director, Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center (FREC) | jharper@psu.edu | 717-677-6116 |
| Justin Heasley | M.S., Agricultural and Extension Education | jih5316@psu.edu | |
| Carolyn Henzi | MS Agricultural and Extension Education | cmh704@psu.edu | |
| Clare Hinrichs, Ph.D. | Professor of Rural Sociology | chinrichs@psu.edu | 814-863-8628 |
| Michaela Hoffelmeyer | PhD Rural Sociology | mkh40@psu.edu | |
| Tracy Hoover, Ph.D. | Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education | tsh102@psu.edu | 814-865-7521 |
| Betty Jo Houser | Proposal and Awards Generalist | bxh201@psu.edu | 814-865-0460 |
| Chiu-Lin Huang | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | cph5592@psu.edu | |
| Xuetao Huang | PhD Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics | xuh119@psu.edu | |
| Sovanneary Huot | PhD Rural Sociology | suh431@psu.edu | |
| Tanji Hwang | PhD Agricultural,Environmental and Regional Economics | txh427@psu.edu | |
| Patreese Ingram, Ph.D. | Assistant Dean of Multicultural Affairs | pdi1@psu.edu | 814-863-7439 |
| Jorden Jackson | Ph.D., Rural Sociology | jej5332@psu.edu | |
| Edward Jaenicke, Ph.D. | Professor of Agricultural Economics | tjaenicke@psu.edu | 814-865-5282 |
| Deshamithra Harshanee Jayasekera | PhD Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics | dhw7@psu.edu | |
| Leif Jensen, Ph.D. | Distinguished Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography | ljensen@psu.edu | 814-863-8642 |
| Supriya Joshi | Ph.D., Rural Sociology | szj165@psu.edu | |
| Matthew Kaplan, Ph.D. | Professor, Intergenerational Programs and Aging | msk15@psu.edu | 814-863-7871 |
| Kathy Kelley | Professor of Horticultural Marketing and Business Management | KathyKelley@psu.edu | 814-863-2196 |
| Timothy Kelsey, Ph.D. | Associate Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education | tkelsey@psu.edu | 814-865-9542 |
| Lynn Kime | Senior Extension Associate | lfk4@psu.edu | 717-677-6116 |
| Laszlo Kulcsar, Ph.D. | Department Head of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education | lzk68@psu.edu | 814-865-5461 |
| Anil Kumar Chaudhary, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education | auk259@psu.edu | 814-863-7850 |
| Gabriel Lara | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | grl5035@psu.edu | |
| Janelle Larson, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics | jbl6@psu.edu | 610-396-6183 |
| Janelle B. Larson | Associate Professor - Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs | jbl6@psu.edu | 610-396-6183 |
| Carson Letot | Ph.D., Agricultural and Extension Education | ctl84@psu.edu | 814-865-0456 |
| Xiaogu Li | PhD Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics | xql5271@psu.edu | |
| Justine Lindemann | Assistant Professor in Community Development and Resilience | jlindemann@psu.edu | 814-863-8646 |
| Yizao Liu, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics | yul459@psu.edu | 814-863-8039 |
| Catherine MacKenzie | Administrative Support Assistant for Entrepreneurship and Innovation | cbm19@psu.edu | 814-863-4656 |
| Mallen Marlowe | Ph.D. Candidate, AEE | mlm6943@psu.edu | |
| Leslie A. Martin | Administrative Support Assistant | lxm60@psu.edu | 814-865-5461 |
| Bethany Mathie | Program Manager | blm157@psu.edu | 814-863-7876 |
| Tammy May | Administrative Support Assistant for Undergraduate Programs | tlm23@psu.edu | 814-865-0467 |
| Richard Mbih | Assistant Teaching Professor of African Studies | ram6096@psu.edu | 814-865-5406 |
| Jessica Michaels | Financial Assistant | jer36@psu.edu | 814-863-5306 |
| Jessica Miller | Ph.D., Rural Sociology | jam8331@psu.edu | 814-865-0456 |
| Melanie Miller-Foster | Global Learning Specialist - TeachAg! | mjm727@psu.edu | |
| Frans J.G. Padt, Ph.D. | Teaching Professor | fjp128@psu.edu | 814-863-8644 |
| Yuxuan Pan | Ph.D. Candidate, EEFE | ybp5073@psu.edu | |
| Charlene Paquette | Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator / Academic Adviser | clp27@psu.edu | 814-865-6220 |
| Praharsh Patel | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | pmp5456@psu.edu | |
| Daniel Francis Perkins, Ph.D. | Professor of Youth and Family Resiliency and Policy | dfp102@psu.edu | 814-867-4182 |
| Max Pohlman | Ph.D. Candidate, EEFE | mip5205@psu.edu | |
| Rama Radhakrishna, Ph.D. | Assistant Dean for Graduate Education | brr100@psu.edu | 814-865-3136 |
| Heather Randell | Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography | hrandell@psu.edu | 814-867-0107 |
| Elizabeth Ransom | Associate Professor of International Affairs | exr497@sia.psu.edu | 814-867-2792 |
| Asif Rasool | PhD, Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | azr496@psu.edu | |
| Josh Reed | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | jjr6312@psu.edu | |
| Yongwang Ren | Ph.D. Candidate, EEFE | yfr5035@psu.edu | |
| Fco. Alfredo Reyes | Ph.D. Candidate, Rural Sociology & International Agriculture and Development (INTAD) | far5137@psu.edu | |
| Carolyn Reyes | PhD, Rural Sociology | cfb132@psu.edu | |
| Daniel Robotham | M.S., Agricultural and Extension Education | djr6131@psu.edu | 814-865-0456 |
| Matthew Royer | Director, Agriculture and Environment Center | mzr154@psu.edu | 814-863-8756 |
| Jana Russell | M.S. Candidate, AEE | jlr896@psu.edu | |
| Kai Schafft | Associate Professor of Education | kas45@psu.edu | 814-863-2031 |
| Claudia Schmidt, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics | cschmidt@psu.edu | 814-863-8633 |
| Cristy Halerz Schmidt, MPPM | Applied Research Educator, Center for Economic and Community Development | cah215@psu.edu | 814-863-7428 |
| Christian Kelly Scott | Ph.D. Rural Sociology and International Agriculture & Development | cks8@psu.edu | |
| Jonathan Seaman | Program Manager | jts250@psu.edu | 814-865-6987 |
| Kathleen Sexsmith, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology | kjs95@psu.edu | |
| Cecil James Hampton Shelton, M.S. | PhD Agricultural and Extension Education | cecil@psu.edu | 814-865-7521 |
| John Shingler, Ph.D. | Research Associate | jxs10@psu.edu | 814-863-8653 |
| Daniel Perdana Simandjuntak | Ph.D. Candidate, EEFE | dsp5776@psu.edu | |
| Emily Southard | MS Rural Sociology & International Agriculture and Development (INTAD) | ems617@psu.edu | |
| Abbie E. Spackman | Pennsylvania AgrAbility Project Assistant | aes5450@psu.edu | 814-867-5288 |
| Patricia Spears-Taff | Program Manager and Adviser for CEDEV | pjs40@psu.edu | 814-863-5884 |
| Maria Spencer, MBA, PhD | John and Patty Warehime Entrepreneur-in-Residence | mtk15@psu.edu | 814-865-6944 |
| Richard Spicer | Student | rks5111@psu.edu | 814-380-8997 |
| Forrest Stagner | Ph.D. Candidate, Rural Sociology | fws11@psu.edu | |
| Marianne Stevens | Assistant To The Department Head | mbs2@psu.edu | 814-865-5121 |
| Julie Stringfellow | Administrative Support Assistant, Community and Economic Development Graduate Program | jls1007@psu.edu | 814-865-6223 |
| Johann Strube | PhD Rural Sociology | jcs80@psu.edu | |
| Lina Tami-Barrera | MS Rural Sociology & International Agriculture and | lmt50@psu.edu | |
| Zachary Teti | M.S. Candidate, EEFE | zft5050@psu.edu | |
| Brian Thiede, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Sociology, and Demography | bct11@psu.edu | 814-865-2561 |
| Kaila Thorn | MS Agricultural and Extension Education | kvt5218@psu.edu | 321-412-7550 |
| Zheng Tian | Postdoctoral Scholar | zzt36@psu.edu | |
| Adrian Timms | Assistant Teaching Professor of Agribusiness Management | apt5453@psu.edu | 814-867-0109 |
| Abdelmoumine Traore | PhD Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | abt66@psu.edu | |
| Jonathan Tuthill, Ph.D. | Associate Teaching Professor | jwt4@psu.edu | 814-863-5949 |
| Mollie Van Loon, Ph.D. | Senior Project Associate, CSIS | mev2@psu.edu | 814-863-8654 |
| Martina Vecchi | Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics | mmv5343@psu.edu | 814-863-7105 |
| Hazel Velasco Palacios | M.S. Candidate, Rural Sociology | hgv5008@psu.edu | |
| Maria Vivanco Salazar | PhD Rural Sociology | mzv7@psu.edu | |
| Robert D. Weaver, Ph.D. | Professor of Agricultural Economics | rdweaver@psu.edu | 814-863-8632 |
| Nicole Webster, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Youth and International Development and African Studies | nsw10@psu.edu | 814-863-2695 |
| Chrystal A Wheeler | Academic Adviser | cav151@psu.edu | 814-863-7449 |
| Hannah T. Whitley | PhD Rural Sociology & Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment | htw3@psu.edu | |
| Walt Whitmer | Senior Extension Associate, Economic and Community Development | wew2@psu.edu | 814-865-0468 |
| Grace Wildermuth | PhD Rural Sociology | gvw5117@psu.edu | |
| Tiana Williams | Research Assistant | txw5313@psu.edu | |
| Suzanna Windon | Assistant Professor, Youth and Adult Leadership, Penn State Extension | sxk75@psu.edu | 814-863-3825 |
| Douglas H. Wrenn, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics | dhw121@psu.edu | 814-865-9216 |
| Yuxiang Zhang | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | ybz5440@psu.edu | |
| Yiwen Zhao | Ph.D., Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | yxz5798@psu.edu | |
| Shuai Zhou | PhD Rural Sociology & Demography | szhou@psu.edu | |
| Pei Zhou | PhD Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics | puz42@psu.edu | |
| Karl Zimmerer | Professor, Department of Geography | ksz2@psu.edu | 814-865-3094 |
| Katherine Y. Zipp, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics | kyz1@psu.edu | 814-863-8247 |
