THE EXCHANGE: Winter 2024

Happy New Year to all AAEC alums, students, faculty, and supporters!

This past year was a great one for the department, with six new faculty members joining our ranks--Le Wang, professor, and Kohl Chair; Chumbei Wang, associate professor; Michael Cary and Nicolas Legrand, research assistant professors; and Paula Mercadante and Pedro Queiroz, agribusiness management instructors. We are working to identify the next person to hold the J and Renae Pearson Collegiate Faculty Fellow position. At the same time, this past year saw Mary Marchant and David Orden retire after many productive years teaching and conducting research in the international trade arena. Ford Ramsey resigned to take a position at the University of Georgia.

2023 was noteworthy for other reasons. This past November, the department and the Center for Agricultural Trade, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, and the Port of Virginia, hosted the annual Virginia Agriculture Trade Conference in Richmond, highlighted by Governor Youngkin's talk at lunch. M.S. candidate Evan McKay wrapped up a year of activities as a member of the Farm Foundation's 2023 cohort of Agricultural Scholars; Ph.D. candidate William McWilliams will take his place as a member of the 2024 cohort. Klaus Moeltner received recognition from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association for Outstanding Graduate Instruction. In December, alumnus Owen Wagner (M.S., 2007) received Virginia Tech's 2023 Graduate Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding work on the economics of biofuels. In December Chanit'a Holmes, assistant professor, learned she will be a 2024 CALS Global Opportunity Initiative Fellow, which will allow her to expand her network of research and teaching collaborators worldwide.

Looking ahead, we are preparing for Virginia Tech's 2024 Giving Day, which will kick off at noon on February 21st. We are looking for donations to our annual fund. These donations will, in turn, support our student success initiatives that include travel to professional meetings, career readiness exercises, job shadowing and mentoring, and so forth. Departments with the most alumni, faculty, and friends who donate on Giving Day, irrespective of the total amount, receive special recognition. This year, our goal is to be the department in the college with the highest percentage of alumna giving.

As we turn the page to 2023, I wish you and your loved ones good health, continued success, and pride in our accomplishments at Virginia Tech, in the department, and beyond.

Go Hokies!
Matthew T. Holt
Department Head and Professor