Department of Agricultural Economics addresses growing student population with new faculty
New hires will be based in Bryan-College Station
The Department of Agricultural Economics now has the largest number of students in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with about 1,550 majors in its undergraduate program and about 150 in its master’s and doctoral programs.
To help serve the growing department and its students, additional faculty members have been added. Among the newest additions to the department are Joseph Johnson, instructional assistant professor; Doyoung Park, Ph.D., assistant professor; and Natalie Graff, Ph.D., research assistant professor. All are based in Bryan-College Station.
Johnson brings financial planning expertise
As part of the Financial Planning Program in the College, Johnson’s primary responsibilities include providing students the foundational knowledge and skills to fulfill the core educational curriculum necessary to sit for the Certified Financial Planner certification examination. He also assists students who compete in national financial competitions and attend regional professional events.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s in personal financial planning from Texas Tech University. He is currently working toward a doctorate in personal financial planning from Texas Tech.
Before coming to Texas A&M, Johnson was a teaching assistant in financial planning at Texas Tech, where he assisted with risk management undergraduate and graduate courses. Prior to that, he was a part-time financial planning instructor and co-taught a financial planning capstone course there.
He was also a graduate part-time instructor at Texas Tech and taught Financial Planning for Professionals, an introductory undergraduate course covering financial planning concepts and skills. Johnson also had several years of experience as a research assistant at that university.
Along with his academic experience, Johnson also gained extensive professional industry experience in retail from leadership positions with Best Buy Inc. and Ross Stores Inc.
“My industry experience and leadership roles heavily influence my teaching style, which I utilize to promote positive professional development,” Johnson said. “The financial planning profession has and will continue to grow, and teaching holistic financial planning acumen can impact our students, clients and communities they serve.”
Park focuses on environmental and resource economics research
Park’s primary responsibilities include conducting high-quality research and developing his own research agenda and program. He will also advise students to support their pursuit of higher education and career development.
“My research focuses on environmental and resource economics as well as energy markets,” Park said. “I believe this work can broaden our department’s research scope and complement and strengthen the existing expertise of my colleagues.”
Before coming to Texas A&M, Park was an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Prior to that, he was a graduate instructor and teaching assistant in the Department of Economics, University of Colorado-Boulder.
He has doctoral and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a bachelor’s in economics from Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea.
Park said he is eager to contribute to the department by building on the impressive achievements in academic research demonstrated by the faculty members in the department
“The agricultural economics department has a strong reputation in research, especially in environmental/resource economics,” he said. “I am proud to be a member of the department, and I’m committed to upholding and contributing to its legacy.”
Graff to specialize in agricultural economics and policy
Graff’s main responsibilities are to work with the team at the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University to develop and maintain representative livestock and dairy farms.
She will also conduct economic analyses related to livestock and dairy production economics and policy, as well as participate in other research projects in support of the center’s policy analysis contracts and interests.
Graff earned a bachelor’s, master’s and a doctorate in agricultural economics from Texas A&M. Her research interests include applied research in farm and livestock policy, risk management, and farm and ranch transitions.
She is already familiar with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, having worked there until recently as an AgriLife Extension graduate assistant and before that as a graduate research assistant. Graff also served as an agriculture and natural resources policy intern for the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
“My experience working with the AFPC throughout my graduate work has prepared me to expand livestock policy and production analyses in the department,” Graff said. “I plan to use my experience working with agriculture producers to collaborate with and support AgriLife Extension and other departments in the College on research projects to expand interdisciplinary work for the department.”
She added that as a graduate student in the Department of Agricultural Economics for six years, she is excited to remain in the department as it has given her some excellent mentors with whom she will continue working.
