It is no surprise to the people who know her that Suzanne Williams is on the front line of an aggressive relief effort for victims of Hurricane Katrina. In addition to doing volunteer work (whatever needs to be done) at two shelters that are providing accommodations for close to 200 people for an indefinite time, she is using her organizational skills to help coordinate the administration of those shelters in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, and has raised over $23,000 to help meet the financial needs of the shelters which are operating without Red Cross or FEMA money. "Life as we knew it just a few days ago will never be the same - not for the masses that fled the storm and not for those of us who have received the influx of people from the south," Suzanne commented.

When Suzanne Berry enrolled in the Agricultural Economics program at MSU, she had already attained an extensive career in healthcare finance and accounting. Upon receiving her B.S. degree in agricultural economics in 2000, she remained in the department as a research assistant working on a project that was a collaborative effort between the Department of Agricultural Economics, MSU Extension Service's Community Resource Development office, and the national Rural Health Works program. This two-year project involved measuring and reporting the economic impact of the rural healthcare sector for the state's Office of Rural Health. Reports were published for 23 counties in Mississippi, providing local officials with valuable information for making financial decisions regarding their community hospitals and services. During this time, she also served tirelessly as the advisor for the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) student chapter.

Currently serving as the Executive Director for the non-profit organization Keep DeSoto Beautiful, a certified affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (the largest volunteer organization in the world dedicated to litter abatement, recycling and beautification), she leads hundreds of volunteers in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, each year during the Great American Clean Up and takes an active role in helping educate children about environmental issues such as not littering and recycling. She has also worked with the LSU Extension Service 4-H program.

A native of Longview, Washington, Suzanne resides with her husband, David, in his hometown of Florien, Louisiana, with their two dogs, Happy & Jazz.

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Charlie Hall received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tennessee in 1984 and his Master's Degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee in 1986. He then obtained his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in 1988 and began his academic career at Texas A&M University in 1988, where he spent 13 years on the faculty before returning to the University of Tennessee in 2002.

Dr. Hall is a Professor and Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Hall's Extension program focuses on the economics of producing and marketing horticultural products grown in Tennessee. His major areas of specialization include marketing strategies for firms at the wholesale and retail level, financial analysis for horticultural firms, and the situation/outlook for major horticultural crops.

Dr. Hall's expertise in the production and marketing of horticultural crops is nationally recognized in the agricultural economics profession and among the horticultural clientele he serves. He is an invited speaker at numerous regional, national, and international meetings of various industry-related associations and organizations. He is particularly known for the enthusiasm, humor, and intensity he exhibits when speaking.

Dr. Hall is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association and has received TNLA's Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry. In academia, Dr. Hall has received Texas A&M University's Association of Former Students' Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching and the Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence for Student Counseling and Relations. Various Extension awards include the Outstanding Extension Publication Award from the American Society of Horticultural Science; and the Certificate of Meritorious Service and the State Early Career Award, both presented by Epsilon Sigma Phi, the professional society of the National Extension Service. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternity and has received their Grand Presidents Award and Brother of the Century designation.

Sukant Misra is the Associate Dean for Research for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University. He has served the College and Texas Tech University in various faculty and administrative capacities since his initial employment as a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in 1993. Prior to joining Texas Tech, he was a researcher at University of Georgia for three years. Beyond his service to the college and university, he has served in several local, state, regional, and national positions with professional organizations involved in the advancement of the agricultural and natural resource industries.

Dr. Misra received his Bachelor and Master's degrees in Analytical and Applied Economics from Utkal University, India, in 1979 and 1981, respectively. He obtained a second Master of Science degree in 1986 and his doctorate in Agricultural Economics in 1989, both from Mississippi State University (his major professor was Dr. Stan Spurlock for both the Masters and Ph.D. programs).

Dr. Misra is also serving as the Associate Director of the Cotton Economics Research Institute since 1999. He conducts research in the areas marketing and price analysis related to cotton. He has taught courses at TTU, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, in the areas of price/demand analysis, statistics, and research methodology.

Dr. Misra has authored more than 100 publications and presented more than 60 papers at professional meetings related to agricultural economics. Since coming to TTU in 1993, Dr. Misra has received over $1.5 M in grant funds to support his research program. In 1998, Misra was inducted to the Teaching Academy of Texas Tech University. He is also the recipient of the Ex-Students Association New Faculty Award (1997) and Outstanding Professor of the Year Award (1996 and 1997).

Steven W. Martin is an Assistant Extension Professor at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, MS. Dr. Martin received a BS in Agricultural and Extension Education, an M.B.A. and a Ph. D. in Agricultural Economics from Mississippi State University. Prior to coming to MSU, Dr. Martin spent 10 years with Bryan Foods in various management capacities.

At the Delta Research and Extension Center, Dr. Martin concentrates on an Extension and research program that emphasizes cotton and rice marketing, row crop production economics and farm management. Dr. Martin is also a part-time adjunct faculty member at Delta State University and teaches undergraduate and masters level economics courses.

Dr. Martin and his wife, Connie have three children ages 5-12 and reside in Cleveland, MS. Their hobbies include hunting, fishing, 4-H, soccer, volleyball, FBC activities and attending MSU athletic events.

Gerard D'Souza is a professor of agricultural and resource economics at West Virginia University, where he has been since 1984. He completed both graduate degrees from the Department of Agricultural Economics at Mississippi State University, an M.S. in 1980, and a Ph.D. in 1983 (his major professors were Drs. Albert Allen and Travis Phillips, respectively).

His areas of interest include production and environmental economics, sustainability issues, and niche agricultural products. He has authored or co-authored numerous research publications and has been awarded several grants in these areas.

He is a member of the national honor and scientific societies, Gamma Sigma Delta and Sigma Xi. He has been recognized for both teaching and research excellence in his Department at West Virginia University.

He resides in Morgantown with his wife and three children. Details on his professional career are available from his home page at: http://www.caf.wvu.edu/gdsouzawww/.

Paige Manning received a BS degree in Agricultural Economics in 2001 and a MS in Agribusiness Management in 2002 both from Mississippi State University.

As an undergraduate she interned with Syngenta as a Territory Sales Assistant. While pursuing a Master’s Degree, she worked as a Research Assistant focusing on consumer acceptance of genetically modified foods.

She currently works as an Extension Associate in Community Resource Development for the Mississippi State University Extension Service. She coordinates the Public Water System Board Management Training Program and the Peer Review Program providing training and technical assistance to board members and operators of rural water systems. She also develops training and decision-making tools for rural water systems.

Paige Manning is originally from Brownsville, Tennessee but currently lives in Starkville with her husband Ron of Bolton, MS.

Dr. Bert Greenwalt is a Professor of Agricultural Economics in the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture. A native of Hazen, Arkansas, Dr. Greenwalt earned his B.S.A. from Arkansas State University in 1978, his M.S. from the University of Arkansas in 1980, and his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in 1991. All three degrees are in agricultural business and economics. He is a 1986 graduate of the Arkansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership Program (LeadAR), and a 1991 graduate of the USA Rice Federation Rice Leadership Development Program.

Dr. Greenwalt joined the ASU faculty full-time in 1991 where he teaches agribusiness courses and co-advises the ASU Agribusiness Club. Four of his ASU students have gone on to complete graduate degrees in agricultural economics at Mississippi State University. Dr. Greenwalt co-founded and currently directs the ASU Agribusiness Conference. The conference is annually attended by more than 500 farmers, students, and agribusiness people.

In 1995, Dr. Greenwalt received the ASU Faculty Award for Professional Service, and in 1999, the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Agribusiness Award.

During 1999-2004, Dr. Greenwalt was elected by member banks to serve two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Previously, he served as a member of the bank’s Agriculture and Small Business Advisory Council. He currently serves as a Director of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas.

Dr. Greenwalt is an active partner in his family’s farm at Hazen, Arkansas where they produce rice, soybeans, and winter wheat.

Dr. Micheal E. Salassi is a Professor in the LSU AgCenter’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. He joined the faculty in that department in 1994. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from LSU and his Ph.D. degree from Mississippi State University , all in agricultural economics.

Dr. Salassi conducts research in the area of agricultural production economics and farm policy related to rice and sugarcane production. He has taught courses at LSU, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, in the areas of farm management and operations research.

Dr. Salassi has authored more than 190 publications and presented more than 80 papers at professional meetings related to agricultural economics. In evaluating various agricultural policies, he has worked closely with the American Sugar Cane League, the U.S.A. Rice Federation, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, as well as USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Since coming to LSU in 1994, Dr. Salassi has received approximately $850,000 in grant funds to support his research program.

From 1997 to 2000, Dr. Salassi also served as Assistant Director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. In this position he responsible for the coordination of research contract and grant activity within branch stations and campus departments. Prior to assuming his position at LSU, Dr. Salassi was an agricultural economist with the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington , D.C. from 1985 through 1994.

McCullough is leading Tennessee Valley Authority into the 21st century with a focus on achieving corporate excellence in the generation and transmission of electric power, stewardship of the Tennessee River system and the environment, and regional economic development.

A sixth-generation Mississippian, McCullough was educated in the Tupelo public school system and graduated from Tupelo High School in 1973. He earned a degree in agricultural economics from Mississippi State University in 1977. While there, he served as an Elder Statesman and varsity cheerleader.

McCullough has a long history of interest in economic development, stemming from his eight years of public service and 14 years in private business. In 1992 he was appointed director of the Mississippi office of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) by Governor Kirk Fordice. During his tenure at ARC, McCullough worked with members of Congress, local elected officials, economic development professionals, and civic leaders to enhance the commitment to technical skills training, physical infrastructure improvements, and industrial-park development. This, in turn, served to attract a significant amount of private capital investment, creating new job opportunities for Mississippians.

In June 1997 McCullough was elected Tupelo’s 23rd mayor, with 61 percent of the vote. His goal was a safer, stronger Tupelo. His administration established three citizen-based task forces aimed at improving the community’s safety, streets, and drainage. It also implemented a community-oriented policing effort to ensure citizen safety, and redeveloped a historic downtown neighborhood. As a result of these efforts, Tupelo received the Innovations in Municipal Government award from the John C. Stennis Institute of Government. Under McCullough’s leadership, Tupelo also made history by earning the 1999 All-America City award from the National Civic League.

McCullough is a member of the national Electricity Advisory Board of the Department of Energy and serves on the executive committees of the Electric Power Research Institute, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. He is a member of the boards of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. Actively engaged in leadership development, he is a 1985 Leadership Lee County graduate and is a member of the Leadership Memphis Class of 2001. He has served on the governing boards of the Community Development Foundation, the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi, and United Way, and is a member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.

McCullough is married to the former Laura White of Tupelo. They have two sons, Vance and Glenn Thomas.

Dr. Fawad Shah graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Agribusiness management in 2001.

Shah has both a bachelor's of science and a master's of science degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics. He also has a doctorate degree in Agronomy-Seed Technology. A scientist and researcher, he has been serving as the new manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Seed Inspection program, which is headquartered in Yakima.

Shah began his new job on March 15, 2004. He has an impressive background in agriculture and extensive seed-related experience, having worked as an assistant research officer, a teaching assistant, and a seed analyst and an assistant quality manager for a major commercial seed company. Most recently, he was a research associate at Mississippi State University.

The Seed Inspection program conducts pre-harvest field inspections and laboratory testing of agricultural, vegetable and flower seeds grown under the state's seed certification program. It tests samples submitted by seed growers and companies to determine if they comply with purity and germination standards and to certify the seeds for domestic and international marketing. Washington is a leading seed-producing state.

The Seed Inspection program is the agency's fourth largest program. Its $1.6 million annual budget is entirely supported by fees collected from participants.

Shah oversees 29 employees and the state's only seed testing laboratory, located in Yakima.

Originally from Pakistan, Shah is married and has two children.

William E. Tyner, a Starkville native, is a 1983 graduate of MSU with a BS in Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness.

After working in various Church Ministry positions and with MFC Services in Madison, MS for several years, Tyner entered the field of Economic Development. He served for ten years with the Mississippi Department of Economic Development (now the Mississippi Development Authority), for over seven years with local community/economic development organizations, and almost four years in the commercial/industrial construction industry.

Tyner presently serves as Business Development Director for Malouf Construction, with offices in Greenwood and Madison, MS. Malouf Construction is a 'full-service' civil, industrial, and commercial contractor, licensed in five states. They have completed projects throughout the southeast and across a wide range of specialties including roads, bridges, flood control, marine, utility, earthwork, site development, and various building projects. Clients have included such recognized names as Mississippi State University, Delta State University, Heartland Catfish, Viking Range Corporation, MCI WorldCom, US Army Corps of Engineers, Nissan North America, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Marriott Corporation, Birmingham Steel (now Nucor Steel), and GoldKist. Malouf has also completed a host of other education, industrial, institutional, and commercial facilities for both public and private entities.

He is a member of the Mississippi and Southern Economic Development Councils, and through his employer, active in the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, Mississippi Economic Council, several chambers of commerce, and various trade associations and organizations.

Tyner lives in Clinton, MS and is married to the former Joy Triggs (MSU, Class of '86) of Yazoo City. They have two daughters, Perry, a ninth grader at Sumner Hill Junior High and Molly, a sixth grader at Lovett Elementary.

Gerald A. Mumma has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Mississippi State University, Mississippi where he worked under Dr. Albert J. Allen and graduated in 2000. After graduating, Dr. Mumma joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a post-doctoral fellow in the Prevention Effectiveness (PE) Fellowship. The PE Fellowship is intended to build and strengthen CDC's capacity and expertise in quantitative policy analysis.

Dr. Mumma works as an economist with the Prevention Effectiveness Health Economics Branch, CDC, and has led the Steven M. Teutsch Prevention Effectiveness (PE) Fellowship since July, 2002. From July 2000-2002, Dr. Mumma was assigned to the Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC as a PE Fellow. He worked on research and projects dealing with food and water safety economics and served as the branch's in-house consultant on food and safety economics issues. Dr. Mumma has served as a CDC consultant to the World Health organization (WHO) on the economics of Buruli Ulcer disease and on the economics of Public Health Laboratory Networks, CARE-Kenya on the economics of the Safe Water System (SWS). At CDC, Dr. Mumma is a member of the core group that teaches economic evaluation to CDC staff, Epidemiology Intelligence Officers, state and county Departments of Health.

For 2 years prior to joining the PE Fellowship, Dr. Mumma taught micro- and macroeconomics as a visiting professor at Mississippi University for Women and worked as a teaching and research assistant at Mississippi State University and Alabama A&M University from where he received two Master of Science degrees. His research interests are in health improvement and behavioral economics especially with respect to methodology, interventions, and statistical issues, econometrics, statistics, spatial statistics and most applied economics areas. He has several publications in refereed journals, proceedings, and numerous research abstracts, papers, and poster presentations at professional meetings in areas ranging from food safety economics, transportation economics, and quality and system assurance. Dr. Mumma was born on January 15, 1964 in Sigoti, Kisumu, Kenya-Africa.

A 1983 graduate of Mississippi State University, Larry Clarke was recently named senior vice president and general manager of Bunge North America’s Oilseed Processing Division. The promotion is the latest in a long line of positions Larry has held since he joined Bunge immediately after graduating. While earning his degrees in Agricultural Economics and Business Statistics and Data Processing, Larry served as an assistant to Dr. Earl Stennis and his graduate students.

Larry’s first job with Bunge, the world’s leading oilseed processor, was as a junior merchant at the company’s facility in Marks, MS. His responsibilities continued to grow until Larry eventually oversaw all export and domestic sales of soybean meal, hulls and oil for Bunge North America. Following the company’s acquisition of Cereol and its subsidiary, CanAmera Foods in 2002, Larry moved to Canada where he was general manager of CanAmera Foods and Bunge Canada.

In his new role, Larry will oversee Bunge North America’s Oilseed Processing Division, which is the second largest soybean crusher in the U.S. and the largest canola processor in the world. He also becomes a board member of the National Oilseed Processors Association.

A native of Greenwood, MS, Larry will live in St. Louis, MO, where Bunge North America’s headquarters is located.

Bill Hawks is the Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hawks was elected to the Senate in 1994 and remained there for five years. He was nominated by Senator Thad Cochran to be Deputy Secretary, but was given the position of Undersecretary by President George W. Bush. He became Undersecretary in May 2001. Aside from his government positions, Hawks is a farmer. In the 1980's, he co-owned Sunbelt Land and Timber Company, Inc. He currently owns Hawks Farming, which grows corn, wheat, and soybeans. He also owns DeSoto East, Inc.

Hawks is also active in many farm organizations, such as American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, Mississippi Soybean Association, and others. He helped begin the Mississippi Feed Grains Association and the Mississippi Corn Growers Association. The Mississippi Corn Growers Association worked on the 2002 Farm Bill that helped U.S. corn growers and generated more stable markets. He was a keynote speaker at the 2003 Delta Ag Expo in Cleveland, MS, and the 2003 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Biloxi, MS.

Hawks was born November 22, 1944 near Oxford, Mississippi. He graduated from MSU's Ag Econ Department with his BS in 1968 and MS in 1970.

After graduating from MSU with a Master of Agribusiness Management in May 1998, Sandy began working for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. She is the Branch Director of Sales and Marketing for the Museum. She oversees and coordinates special events and is responsible for renting the Museum facilities for banquets, receptions and conventions. She is also responsible for helping promote the city of Jackson as well as the state of Mississippi’s agriculture history to tour groups all over the country. Sandy is also involved with the Mississippi Development Authority on how Mississippi farmers can take advantage of the new industry in our state “Agritourism”. This is an added dimension for farmers to take advantage of tour groups wanting to experience real farm life.

Sandy is from Bolton, MS. She also received a B.S. degree in Poultry Science.

Richard Scott Parsons is currently Chief of Staff to Commissioner Jim Newsome, Chairman of the Commissioners of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in Washington, DC. Formerly, Parsons was part of the legislative staff of Representative Chip Pickering. He joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as Policy Advisor in 1998. In 2001, when Jim Newsome was appointed Chairman of the CFTC, Parsons was chosen to serve as Chief of Staff.

Parsons oversees the daily operations of the CFTC. Part of his job is meeting with other Commissioners and speaking about the Chairman's views on acts and regulations. He also acts as a spokesman for the Chairman on major issues.

Parsons is originally from the town of Vance, MS. He graduated from MSU in December 1996 with a Masters in Agribusiness Management. Parsons, his wife Erin, and three-year-old daughter Rae Elizabeth live in Arlington, VA. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and golf. He is also a fan of college football.

James E. Epperson graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1977. While working on his degree, he was a graduate research associate at the Agricultural Economics Department. After graduating, he began a career at the University of Georgia that included work as an assistant professor, associate professor, and graduate coordinator. For several years, he also served as a visiting scientist at CIAT in Colombia and a visiting professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. He is currently a professor at the University of Georgia's Agricultural & Applied Economics Department.

Graduate courses he has taught include Agribusiness Management, Topics in Agricultural & Applied Economics (Agricultural Finance), Livestock Marketing, Special Readings in Agricultural Economics (Agribusiness Management), and Special Readings in Agricultural Economics (Quadratic Programming). Undergraduate courses he has taught include Agribusiness Management, Agribusiness Marketing, Economics of Agricultural Marketing, Intermediate Economic Principles (Microeconomics), Macroeconomic Theory, Livestock Marketing, and Economics of Agriculture: Theory of the Firm.

Dr. Epperson's publications are too numberous to list. He has presented papers on a variety of subjects related to Agricultural Economics at locations across the country.

Dr. Epperson belongs to the following organizations: American Agricultural Economics Association, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, Georgia Agricultural Economics Association, and Food Distribution Research Society. He has recieved grants as large as $650,000 for his research in Agricultural Economics. Dr. Epperson has also recieved numberous awards. In 1979, he recieved the Top Research Grant Recipient Award from the Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Georgia. In 1999, he recieved the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research. In 2003, he recieved the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award from the Graduate Student Association at the University of Georgia.