Advancing Economics, Transforming Lives

April 2009

Graduate Alumni Updates

We’d like to hear from you!  Post your update at: http://aec.msu.edu/alumniform2.cfm

The department does not release full addresses or email addresses of alumni unless the information is specifically included in the text of an update submitted for this publication.

Kelly Harrison (Ph.D. 1967) is President of Kelly Harrison Associates, Inc. Kelly writes, “I'll be ending nearly 13 years of residency in Egypt where my company had several USAID projects and more recently part ownership and management of an exporting flower farm. My wife, Dina and I have had a home in Austin, Texas for the past five years. Looking forward to permanent USA living.”

Richard A. Benson (Ph.D. 1970) has retired as President of Caterpillar Global Mining.  He lives in Washington, Illinois. 

Geoffrey Swenson (Ph.D. 1973) works for the International City/County Management Association.  He writes, “I’m working on a USAID-funded Local Governance Support Program as the Field Operations Advisor. The program provides assistance to local governments in Finance, Budgeting, Planning, Local Councils, Civil Society Organizations for 62 local governments in 8 provinces.”

Augusto A. Cedeño De Gracia (MS 1976) is Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Panama.

Carlos Antonio Moreira Leite (Ph.D. 1981) is Full Professor in the Department of Rural Economy at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa in Viçosa, Brazil. 

Gerald D. Toland, Jr. (Ph.D. 1988) writes, “A warm hello to my friends, colleagues, mentors and fellow MSU Alums. I have been on the faculty at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) since 1990. I also taught economics at South Dakota State University during the 1980s. After 9 years as a department chair and interim dean, I have returned to a full-time teaching position at SMSU. Part of my schedule this semester allows me to teach macroeconomics. Given the state of affairs today, there is certainly much interest in this area of study. Take care, Gerry Toland.”

Eric Trachtenberg (MS 1990) is Director of the Agricultural Trade Office, U.S. Embassy, Beijing, China. 

Fernando Crespo Valdivia (MS 1991) writes “I’m now working with rural communities in agriculture development proyects in Bolivia, Perú and Ecuador as regional consultant for the Swiss Development Agency (COSUDE). Since 2001 I complemented my MS degree in Agriculture Economics with another Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration.

Juan Penaherrera (MS 2003) writes, “Since mid-2008 I’ve been working for Conservation and Development, which is a NGO in Ecuador, and member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). We develop projects to benefit small farmers through training in order to implement Good Agricultural Practices, create an Internal Control System, and strengthen associative marketing to link their farm production to specialty markets.” A summary of his thesis was published in an Economics Magazine of Ecuador called Gestión in October 2008.