George Davis, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, has been named interim department head, effective Aug. 1. He succeeds Matthew Holt, who recently accepted a job as the dean of Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences.
“We wish Matt all the best in his new endeavor and thank him for his outstanding leadership of the department over the past seven years,” said Alan Grant, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We are delighted that George has stepped in to provide steady, seamless leadership until a new head is appointed.”
Davis, who joined the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2007, has served the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics as associate department head since early last year. He also holds an affiliated appointment in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise.
Davis teaches courses in food and health economics and food systems at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
His research and teaching focus on food and health economics. He works on many issues related to food and nutrition, including using more informative measures of “food poverty” to evaluate how well individuals are reaching nutrition targets and the differences across socioeconomic and demographic groups. His primary emphasis is on understanding how time allocation choices impact people’s diet quality and nutrient intake and ultimately affect the success of government-led nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.
“I feel quite blessed to be in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and to work with such talented faculty and staff,” Davis said. “Matt Holt did a fabulous job as department head and began much-needed initiatives during his tenure. My singular goal is to simply continue the momentum Matt has started and to strive to help the department reach its full potential.”
The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics is ranked in the top 10 percent worldwide of institutions in the field of agricultural economics. The department offers two bachelor’s degrees, in-person and online master’s degrees, a Ph.D. in economics, and several certificate programs. Students can focus on areas including agribusiness management; community economic development; veterinary business management; environmental economics, management, and policy; international trade and development; and food and health systems economics.
Holt joined Virginia Tech as a professor and department head in 2017. Among his many accomplishments are helping launch the department’s online Master of Science in agricultural and applied economics and its Data Science for the Public Good program and serving as co-leader for Virginia Tech Advantage, a key campus initiative on access and affordability. He begins his new position at Clemson on Sept. 1.
Davis grew up on a dairy and row crop farm in South Carolina. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics at Clemson University and his Ph.D. in economics and statistics at North Carolina State University.