Featured Students
Rodney Brooks
Rodney Brooks is an M.S. student at the UGA Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. He received a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Fort Valley State University where he was a Thurgood Marshall Scholar and HOPE Scholar. He is a member of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
In the summer after his freshman year at Fort Valley State University, Rodney began an internship at the Brooks County Service Center with the USDA Farm Service Agency as a program technician. His internship continued until Rodney moved to Athens in the Fall of 2001 to begin work on his masters degree at UGA. The USDA then transferred Rodney to the Farm Service Agency in Athens where he continues to work fifteen to twenty hours per week in the administrative division which deals mainly with personnel, procurement and budget. With Rodney's education and background, his talents are also utilized in various other areas, including outreach.
Rodney has set career goals for himself after he obtains his masters degree. He hopes to find a secure job in financial services with a company that has opportunities for advancement. His ambition is to become the vice president of a division and at some point, open his own consulting firm. Rodney's goal is to be financially secure and to be able to give back to the community in which he grew up, Quitman, Georgia.
With school and work, Rodney's leisure time is quite limited; but when he has the time, Rodney likes to read newspapers and search the net. He is an "ultimate" fan of football and basketball. Rodney states that he "cherishes" the time he is able to spend with his wife, Shala, his six year old daughter, Druscila, his seven month old son, Rodney, Jr., and other family members.
Featured StaffDebra Belvin
Debra Belvin began employment in 1989 with the University of Georgia, Crop & Soil Sciences Department. Her work as Administrative Secretary focused on international agriculture working with the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP) under the Office of International Agriculture. In September, 1997, she transferred to Agricultural and Applied Economics. Debra provides office management for the day-to-day operations in Griffin, including everything from new hire orientations to procurement.
Debra has been married to her husband, Terry, for 26 years. They have one son, Terry, Jr. and two grandchildren, Dustin and Madison. A member of Second Baptist Church Griffin, Debra has served in various capacities including worship greeter, choir member, department director, teacher for middle school and children's Bible classes. In addition, Debra serves on the Board of Directors for The Caring House, a Christian pregnancy crisis center.
Debra and Terry work with the Sheriff's Council on Youth and serve as chaperons for the annual civic government tour escorting 300 sixth graders to Washington, DC each year. The annual trip includes visits to the Capitol to meet with district legislators to learn how the branches of government work. Debra enjoys travel and is an avid "Georgia Bull Dog" fan.
Marilyn Slocum
Marilyn Slocum has served the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the Griffin Campus for fifteen years in word processing. She is also responsible for data entry, graphics, posters, and Power Point presentations. She demonstrates skill and patience in preparing graphics and presentation materials. As section supervisor, Marilyn has seen many changes during her years of employment. In the beginning, there were two full-time employees and one part-time in word processing working on "Wang" workstations in the DOS format. Marilyn is now the only one working in word processing and stays "busy" with her work.
After raising her children, Marilyn returned to the work force in various jobs in New Jersey before moving to Georgia in August of 1986. She was employed by Thomaston Mills Town Office in Thomaston, Georgia before her employment at the University of Georgia in 1987.
Marilyn was active as a 4-H Club leader, worked with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts both in New Hampshire and New Jersey. Also, she served many years as a member and/or officer of the Parent-Teacher Association in both states.
Marilyn and her husband David, who is retired from professional Boy Scouting as Camp Ranger, have four children, fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They enjoy reading, gardening, movies, square dancing, camping and travel. Marilyn and her husband "love" to travel and have traveled extensively up and down the east coast. In the future, they plan to travel the entire continental United States in their truck and camper.
On February 7, 2003, Marilyn received a Certificate of Appreciation for fifteen years of Loyal and Dedicated Service to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Thank you Marilyn for your hard work and commitment.
Alice Pitts
After working 27 years at the same retail department store in management and approaching middle age, Alice Pitts decided it was time to make a career change. She wanted to search for a job that gave her weekends and holidays off so she would have more time to spend with her family. A friend informed her of a job opening at the Rural Development Center in Tifton. In July 1997, she started her new occupation as Senior Secretary with the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department at the Rural Development Center on the Tifton Campus. Her job responsibilities included answering the phone, making reservations for the economists, compiling travel reports, balancing travel budgets, handling mail outs, copying handouts for their meetings and other such secretarial duties. At that time she provided secretarial support for three economists. Since her employment, one of the economists retired and eventually three new economists joined the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department; so now she works for a total of five faculty members. The workload has increased with never a dull moment; however, she has been able to handle the additional increase so far.
"The faculty here are real understanding to work for and they do not try to overwhelm me with a lot of work all at one time." She continues, "I feel like one of my greatest responsibilies is answering the telephone and trying to accommodate the clientele on the other end." Alice has had to put into practice those customer service tactics she taught as a retail personnel manager. "After talking with these people so many times on the phone, you feel you know them well and develop a friendship but have never met them face to face" she said. She enjoys working with the employees at the RDC, as well as those in the county offices and on the Athens, Griffin and Statesboro campuses. "Everyone is always willing to help you with whatever challenge you have for them," she adds.
Alice has been married to Doug Pitts for 30 years. They have one married daughter, living in Jacksonville, FL and a son attending college in Valdosta. She enjoys being able to travel places with her family and especially traveling to visit her two grandsons. Outside of work, she is very active in her church where she has taught Sunday School for 15 years, sings in the choir, serves as a financial board member and is also in charge of doing the church bookkeeping.
Featured Faculty
Jack Houston
Jack Houston has been promoted to the position of Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Eighteen of Dr. Houston's thirty years of teaching and research experience have been devoted to UGA. In addition to teaching numerous classes, Dr. Houston initiated a research course and the department's first study abroad course which was in Mexico. He has advised departmental undergraduate clubs and an honorary fraternity, Alpha Zeta. Also, Dr. Houston has provided leadership for the African Studies Program, serving on its Steering Committee and as chair of its Outreach and Development Committee. He was instrumental in developing the African Studies Institute, which was recently approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
Dr. Houston plays an important role in graduate education in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. He has served as major professor and directed research for 24 graduate students and served on the advisory committees for numerous others. In the past decade, Dr. Houston has been chosen three times as the Outstanding Graduate Teacher by the department's Graduate Student Association. He served as the department's Graduate Coordinator in 1995 - 1998. His recruitment efforts were successful in attracting high quality graduate students, three of whom have recently won professional awards for graduate research.
Marketing of grain and oilseeds products and development and conservation of water resources are the main areas of Dr. Houston's research. He has developed strategies which reduce risks and/or increase profits for internationally traded agricultural products. He has provided leadership in sustainable international agricultural development and water quality and allocation issues, bringing valuable economic insights to multidisciplinary research addressing important water issues.
Dr. Houston received a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Washington in 1967 and a Ph.D. from Washington State University in 1984. He served as a volunteer instructor in the U.S. Peace Corp in Malawi, Africa. Before accepting a position at the University of Georgia in 1983, he was a lecturer and department head at the Colby College of Agriculture for the Government of Malawi, Africa, from 1970 through 1979.
Dr. Houston "loves to travel internationally and meet new people." He enjoys photography and is very active in the Athens United Soccer Club, which is the largest in the area. Dr. Houston's wife, Jacquelyn, is from England. Their daughter, Denise, was born in England and their son, Paul, was born in Malawi, Africa.
Steve Turner
Steve Turner has been promoted to the position of Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics. He is a gifted and effective teacher and has been recognized with numerous awards for his accomplishments. As the department's Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Turner provides effective leadership for curriculum development and management and student recruitment. He serves as advisor for the Agricultural and Environment Economics Club and the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Student Chapter. These clubs now rank among the most active and competitive clubs in the nation. Dr. Turner was elected by students in agricultural economics clubs nation-wide to serve as faculty advisor to the Student Section of the American Agricultural Economics Association.
Dr. Turner is dedicated to professional development and improvement of classroom teaching. In 2000 and 2001, he served as chair of the UGA Instructional Advisory Committee. He was one of the first Lilly Fellows and is now a Senior Teaching Fellow. In 2001, he was inducted into the university's Teaching Academy and has been a leader in the development of a national network of teachers of agricultural marketing.
Dr. Turner was named the department's Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher four times. He has received several college and university teaching awards, including the Agricultural Alumni Association Teaching Award, the D. W. Brooks Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Richard B. Russell Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, and the UGA Student Government Outstanding Teacher Award. In addition, he has received professional recognition through the American Agricultural Economics Association Outstanding Teaching Award and the Southern Agricultural Economics Association for Distinguished Professional Contribution for Teaching a Course.
Dr. Turner's applied research program addresses price analysis, electronic marketing, experimental economics, and the marketing of landscape plants and livestock. He has received special recognition for his work on the financial successes of utilizing various forms of telemarketing in the industry.
He received a B.A. in English Literature from Mercer University in 1975, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia in 1981 and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1986. Dr. Turner accepted a position as a faculty member in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics at UGA in 1986 and continues to lend his talents to the department.
In his leisure time, Dr. Turner enjoys reading, playing basketball, and yard and farm work. He teaches an adult Sunday School class at the Campus View Church of Christ. He and his wife, Jenny, have a seven year old daughter, Emily, and a four years old son, Clay. The family enjoys visiting Jenny's farm in Virginia and vacationing at the beach.
Rusty Brooks
Rusty Brooks has been promoted to the position of Professor. His public service efforts have focused on community and economic development. Dr. Brooks has been effective in helping Georgia's communities plan and implement sustainable economic development strategies. With the Cooperative Extension Service, he developed the highly successful Socio-Economic Perspectives program which provided data for effective community decision making in economic development.
In order to create a new rural economic strategy for Georgia, Dr. Brooks and Allan B. Moore established the Community Economic Development Program (CEDP) in 1993. The CEDP was a coordinated effort of the University of Georgia and other agencies to help Georgia communities develop effective strategies for economic development. The result was the establishment of many new firms, the expansion of existing firms, and greater economic activity and employment in numerous rural communities. Due to the program's success, Dr. Brooks was honored by the International Community Development Society with its special Award for Innovative Educational Programs in 2000. His work in Georgia along US 441, Georgia 316, and US 17 initiated an orientation towards corridor development strategies.
Until 1991, Dr. Brooks' was in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, where he worked on community development. He is currently the program coordinator for the International Center for Democratic Governance in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Since his work in economic development continues to be relevant to the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, his academic home continues to be with the department. His current research examines the economic benefits of developing the agricultural sector as a critical component of overall development strategies and endeavors to link cities to rural areas to create sustainability.
Dr. Brooks received a B.A. in Political Science in 1974 and an M.C.J. in Criminal Justice in 1975, both from the University of Alabama. In 1982, he received a Ph.D. in Sociology from UGA. He and his wife, Paula, have an eighteen year old son, Ty, a freshman at UGA, and a sixteen year old daughter, Kelsey, a sophomore at Cedar Shoals. They live on a farm and enjoy nature and their animals -- dogs, cats, and six horses. Dr. Brooks also enjoys gardening, travel, and "bush hogging with his tractor."
