A WVU regional economist and economic policy expert will contribute to research on United States rural prosperity through a yearlong collaboration with a Washington think tank.
Heather Stephens, director of the WVU Regional Research Institute and professor of community and economic development in the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, has been appointed a nonresident senior fellow with the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit organization that conducts nonpartisan research focused on improving policy.
David Satterfield, Research Office interim associate vice president, called the appointment “a significant honor and recognition for Stephens and WVU,” as well as an important opportunity for research focused on the issue of rural development.
“Dr. Stephens’ scholarship around the impact of policies across regions encompasses essential questions related to energy, the environment, entrepreneurship, health and growth,” Satterfield said.
“At the Regional Research Institute, she leads interdisciplinary studies that integrate cutting-edge methodologies with a real commitment to workforce development and a deep understanding of rural economies like ours here in West Virginia.”
Stephens will build on her past collaborations with Brookings scholars on issues related to regional economic vitality, including on new research addressing the recently announced bipartisan Brookings-American Enterprise Institute Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity.
“I’m honored to have been selected as a nonresident senior fellow by the Brookings Institution,” Stephens said. “It’s an opportunity to be at the table in national discussions about how we create sustainable economic growth that recognizes that economic policies affect regions differently. It is exciting to be thinking specifically about ensuring that policies take into account the unique attributes of rural areas.”