Biography: Dr. Lisa D. Cook is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and in International Relations (James Madison College) at Michigan State University. Among her current research interests are economic growth and development, financial institutions and markets, innovation, and economic history. As a Senior Economist at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during the 2011-2012 academic year, Dr. Cook worked on the euro zone, financial instruments, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Biography: Prior to his doctoral studies, Professor Eric Crawford worked on rural and agricultural development programs in Kenya for five years, initially as a Peace Corps volunteer. He joined the department at Michigan State in 1979 as an assistant professor focusing on international agricultural development. His recent research has covered the evaluation of agricultural research impacts, determinants of farm productivity and investment, benefit-cost analysis of alternative strategies for promoting improved input use, and linking farm household models with climate change and crop models. From September 1992 through September 2006 he served as Associate Chairperson and graduate program coordinator. Since 2006, he has served as Co-Director of the Food Security Group within the department. He is also currently Director of MSU’s Global Center for Food Systems Innovation, and is a Co-PI on several international projects including the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy, the Tanzania Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI), and the Borlaug Higher Education Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) program.

Biography: Connie Currier, DrPH, MPH, is Assistant Professor and advisor for the Program. She is responsible for coordinating international and domestic practicum/field experiences for students, as well as developing and teaching global public health-related courses targeted at MPH, medical, undergraduate, and high school students. Her graduate degrees are from the University of Michigan: the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in health policy; and a joint Master of Public Health (MPH) in both Population Planning and International Health, and Public Health Policy and Administration. Dr. Currier’s teaching and research interests focus on the values of social justice and cultural competence as essential to good public health practice. She believes preparing students with knowledge and skills in these areas is essential to enable them to successfully address the increasingly complex global public health challenges they will face as they enter the workforce. 

Biography: Dr. Donovan is an Associate Professor in International Development in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, having joined MSU in 1999.  She has been involved with research, training and outreach in developing countries since 1981, including research positions with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and the West African Rice Development Association (WARDA, now known as Africa Rice) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. Dr. Donovan is currently Deputy Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Collaborative Research for Grain Legumes(Legume Innovation Lab and a member of the Core Faculty of the African Studies Center at MSU.  She has extensive experience in West, East, and Southern Africa, as well as Asia and Latin America.

Biography: Philip Uko Effiong has been teaching at the college level for over 20 years and holds a PhD in Drama from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He received his Master’s in Literature of the African Diaspora and Bachelor’s in English, both from the University of Calabar, Nigeria. Prior to joining Michigan State University (MSU) in the Spring of 2018, Philip taught drama, fiction, nonfiction, orature and writing at the University of Calabar, Nigeria; Regent University College of Science and Technology, Ghana; the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the University of Tennessee, Martin; the University of Delaware, Newark; Lincoln University, Pennsylvania and Morehouse College, Atlanta. He is also on the faculty of the University of Maryland University College where he teaches online classes in drama and African American literature. With a growing interest in interdisciplinarity, Philip teaches theatre, literature and history classes at MSU. His research interests also crisscross multiple disciplines and include: dictatorships and divine masks; influences of European drama and Greek tragedy on African and African diasporic drama; war literature, particularly wars fueled by religion; misrepresentations of Fela Kuti and his music; postcolonial and post-apartheid African literature; historic narratives that redefine Africa; the Maroons of Jamaica; Biafra and the creation of a new diaspora; the African diaspora in India and the Philippines; and the oral tradition. As a writing consultant, Philip has written documents covering development and healthcare for nonprofit, governmental and business organizations. He has also worked in information technology as an Oracle programmer.