Laura Taylor Reappointed Chair of the School of Economics

Posted June 27, 2023

Professor Laura Taylor has been reappointed to a second five-year term as chair of the School of Economics, effective July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028.

The reappointment follows a five-year comprehensive review required by the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook. The comprehensive review evaluated the progress of the School under the chair’s leadership, provided an opportunity for constructive input from the faculty and other constituencies, and reviewed the professional contributions and performance of the chair as a leader and administrator. The review committee conducted a thorough assessment complemented by feedback from the School and community including students, faculty, and staff; the Board of Advisors of the School of Economics (BASE); and other school stakeholders.

The review committee included:

• Peter Thompson, Hal and John Smith chair in small business and entrepreneurship and professor, Scheller College of Business (chair)
• Willie Belton, associate professor
• Justin Burkett, associate professor
• Daniel Dench, assistant professor
• Mikhail Klimenko, associate professor
• Haizheng Li, professor
• Davis Palubeski, academic advisor II
• Christine Ries, professor
• Olga Shemyakina, associate professor and director of doctoral programs
• Aselia Urmanbetova, academic professional and undergraduate teaching coordinator

“We are delighted that the School of Economics will continue to thrive under Dr. Taylor’s outstanding leadership,” says Kaye Husbands Fealing, dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

“It’s been an honor to help the School of Economics evolve and flourish,” Taylor says. “We’ve significantly expanded our faculty, created new minors and master’s programs, and more than doubled the number of students in our economics major. We also earned top 10 rankings for our master’s in economics and STEM designations for our degrees.”

“Alongside this growth, we’ve worked to cultivate a diverse and welcoming community in the School. Half our faculty are now women and other underrepresented groups in our field,” Taylor adds.

Taylor joined Georgia Tech as a tenured professor and chair of the School of Economics in 2018. Prior to that, she was a professor of agricultural and resource economics and director of the Center for Environmental and Resource Economic Policy at North Carolina State University.

A former member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board, her research focuses on policy evaluation and the valuation of natural resources and the environment. Her research has received funding from a variety of sources including the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Interior, and the National Science Foundation.

Earlier this year, Taylor was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine standing committee on the Use of Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions. She is also a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

Taylor earned a Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University, a Master of Economics from Duke University, and a Bachelor in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.