Geyer To Be Head Of Ag And Applied Econ; Myers Retiring

BLACKSBURG, Va., Dec. 4, 2002 -- Leon Geyer, professor of environmental and agricultural law, will assume the leadership of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics on Jan. 1, announced Andy Swiger, Virginia Tech's dean of agriculture.

Geyer will replace 10-year department head Lester Myers, who is retiring.

"Dr. Geyer has outstanding qualifications based on his productive years of teaching, outreach, and research; his leadership role in the academic programs of the department; and his extraordinary record of participation in college and university governance," Swiger said.

Geyer, who joined the faculty in 1981, conducts research in law and economics, working in areas such as the environment, commercial law, business organization, taxation, and tort problems of the farm and commercial sectors. Dr. Geyer retains a production interest in agriculture with a partnership interest in Indiana with a college friend. He also teaches in and directs the state's largest tax practitioners work shop.

Before coming to Virginia Tech, Dr. Geyer worked as an economist and attorney for USDA and for the House Committee on Agriculture in the U.S. Congress. He is currently adviser to the university's undergraduate honor system; past president of the faculty senate; and past president of the American Agricultural Law Association. He is a past recipient of the outstanding research award of the American Agricultural Law Association.

Myers led the department since joining the faculty at Virginia Tech in 1992.

"Dr. Myers' outstanding leadership has been instrumental in maintaining the department's national reputation for excellence," Swiger said.

During Myers' tenure as department head, the department has solidified its position as a highly valued resource for statewide and national commodity groups, government officials, and others. Myers provided leadership for the development of a Ph.D program jointly administered with the university's Department of Economics and led the department to membership in the School for Public and International Affairs, Swiger said.

Throughout his career Myers has taught courses on consumer demand, food marketing, econometrics, and agricultural policy. He previously served as a director of the American Agricultural Economics Association, co-chaired a USDA Committee on Nutrition Education Program Evaluation, and currently serves as president-elect of the Southern Agricultural Economics Association.