Listening to the Diverse Voices of AAEA

As our current AAEA President Norbert Wilson put it so aptly last summer in his Presidential Address—what’s your story? In this webinar, we’ll hear from our panelists about their stories—where they are in their career now, how they got there professionally, and what experiences or forces shaped them and their career that might not be evident from their CVs or résumés.

When: Tuesday, May 2, 12:00 am – 1:00 pm (Central Time)
Format: Zoom
Agenda: Each panelist will be given approximately 10 minutes to share their story. Additional time is reserved for audience Q&A and moderator questions.
Panelists:

• Amy Ando, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Luis Peña-Lévano, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
• Sierra Howry, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
• Jason Bergtold, Kansas State University

Moderator: Alicia Rosburg, University of Northern Iowa

Note that space is limited. If at anytime you find out that you can longer attend the webinar, please email us at info@aaea.org to cancel so we may better accommodate pending registrations. Any pending registrants will be reviewed during the time of the webinar in the event there is room.

This webinar series was started in 2020 by the AAEA Mentorship Committee to provide an opportunity for AAEA members to share their diverse experiences, career paths, and backgrounds and for others to learn from their experience. Recordings of previous webinars in this series are available on AAEA’s YouTube channel (search within the channel for “diverse voices”).

AWARD-ICWAE Mentoring Program

Women Agricultural Economists in the Global South

Program Overview
The Mentoring Program for Women Agricultural Economists in the Global South is a collaboration
of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) and the International
Association of Agricultural Economics (IAAE) through its International Committee of Women in
Agricultural Economics (ICWAE).

AWARD and ICWAE build on their common vision to increase gender diversity in the agricultural
profession and strengthen the career advancement, professional success, and recognition for
women in the profession. Mentoring plays a pivotal role in achieving this common vision because it
is a powerful tool for developing unique skills and for leveraging and capitalizing on opportunities to
support personal and professional growth.

The two-year virtual Mentoring Program aims to equip women agricultural economists with the core
skills, networks, and practical resources to develop their careers, enhance their visibility and increase
their legitimacy and relevance. The Program targets:
Mentees - Women who have a PhD in agricultural economics and are currently working as
an agricultural economist. Priority to those with 3-5 years of work/research experience. In
addition, the Program targets women who are from the Global South (Africa, Asia, Middle
East, Latin America, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands) and are currently based in institutions
in the Global South.
Mentors – Agricultural economists with at least five (5) years of professional experience who are currently members of the IAAE or a regional agricultural economics professional association.

Program Structure
The Mentoring Program consists of three (3) components:
Mentoring Orientation Workshop (MOW) – This workshop provides the basis on which to build a
mentoring relationship. It will equip the participants with an understanding of the formal mentoring
process. The training provides a unique opportunity for both the mentors and mentees to get to
know each other better, share their ideas, and clarify the roles and expectations in the mentoring
process. The trainers will work closely with the mentoring pairs to explore how different factors
influence personal and working relationships to help them set a solid foundation for a successful
mentoring relationship. The MOW culminates with the development of a Purpose Road Map (PRM)
that will guide goal-setting and the critical steps to achieve them.

Mentoring in practice – These are working sessions organized regularly by the mentoring pairs –
Mentor and Mentee- to discuss and document progress, challenges, and achievements against the
goals set in the Purpose Road Maps. The sessions should culminate with the preparation of
articulated plans for onward mentoring (of the next generation of - aspiring - women agricultural
economists) and role modelling events.

Coaching program – These sessions will complement the ‘Mentoring in practice’ exercise. Facilitated
by AWARD trainers, the sessions will emphasize the personal and professional development agenda
of the participants that aligns with the program objectives.

Mentoring Orientation
Workshop (MOW)

Main objectives
- Understand the rationale and guidelines for a formal mentoring process
- Develop mentoring tools and plan monthly sessions
Duration: One-month online training sessions
- First cohort (15 Mentees and 15 Mentors) – May 09-31, 2022
- Second cohort (15 Mentees and 15 Mentors) – Nov. 1-30, 2022

Mentoring in practice
Key objectives

- Develop mutually beneficial and supportive relationships around their
professional capacities and interpersonal skills
Duration: 8-month virtual sessions
- First cohort (15 Mentees and 15 Mentors) – July 2022 to Feb. 2023
- Second cohort (15 Mentees and 15 Mentors) – Dec. 2022 to Aug. 2023

Coaching program
Main objectives

- Identify and access new choices and possibilities
- Draw up action-oriented plans to increase self-drive and influence
- Enhance ability to leverage opportunities and navigate challenges
Duration: 6-month virtual sessions with AWARD trainers
- First cohort (15 Mentees and 15 Mentors) – Aug. 2022 to Jan. 2023
- Second cohort (15 Mentees and 15 Mentors) – Jan. to June 2023

The Program will also entail a series of workshop trainings - on key research issues in agricultural
economics - which will be delivered throughout the Mentoring Program.

Program commitments
Each mentoring pair agrees to:
Participate together in the Mentoring Orientation Workshop to kick-start the Program
Develop a comprehensive Purpose Road Map for their mentoring relationship
Meet regularly at least once a month for about two 2 hours over an 8-month period
Communicate important updates and maintain high standards of professionalism
Attend Progress Review Meetings/Mentoring catch-ups for experience sharing
Participate in training and networking events

Mentees
Bring their knowledge to the discussions
Contribute to solving issues raised in meetings
Carry out the agreed action plan
Engage extensively in the individual coaching
Get ready to replicate mentoring skills

Mentors
Provide overall guidance and encouragement
Contribute to solving issues raised in meetings
Participate in the Program evaluation and review

Program benefits/outcomes
The two-year Program will focus on mentoring theory and practice as well as coaching. It is expected
that, through the engagement with content, processes, and activities, the selected women
agricultural economists (Mentees) will become more visible, relevant, and influential within the
wider economic community, and to the extent possible, within their institutions.

At the end of the Program, the following outcomes are expected:
Mentees
Increased level of self-confidence and motivation to perform
Visibility through enhanced communication skills
Clear road map for driving change and motivation for career growth
Increased ability to empower with inspirational experience and success stories

Mentors
Personal satisfaction to contribute to increasing the pool of women agricultural economists
Recognition of skills, knowledge and commitment to profession
Expanded professional networks, skills & knowledge transfer, and more exposure

Key dates – Cohort 1
March 1, 2022 Call for applications open
March 25, 2022 Call closes
Mar. 28 – Apr. 8, 2022 Selection process
April 11-15, 2022 Notification to the selected candidates and onboarding
April 18-30, 2022 Mentoring needs assessment and pre-course
May 6, 2022 Program orientation
May 9, 2022 Program launch

Key dates – Cohort 2
July 1, 2022 Call for applications open
July 25, 2022 Call closes
July 28 – Aug. 8, 2022 Selection process
August 11–15, 2022 Notification to the selected candidates and onboarding
August 18-30, 2022 Mentoring needs assessment and pre-course
October 2022 Program orientation
October 2022 Program launch

For more information, contact: icwaementoring@gmail.com

The Call for Applications is an online process. Please follow this link.
The Call for Expressions of Interest is an online process. Please follow this link.

Member Blog on the 2019 Developing Multidisciplinary Leaders Workshop

Written by: Diogo Souza Monteiro, Norbert Wilson, and David Zilberman

Most agricultural and resource economics departments belong to faculties or a college of Life Science. Some of the critical challenges of our time (climate change, renewable energy, sustainable food production, and food security) can only be tackled bringing together experts from different backgrounds and complementary expertise and skill sets. We work with colleagues from other disciplines. Some of our most impactful work merged economic concepts and ideas with knowledge and models from other areas fields of study, to solve some of the most important problems of present day. At the same time, economic training mostly emphasized concepts and principles, we are frequently evaluated by economists and our journals weigh heavily on economic sophistication. Young and mid-career scientists are challenged to address multi-disciplinary problems and develop multi-disciplinary agendas while at the same time meeting high quality economic research standards.

To address this problem, the AAEA Mentorship Committee proposed to organize a workshop to inspire Mid-Career colleagues to reflect on how to effectively lead teaching, research and outreach multi-disciplinary teams. This proposal was embraced and endorsed by the Mentorship Committee and the Board of AAEA. The workshop was held June 12-14, 2019, at Tufts University in Boston and joined 35 speakers and participants.

The workshop was structured in 5 main sessions covering: publishing, building multi-disciplinary collaborations, teaching and communication, writing grants, and reflecting on the multidisciplinary enterprise. The first session on publishing highlighted one of the contractions of modern academia. While funding bodies and several national and international organizations call for the integration of disciplines teams to tackle societal problems, the building block of most universities are disciplinary department. Institutions rely mostly on journals as the basis for evaluation of tenure and professorship progressions. In the case of agricultural economics, we have another dilemma: what are we? Some colleagues argued that agricultural economists are economists who work on agriculture. Therefore, the flagship journal of the discipline, The American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE), has to consist on economic approach and rigor. This doesn’t mean that the research cannot be multi-disciplinary, but it does mean that there needs to be an emphasis on an economic problem, and a contribution to the economic literature. The discussion suggested that there are some who view agricultural economics as an integrating discipline, and in selection of manuscripts for publication in major agricultural and applied economic journals relevance and problem solving should get as much weight as economic rigor.

Another session reflected and shared on building multi-disciplinary collaborations. Collaborating across disciplines requires opportunism, openness, courage and humility. It is difficult to conduct multi-disciplinary research but when opportunities emerge then one needs to be opportunistic and a risk taker. Multi-disciplinary research is especially risky in the beginning of the career, and all speakers in this session suggested that one needs to have a solid foundation in their discipline before venturing into others. The panelist also concurred that, insofar the disciplinary contribution and outputs is clearly recognized, there is no reason why multi-disciplinary collaborations cannot start before tenure. Furthermore, the most departments recognize contributions in multi-disciplinary outlets such as Nature, Science, or even Nature, Energy or Nature Plants in a portfolio towards tenure.

Teaching and communicating multi-disciplinary outputs to stakeholders is imperative but trying. Teachers are challenged to strike a good balance between breadth across disciplines and depth of knowledge. They need to figure out how much disciplinary knowledge students need and how to integrate knowledge across disciplines. Flexibility, patience, inclusion, generosity, simplicity, clarity, focus, and common sense are the ingredients for successful multi-disciplinary programs. Design of such programs requires communication and mutual respect across disciplines, with emphasis on the need and capacity of the learners.  Modern media tools can be very effective to enhance the quality of multidisciplinary programs. It is especially effective in communicating engineering and scientific knowledge and obtaining feedback from the students. The notion of life-long learning expands the range of potential students for multi-disciplinary research, and funders increase their opportunities to fund outreach programs that educate a diverse range of stakeholders.

On the second day the workshop had two sessions, the first one focused on Grant Writing. The key to success is to understand what the funders want, build a team that can work together and has complementary expertise. While diversity is often required, it is important the partners from different disciplines share a common vision. Then, it is important to give the team time to build the relationships and the proposal. It is highly commended to contact the funders and understand what they want. Also, it is important to write clearly for a non-specialist audience, as often the panel’s members don’t have the expertise and they are time pressured. Thus, it is critical to write for the reviewer, convincing her of the value of the research and the complementary of the team. Evaluation panel members are becoming savvier and required to identify the authenticity of a multi-disciplinary project proposal. They are able to identify whether the team is fully integrate and as a clear pathway to innovation or, rather, whether the team is cobbled together to try to get some money for the co-investigators to pursue individual projects. In short, there are increasing opportunities to bid for large multi-disciplinary. But a successful bid for such projects requires building a team with many disciplines, where the contribution of each member is clear and the roles of each member are well defined, and there is a comradery that allows for fair negotiation. A good grant has to follow the vision of the funding agencies and meet specified criteria for success. Therefore, reading and understanding the purpose of the funds is a key starting point. The proposal should provide a complete picture where the whole is greater than the parts by using flowcharts and visual devices to show how all the parts interact to create a reasonable and exciting plan.

In the final session of the workshop we learned from the career long experiences of some of our most esteemed colleagues. One of the speakers invited us to think of the long game, in other words understand that we have long careers and that we need to slowly, patiently and persistently build our expertise and network within and across disciplines. It is important to volunteer to teach small courses on our discipline to colleagues from other areas or stakeholders, as it gives as a platform to show our expertise and educate other on what we can bring to a project or collaboration. It is also critical to learn to be an active listener and be willing to admit ignorance. Another colleague in the final session taught us that the different disciplines are living in different worlds and have different interpretations of key concepts. For example, for public health scientists, a model is a creature like a mouse that is used for experimentation, and what we call a model is a conceptual framework. Other disciplines may not understand economics, and see economists as a glorified accountant, unaware of the capacity of an economist’s capacity to allocate resources, and develop institutions and policies to implement programs. Introducing basic concepts of irrigation and pest management in developing models to assess adoption of technology and optimized application of pesticides. Interaction with scientists helped to enrich the models and make them more relevant, and helped to obtain new sources of finding. More importantly, interactions with members of other disciplines and awareness of development through exposure to news and general media helps to identify new research and funding opportunities.

Call for AAEA Mentoring/Coaching Initiatives

The AAEA Mentoring Committee is now accepting proposals for mentoring and coaching initiatives.
A mentoring activity is defined as one where a senior member of the profession serves as an advisor on career decisions and challenges to a young or mid-career member of the profession. A coaching activity involves the development or improvement of specific skills, for example grant writing, new teaching methods, or engaging with industry in outreach activities.

The call is open to all AAEA members. The AAEA Mentoring Committee encourages collaboration across members, AAEA Sections, and also USDA regional groups to maximize participation and optimize the allocation of resources. AAEA expects to fund between 2 and 6 proposals in levels of $5,000-$10,000. The activities proposed and all expenses will need to be completed by the end of October 2019.

Selection criteria:

1. Clear description of the activity and justification of how it will benefit participants.
2. Number of beneficiaries
3. Structure of the programmed activity and quality of the speakers/mentors
4. Value for money

Proposal submissions should include:

1. A cover sheet with name of applicant; applicant’s mailing address, e-mail, and phone number; title of the project; abstract of the project; timing, duration, and location of the project; and amount of funding requested.
2. A project description, not to exceed five double-spaced pages, including the purpose, scope, implementation procedures, the individuals responsible for management of the project, date/timing of the project, and location of the project.
3. An itemized budget, indicating costs to be borne by the grant and funding provided by other sources, if any.

Proposals should be submitted as a single PDF file to Sinais Alvarado at salvarado@aaea.org by Friday, November 30, 2018, to ensure consideration for funding for the next year. Proposals will be reviewed by the AAEA Mentoring Committee, which will make recommendations to the Executive Board for action at the January 2019 Board Meeting.

View on the AAEA website: https://www.aaea.org/membership/mentorship-programs/call-for-mentoringcoaching-initiatives

2017 AAEA Early Career Professionals Workshop

Learn more online

Who

This Workshop is for Early Career Professionals (ECP) currently in a position in the academic or government fields.

When

May 31, 2017
7:00 am - 5:30 pm
          to
June 1, 2017
7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Where

Vail Marriott Mountain Resort
715 W. Lionshead Circle
Vail, CO 81657
(970) 476-4444

Cost

• Registration for the Event: $85
• Hotel Group Rate: $129

Registration has not yet opened. Please check back soon.

Topics

The ECP Workshop will help participants  in different aspects of their job, using experiences from those who are more seasoned in the field. Topics of interest include:

• Teaching
• Service: Learning when to say "NO"
• Grant Writing and Project Management
• Work-Life Balance
• Research and Publishing
• Extension and Outreach
• Successful Communication Strategies and Working with the Media
• Navigating Re-Appointment, Promotion and Tenure
• Advice on Careers Outside of Academia

Announcing the Mentorship Portal: Resources and Discussion Board

The Mentorship Committee is pleased to formally present the Mentorship Portal, launched at the 2016 AAEA Annual Meeting in Boston, during the Early Career Professional Networking Reception. The Mentorship Portal offers current AAEA Members access to Podcasts, Presentations, Articles, and even Handouts, covering a wide range of relevant topics. Check out the Mentorship Resources page within the portal to see items developed throughout the years. The Mentorship Discussion Board is an open forum for all AAEA members to ask questions about challenges they are encountering. This is a great resource for Graduate Students and Early Career Professional to seek insight from other AAEA members. Please view the Usage Policy here.

If you have or know of any resources that would fit well on the Mentorship Resources page, please send them to Allison Scheetz (ascheetz@aaea.org).

Call for Applications for the Mentorship Program: Mentee's & Mentors

 Mentee's

As a mentee, you are given the following opportunities to enhance your career:

• Identify successful mentoring connections.
• Gain professional support during career development, advancement and transition.
• Develop important relationships and contacts across AAEA, Academia and Industry.

As a volunteer mentor, you have the opportunity to share your knowledge, your experience, and your insights with the next generation of leaders working in applied economics and related fields. Mentors should have at least seven years of experience/tenure in their current profession and demonstrated excellence in their career. Past mentors have said:
“I think this program is great and I only wish I had a formal Mentor on my early days in the profession.”

“This has been a terrific opportunity for me and I am really enjoying it. As would be expected this has forced me to look at my own career and how I am working.”

“The great thing about this program is that you can spend as little, or as much time on it as you want.”

To apply to become a mentee, please fill out the AAEA Mentorship Program- Mentee Application by February 20, 2016.

Mentor's

The AAEA Mentoring Program promises to be an exciting and rewarding journey for all involved. We encourage all AAEA members to participate.

The ideal mentee must possess a strong desire to expand his/her professional knowledge and skills and demonstrate willing to invest in his/her own professional development. Mentee applicants should be in the early stages of their current career (years 1-5). Graduate students may apply if they plan to graduate and begin employment no later than September 2016.

For questions please contact Brian Mondragon Jones at (414) 918-3190.

To apply to become a mentor, please fill out the AAEA Mentorship Program- Mentor Application by February 20, 2016.

 

Early Career Mentoring Applications

The Early Career Mentoring program is taking applications this week. Seeking experienced persons who are interested in expanding their network in a professional development role. Also seeking early career mentees who wish to enhance their careers through the development of a dynamic mentoring partnership. We start with a workshop in San Francisco, Saturday July 25. Please sign up at:

http://www.aaea.org/membership/early-career-development/mentorship-program. Contact Vicky Salin for more information v-salin@tamu.edu

• What do you receive?

As a mentee, you are given the following opportunities to enhance your career:

1. Identify successful mentoring connections.
2. Gain professional support during career development, advancement and transition.
3. Develop important relationships and contacts across AAEA, Academia and Industry.

As a volunteer mentor, you have the opportunity to share your knowledge, your experience, and your insights with the next generation of leaders working in applied economics and related fields. Mentors should have at least seven years of experience/tenure in their current profession and demonstrated excellence in their career. Past mentors have said:

“I think this program is great and I only wish I had a formal Mentor on my early days in the profession.”

“This has been a terrific opportunity for me and I am really enjoying it. As would be expected this has forced me to look at my own career and how I am working.”

“The great thing about this program is that you can spend as little, or as much time on it as you want.”

• What is your commitment?

The 12 month commitment begins with a comprehensive matching process. Once partnerships are formed, a formal training and planning session with a professional facilitator from Dynamic Mentoring Connections will take place at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco on July 25, 2015.

The program encourages mentoring pairs to commit to a minimum of two meetings (email, phone, etc.) per month devoted to mentoring activities. Mentor pairs will determine the length and frequency of the mentoring meetings. A mid-year energizer webinar and year-end celebration will also be part of the program. Additionally, all program participants will be asked to complete program evaluations at mid, end, and 6 months after program completion.

There will be a small participation fee for mentees. We are estimating the fee for 2015 will be around $120 per participant.

Uma Lele Mentor Fellowship Award-Call for Applications

The AAEA Trust is now accepting applications for the first Uma Lele Mentor Fellowship Award! The Uma Lele Mentor Fellowship Award supports a mentorship relationship with a view to promote high quality research of a policy/problem solving nature in countries with food insecurity and environmental pressures. It is meant to promote collaboration between an early career scholar who is a citizen of and resides in a developing country and a distinguished mentor.

For more information about the award and how to apply visit the Call for Applications. Deadline to apply is October 7, 2013.

AAEA Trust Announces Matching Program

The AAEA Trust is pleased to announce a new matching program beginning! The AAEA has set aside $200,000 to be used over the next 5 years to provide up to four $50,000 matches to donations of $100,000 or more by a single donor. Matches are subject to Board approval, with preference given to unrestricted donations.

The newly established matching program provides an opportunity for donors to leverage their donation for the greatest impact. Additionally, the AAEA Trust is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, so depending on your individual situation donations may be tax deductible. For more information about the matching program or to discuss making an eligible donation to the AAEA Trust, please contact Kristin Ouweneel at kouweneel@aaea.org.

The Board has already approved matching funds under this program for a donation to the AAEA Trust. Uma Lele has made a very generous donation to the AAEA Trust to support a mentorship program for early career economists from developing countries. For more information, visit the Uma Lele Special Purpose Fund website. Members can provide further support to the mentorship program by donating to the Uma Lele Special Purpose Fund.

AAEA 2013 Mentorship Workshop

The AAEA Early Career Development Committee is pleased to announce that it is in the process of developing the 2013-2014 AAEA Mentoring Program. This is an excellent opportunity for members to enhance their careers through the development of a dynamic mentoring partnership. We are accepting applications to participate in the mentorship program until March 1, so please visit the AAEA website for more information and to register to be a mentor or a mentee.

New AAEA Mentoring Program, Call for Mentors and Mentees

AAEA is launching a new Mentoring Program and is looking for interested mentors and mentees to apply. The program will last for a year, but will start with a workshop in Seattle immediately preceding the 2012 Annual Meeting. Applications for both mentors and mentees are due by May 18, 2012.

A New Focus on Mentorship for AAEA

AAEA has recently made engaging younger members a priority in an effort to ensure the long-term stability of the association. This has resulted in initiatives including cheaper membership rates for graduate students, a new member type for young professionals, and the young professionals networking reception in Pittsburgh, which received quite a bit of positive feedback.