George Norton

 George Norton and his wife Marjorie served in the Peace Corps in Colombia from 1971 to 1973. He holds a B.S. degree from Cornell University and an M.S. and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in agricultural economics. He is currently a professor of agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech. Before moving to Virginia Tech in 1980, he spent three years assisting the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe in South Dakotawith tribal farm planning. At Virginia Tech, he teaches courses on agricultural development, advises graduate students, and conducts research on the social and economic impacts of agricultural technologies and other development interventions. Much of his work is interdisciplinary, and part of it seeks to develop environmentally sustainable solutions to crop pest problems. He has worked in 40 countries, and works two months per year in rural areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He loves to advising students, gardening, jogging, and watching Virginia Tech sports. He lives with Marjorie in Blacksburg, VA.