UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Professor and Chair Dr. Lisa House has been recognized as a 2026 Fellow – the highest honor of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA).
Long Term Involvement in AAEA
AAEA fellows are nominated and chosen for this prestigious recognition based upon continuous contribution to the advancement of agricultural or applied economics as defined by the AAEA vision statement.
“To be recognized with such a high honor by the association that has been a formative part of my career is especially meaningful,” House said.
Her involvement within the AAEA organization has spanned over 35 years, starting out as an undergraduate student within our own department, competing in the National Academic Quiz Bowl Competition at AAEA’s annual meeting. Since then, she has gone on to serve the organization in many roles, including on the Board of Directors.
“I attended my first meeting as an undergraduate student on the Quiz Bowl team, I presented my research as a graduate student, and as a new professor, I met so many colleagues (who became friends as well),” House said. “To this day, the AAEA meetings are one of my favorite things to look forward to each year – I get to see old friends and make new ones while learning about the newest advances in teaching, research, and extension.”
Championing Student Involvement
Whether within our own program, through her years advising the Gator NAMA team and her instrumental role in developing the new Davis Agricultural & Rural Entrepreneurship Program, or at the national level as a leader in the AAEA , Dr. Lisa House has consistently prioritized expanding and diversifying opportunities for students to become involved, hone their skills, and develop a passion for the field of agricultural economics.
Through her time as a member of AAEA she has also strived to champion new involvement opportunities to allow for students to become integrated into the organization just as she was through Quiz Bowl, as evidenced by her spearheading the establishment of the AAEA Graduate Student Case Study Competition.
“I wanted there to be an opportunity for more students to get involved, including the growing number of Master of Agribusiness students – so they could learn about the value of AAEA and professional associations,” House said. “I also enjoyed participating in competition teams as an undergraduate student and thought it would be fun for graduate students as well.”
Revolutionizing the Field of Food Economics
When it comes to her research program, Dr. House has been at the forefront of innovative research into consumer behavior for many decades, even being named to a UF Research Foundation Professorship from 2017-2020.
“As a food economist, I conduct research related to consumer behavior and the various challenges facing the agricultural industry to produce healthy food while predicting how consumers react to changing technologies and information,” House said. “My research program centers on consumers’ understanding of and willingness to pay for foods produced with different technologies and with different nutrition labeling and health information. I then use this information to try to inform the industry in the state on how to best speak to consumers about their products.”
In addition to serving as department chair, Dr. House is also currently the co-director of the Florida Agricultural Marketing Research Center (FAMRC). In all of her research, she emphasizes that a key component of success has been intentional collaboration with invested stakeholders throughout the entire research process: from ideation to experimentation.
“I remember being invited to lunch by one of our senior faculty, Dr. Tom Spreen, to meet with an economist from the Florida Department of Citrus,” House said. “At that meeting, I learned about the data they were collecting on consumer opinions and realized I had ideas on ways to learn more from the information they already had. That began a long-standing collaboration with the FDOC, where I work to conduct market research to help them meet consumer wants and increase profitability for Florida producers. That meeting shaped my future research focus. Realizing that I could conduct meaningful, rigorous work in agricultural economics, while also providing value to industry stakeholders, gave my research a deeper sense of purpose.”
Mentor to Many
Dr. House regularly shapes the experience of the students who come through the University of Florida Department of Food and Resource Economics programs at all levels.
At the undergraduate level, she has helped students find their passions in the program just as her own FRE professors were able to do for her.
“When I was a graduate student and I was presented the opportunity to teach a class, I decided to do it because I wasn’t sure I would enjoy teaching,” House said. “I’m so appreciative that I had that opportunity because I never knew how much I would get out of teaching. I especially like teaching introductory level classes, where you get to teach students about why our field is so exciting.”
In addition, Dr. House has also mentored countless graduate level students, serving on 121 Graduate Student Committees.
Yuan Jiang, currently a Senior Data Scientist Meta Platforms, Inc., reminisced about how Dr. House was “always good at sparking innovative research ideas,” but more importantly, remembered that “she treated me like a family member, giving me constructive suggestions, guiding me to the career I wanted, and becoming a lifelong mentor.”
This guidance is not limited to her students alone, as Dr. House has become known to many junior faculty and colleagues across the field as well for the advice and empathetic mentorship she is willing to provide.
When asked, she simply states that it is a way for her to give back to the field of agricultural and applied economics as much as she has been able to receive.
“As I matured (another word for aged), I started to have the opportunity to mentor junior faculty as well,” House said. “In my role as Chair, this opportunity expanded. Now I am in a position to help others embark on their careers as faculty, and hopefully inspire them to create research, teaching, and extension programs that not only contribute, but leave them as fulfilled as my career has.”
Steering FRE into the Next Century
Dr. House has displayed tremendous leadership not only at the national organization level and as a researcher and mentor, but also in constantly driving the UF/IFAS Department of Food and Resource Economics forward to new heights since she took on the role of department chair in 2019, including overseeing the hiring of over twenty new faculty members.
“Since I have been Chair of FRE, we have seen a number of exciting changes,” House said. “We have hired so many enthusiastic new and seasoned people who, together with our current faculty, have created a dynamic environment. It is fun to hear all the new research, teaching, and extension ideas and see the collaborations emergin across different groups of faculty.”
As her department celebrates its 100th anniversary this year with Dr. House at the helm, she sees the future as brighter than ever before.
“Through our recently re-established Leadership Council, made up of both program alumni and industry leaders throughout the state, we’ve been able to reinvigorate our commitment as a department to staying closely attuned to the evolving needs of our industry across teaching, research, and extension,” House said. “As we are set to launch the new Wayne T. Davis Agricultural and Rural Entrepreneurship program, I am looking forward to seeing how new avenues are formed to connect current and former FRE students. These connections, which have been the defining feature in our success over the past century, are stronger now than ever.”
Whether in her close collaboration with industry on research, tireless service to the discipline, mentorship of colleagues and students, or vision for the future of the UF/IFAS Food & Resource Economics Department, it is always from a collaborative lens, with careful thought taken into where and how her work may have the most impact.
As AAEA Fellow Dr. Keith Coble summarizes best, “Ultimately, Lisa cares about people.”
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