Associates and Collaborators
J. Edward Taylor
Adjunct Consultant
J. Edward Taylor is a professor at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, since 1996- (Joined Department as Assistant Professor in 1987).
His teaching and research are in the areas of Economic Development, Population and Resources; Labor Economics; Economy-wide Modeling; and Applied Micro-Econometrics. He teaches the Ph.D. field course "Agriculture in Economic Development" emphasizing household, village, and economy-wide modeling. At the undergraduate level, he teaches microeconomic theory, development economics and econometrics.
His research is concentrated in population, microeconomic development, and farm labor. The core of his work in microeconomic development has been the application of household-farm modeling techniques to the study of a range of economic problems in less developed countries, including internal and international migration, the adoption of new agricultural technologies, preservation of biodiversity, and nutrient demand.
More information
Anubhab Gupta
Economist
Anubhab Gupta is a PhD candidate in Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) at the University of California (UC), Davis..
Before starting the PhD program at Davis, he obtained a master’s degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and one in Applied Economics at the University of Arizona. Gupta’s research interests are on economy-wide impacts of development and agricultural programs with focus on structures and supply management in agricultural markets. He has conducted fieldwork in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Gupta’s research have been published in academic journals like PNAS, World Development, Economic Letters and European Review of Agricultural Economics, and appeared in media outlets such as the BBC, Harvard Business Review, the Independent, and Public Finance International among others. He has consulted for United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and World Food Programme, Tanzania Gatsby Trust and International Water Management Institute.
Gupta is a recipient of several research awards and fellowships, and received the UC Davis Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching award of 2017-18. His website is: www.anubhabgupta.com.
Shenica S. Nelson
Business Developer
Shenica S. Nelson, M.S. is an International Business Consultant and Published Author specializing in Small Business Research and Change Management Practices. Shenica is known for her strategic ability to assist consultants with scaling up and building a solid industry-specific infrastructure necessary to sustain growth. Shenica’s mission is to build sustainable businesses and programs worldwide, utilizing competences in Change Management and Organizational Development.
Shenica’s research includes business analysis, organizational development, cultural intelligence, change management, diversity and inclusion, and administrative support! Shenica has successfully composed content and literature for corporations, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations, creating a guide to assist business owners and board members with a methodology leading to sustainability and profitability. Shenica has over 15 years of experience working with high-level state and federally funded programs, over 10 years of experience working with new and emerging business leaders, and 3 years contracting with Multi-National Organizations. Shenica, alongside her husband, a United States Retired Air-Force Veteran founded SOPH Consulting in 2016, an International Business Consulting Firm providing solutions to new and emerging business owners and Organizational Development to Small-Midsized Corporations. Shenica is a current Doctoral Student at Alliant International University pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration offered by The California School of Management and Leadership Development. Shenica obtained a Master of Science Degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Capella University and received a Certificate from Yale University studying the Science of Wellbeing.
Heng Zhu
Economist
Heng Zhu is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) at the University of California, Davis. Heng Zhu obtained a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Merced.
Heng has worked as a consultant with the International Fund of Agricultural Development. Heng Zhu’s research interest includes development economics, labor and migration, and applied economics. Heng has professional experience working as a research assistant through The World Food Programme HGSMP- Kenya Project and World Food Programme Refugee LEWIE Project in Uganda. Heng Zhu is a contributor to two publications, “Efficacy of Decisions under Membership Heterogeneity and Government Regulations: Insight from Farmer Cooperatives in China”, and “Short-term Effects of India’s Demonetization on the Poor” both published in 2018.
Heng Zhu CV
Alexander Gelber
Adjunct Consultant
Alexander Gelber is a tenured Associate Professor at the UC San Diego Department of Economics and School of Global Policy and Strategy, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Gelber's research concerns public finance, particularly issues relating to taxation and social insurance. His work has been published in leading academic journals including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, and New England Journal of Medicine. In some cases, his work has involved program evaluations of public programs in which eligibility has been randomized across applicants. He is a Co-Editor at the Journal of Public Economics and an Associate Editor at the Journal of the European Economic Association. His work has been supported by external grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Social Security Disability Research Consortium, Social Security Retirement Research Consortium, Sloan Foundation, Sandell Foundation, and Upjohn Institute. He was an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2012. He was at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy from 2013 to 2018, receiving tenure there in 2017.
During 2012 to 2013, Gelber served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Treasury Department, and in 2013 he served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Acting Chief Economist at Treasury. He has also served as a consultant on economics, data analysis, and public policy in various contexts.
Gelber earned an A.B. magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa and a Ph.D. in economics, both from Harvard. He has received a number of honors including the U.S. Treasury Meritorious Service Award and the National Tax Association Musgrave Prize.
Mateusz J. Filipski
Adjunct Consultant
Mateusz is an Assistant Professor in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department at the University of Georgia (Athens, GA).
His research focuses on rural developing economies and covers topics including poverty, migration, rural transformation, and program evaluation. Prior to joining UGA, he spent five years working as a Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, D.C.
Mateusz J. Filipski CV
Dennis P. Petri
Policy Analyst
Political scientist, international consultant and researcher. Executive Director of the Foundation Platform for Social Transformation. International Director of the International Institute for Religious Freedom. Founder and scholar-at-large of the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America. Associate Professor of International Relations and Head of the Chair of Humanities at the Latin American University of Science and Technology (Costa Rica). Adjunct Professor of International Negotiation and Research Methods at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (UNESCO). Previously, he worked for the Interamerican Center for Social Security Studies, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Open Doors International, the European Office of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress in Costa Rica, the Economic and Social Council of the Netherlands, and the Strategic Research Program of Bolivia. PhD in Political Philosophy from VU University Amsterdam. Master in Political Science from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris (Sciences Po) and Research Master in Comparative Politics specializing in Latin America from the same institution. Excellence Scholarship from the French Government (2005-2010). Visiting scholar at the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Bar-Ilan University (Israel) and Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford (UK). As a Mexican-Dutch author, he has published on freedom of religion, religion and politics, social dialogue, parliamentary reform and democracy assistance. He has testified in the parliaments of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Mexico, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Momir Blazek
Graphic Designer
Momir Blazek is a distinguished Graphic Design Artist working with high-level Magazine Production Companies and Best Selling Authors. Momir works closely with Nonprofit Agencies and since 2014, he designed the Charity Campaigns for Croatian Caritas reaching more than 300.000 children each year.
Momir has extensive experience leading teams successfully through his experience as the National Director of STEP, CEO of Publishing House, and has been the head of several graphic design departments. Momir has noted experience as a Conference Organizer and is currently serving as a Board of Director Member for several nonprofit organizations.
Momir Blazek CV
Noemi Mena Montes
Communications Director
Noemi Mena Montes is a journalist with a PhD in Political Communication and an expert on migration and intercultural communication. She has ten years lecturing experience in BA and MA courses in Journalism, Communication and Political Communication at Leiden Webster Campus, Erasmus University, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Universidad de Salamanca and as a visitor scholar at Tel Aviv University, ASCoR (UvA) and the Free University (VU) in Amsterdam.
Previously, she worked as a radio journalist in Spain, as a freelance correspondent-researcher in the Middle East, and as a communication advisor for a European political foundation. In 2011, she received the Spanish National Award for best research on Migration Studies in 2011 (Premio Santo Padre Rubio), as well as a prize for the most read article by Latina Communication Journal (2014).