College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Community Sustainability

Hometown:  Berrien Springs, MI

Advisor:  Dr. Maria Claudia Lopez

Andrew’s research focuses on institutional and economic issues related to sustainable international development, with a focus on agriculture and food systems. Much of his research centers on improving policies for coffee productivity and increased farmer income in Rwanda and Burundi, where he has worked with the USAID-funded Africa Great Lakes Region Coffee Support Program. He also served as director of MSU’s Academy for Global Engagement, a program that provides early and mid-career MSU faculty opportunities to collaborate and conduct research internationally. He is currently a research assistant on the Identifying Leverage Points for Transformation in Urban Food Systems project in Flint, Michigan, and studies institutional and governance factors influencing Flint’s food system.

Prior to coming to MSU, Andrew was a Senior Program Officer at the Global Knowledge Initiative, a non-profit international development organization based in Washington, DC. There he built collaborative research networks and supported policy and strategy efforts in East and Southern Africa. Andrew has a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences from Andrews University, and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University.