Soji Adelaja is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and Founding Director of the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University. He holds joint faculty appointments in the Departments of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics; Geography; and Community Sustainability. Adelaja previously served as the Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dean of Cook College, Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, all at Rutgers University before coming to Michigan State in 2004. Adelaja is a renowned team builder and widely recognized for his ability to direct faculty expertise toward pressing issues facing government and industry, and for developing and managing numerous university-public partnerships in the areas of public policy and economic development. He is internationally renowned for his work in land and agricultural policy, food industry development, emerging market structures, economy and national security, innovation transfer for economic development, strategic growth and place making. He is widely published in leading journals and is the author of numerous policy reports. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from MSU in 2011, amongst other recognitions. Adelaja received his B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University, dual Master’s degrees in Agricultural Economics and in Economics from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from West Virginia University.
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