AAEA Directors

Interim President

Catalina is an economist from Bogotá, Colombia, and holds a M.A. in economics from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogota and a MSc. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Alberta (UofA).

Catalina currently works at Alberta Environment and Parks as an Economist. Her previous work experience includes policy and market analyst positions with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA). Before starting her career with the provincial government, Catalina worked as a Research Assistant for the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology (REES) at UofA, as well as the Network Administrator of the Linking Agriculture and Environment Research Network (LEARN).  Other work experience under Catalina’s belt includes contracting work for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and knowledge extension with the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN) and the Alberta School of Forest Science and Management at UofA.

Catalina has been a volunteer with the AAEA since the spring of 2014.

email: solanori@ualberta.ca
ph: (780) 427-8820

Director

Dawn Trautman currently works at Livestock Gentec at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, as a Technology Translator. Her role involves technology and knowledge transfer for practical application in the livestock industry; liaising with industry, research, and funding agencies; market research and development; coordinating communications; and management of strategic performance indicators.

Dawn is an agricultural economist with a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and a M.Sc. in Agricultural and Resource Economics, both from the University of Alberta. Previous work at the Alberta Land Institute and the University of Alberta focused on the economic feasibility of on-farm adoption of beneficial management practices.

This is the second year that Dawn volunteers for the AAEA and she is in charge of sponsorship.

email: det@ualberta.ca
ph: (780) 492-4319

Director
Reg is an agricultural economist and holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture and a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology from the University of Alberta. Reg is a retired Professional Agrologist and principal of CFARM Communication, communicating food, agriculture and retail marketing policy, trends and opportunities. Previously, Reg was an Agrologist with CFARM Consulting working in the areas of Agricultural and Food Marketing and Management; he served as the Executive Manager of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists; was coordinator of the Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development 1993 Creating Tomorrow Policy Conference; and was the Administrative Officer and a lecturer in Agricultural Economics, Marketing and Food Retailing in the Department of Rural Economy, at the University of Alberta. Reg was the coordinator of the 1973 American Agricultural Economics Association Conference, has served as president of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, and was conference co-chair of the International Agricultural Economics Association’s 17th World Conference in 1979.

Reg is a founding member of the AAEA and has served as an AAEA director since 1984.

email: norby@shaw.ca
ph: (780) 436-0590

Director
Feng Qiu holds a Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University (NCSU). She graduated from NCSU and moved to Alberta in 2012, and has worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology at the University of Alberta since then.

Feng’s research focuses on land use economics, applied spatial statistics and time series, market and price analysis, and local food environment. Her present areas of focus include land fragmentation and farmland conversion, as well as the impacts of expanding irrigation network in southern Alberta on land use patterns. In addition, Feng is also working on a project investigating price risks and risk mitigation options in the post CWB era.

email: fq@ualberta.ca
ph: (780) 492-0816

Director

Mike works in risk management, info systems and business valuation fields. He is fascinated by the bio and information technology and social sciences, mainly Behavioral and Renewable Resource Economics. He helps entrepreneurs, clients in business, investment community, first nations, provincial and federal governments and is involved in several start-ups in Canada and Ukraine. Before coming to Canada in 2013 Mike worked as a Country Control Manager for AB InBev (Labatt Breweries) in Ukraine.

Mike holds a Masters in Agriculture and MBA from the University of Alberta, Chartered Management Accountant designation (ACMA/CGMA) from the UK/USA, Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) letters from the Institute of Internal Auditors (the USA) and Bachelor of Finance from Kiev National Economic University (Ukraine). He strongly believes in continuous development and education and therefore volunteers as a board member for several professional and educational institutions in Western Canada.

email: mvorona@serecon.ca
ph: (780) 448-7485