Dr. Aslihan Spaulding of Illinois State University has been selected for LEAD21, a program aimed at developing leaders within colleges of agricultural, environmental, and human sciences.
Spaulding will join a cohort of 90 selected individuals from institutions across the nation. “With each successive class, we have seen the benefits of providing these leaders with opportunities to focus on their personal leadership skills, goals, and style,” said LEAD21 Program Director Rochelle Sapp.
The program connects participants from land grant universities across the United States. Though Illinois State is not a land grant university, Spaulding serves as a representative for the Non-land-grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU), and is eligible as a strategic partner.
“Dr. Spaulding is a respected teacher, scholar, and leader and this program will further enhance her abilities and prepare her for future administrative roles in higher education,” said Dean Todd McLoda, head of the College of Applied Science and Technology. McLoda noted the program is highly respected for its facilitation of leadership skills among agriculture faculty members in the core areas of communication, conflict resolution, collaboration, and meaningful change.
Spaulding’s research interests include survey methodology, farmer and consumer behavior, and strategic agribusiness sales management. In 2021, her expertise in survey methodology contributed to a national team that received a five-year, $10 million USDA grant for a project titled “DiverseCornBelt: Resilient Intensification through Diversity in Midwestern Agriculture.”
Spaulding received a Ph.D. in agricultural economics, a master’s in economics, and a master’s in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor’s in economics from Bogazici University in Turkey. She joined Illinois State in 2003. Now serving as the interim chair of the Department of Economics, she has served many roles in the Department of Agriculture, including as the graduate program coordinator and the study abroad coordinator. Most recently, she was elected to serve on the board of directors of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
Learn more about the LEAD21 program on the LEAD21 website.
