Dr. Artz earned her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from ISU in 2005. She holds a B.A. in economics from Yale University and a M.S. in resource economics and policy from the University of Maine at Orono. From 2005 to 2011 she was on faculty at the University of Missouri as an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics with a joint appointment in the Truman School for Public Affairs. She previously worked as an extension program specialist at ISU, researching and providing outreach programming on retail trade analysis, community economic development, agribusiness management, and cooperatives. She was awarded a New Professional Award for her work with ISU Extension in 2001. Dr. Artz’s research interests include rural economic development, rural labor markets, value added agriculture, agribusiness and cooperatives management, and entrepreneurship.