AAE's Outstanding Seniors for Spring 2026

As we near the end of another semester, please join the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics (AAE) in congratulating the nominated Spring 2026 Outstanding Seniors!  These presented students accelerated in their university courses and heavily involved their time within the community. With another strong nominee pool this term, the department respectfully nominates Jacob Taylor and Tim Leavy. Read here about their exceptional academic and personal experiences, and their future endeavors! 

We want to wish each of our Spring 2026 graduating students the best of luck and opportunity in their future endeavors, and of course, remember to Bear Down, Wildcats! 

Jacob Taylor, Environmental and Water Resource Economics, Computer Science 

Jacob grew up in northern Arizona, experiencing the great outdoors with hiking, biking, and climbing; observing the beauty and scarcity in the ever-changing landscapes. He quickly became fluent in understanding the natural and unnatural fluxes of wildfires, droughts, and climate impact on biodiversity. 

Understanding this relationship and caring for the environment lead him to discover AAE’s Environmental and Water Resource Economics (EWRE) program here at the University of Arizona. He found that EWRE provided the “real-world problem-solving component and tangible policy impact.”  

He wrote, “The relationship between vulnerability and the natural resilience of these ecosystems is what drives me.” 

His decision to double major in EWRE and Computer Science was the binding moment. He claimed that computer science was exactly what he was looking for to provide the understanding of new technologies and data methods involved in research for environmental economics. Aside from his impactful courses, he found great linkage between his studies, boosting his involvement in university, community, and work activities throughout his undergrad career. 

Jacob said, “I personally think that the best land managers, climate researchers, environmental engineers, and so on, have one quality in common: they’re motivated and passionate about the place, the people, the experience, not just their job.” 

Jacob became involved as a research assistant in the Applied International Development Economics (AIDE) Lab as a second-year student. The AIDE Lab is led by two AAE faculty, Profs. Anna Josephson and Jeffrey Michler. During this lab position, he was able to build statistical analysis programs in software such as Stata and R to process agricultural economics data. He explained that his skills gained during his time with the AIDE Lab were opportune to his confidence and experience with other lab positions he held with the NAU Economic Policy Institute, Sonoran Institute, Biosphere 2 LEO, and others. 

Aside of university-related connections, Jacob networked within the community. He worked with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a case study author, documenting wildfire and climate adaptation strategies to then present his findings at the Society for Ecological Restoration Southwest Conference in spring 2025. 

Finishing his final year, Jacob is still an active member of the Epsilon Eta fraternity, where he founded and managed the chapter budget, led fundraisers, established a Natural Disaster Relief Fund and campus rainwater garden grant. He is also a part of the NASA Space Grant-HoverTEM team which has provided him the opportunity to develop a drone-base electromagnetic system for groundwater detection in Arizona and Mars applications. 

His plans after graduation include joining a federal agency, research, or non-profit, to “keep doing the kind of work that I’ve found so meaningful as an undergraduate – translating complex environmental data into products that can inform policy, communities, and the protection of the ecosystems we rely on.” While searching for his career job, he is also interested in beginning graduate research in environmental or resource economics involving water scarcity and land use in the American West. 

Tim Leavy, Agribusiness Economics and Management 

Tim began his undergraduate career in AAE’s Agribusiness Economics and Management (ABEM) program here at the University of Arizona hoping to gain knowledge of managing small-holder farm and vineyard systems. He had many years under his wing in the food and beverage industry, but it was not until he began diving deeper into his AAE courses that allowed him to alter his thinking about food systems and agricultural production. 

He explained that his AAE courses "began to reshape how [he] thought about food systems, not just as businesses, but as living entities experienced so differently between people.” These courses and new direction of opportunity motivated him “to develop stronger analytical and research skills because I was exposed to their importance in understanding the larger systems behind the challenges I had seen firsthand during my earlier career.” 

To enrich his analytical and research skills, Tim immersed himself in skill building opportunity through hands-on research. Coming this summer, he is completing a year-long fellowship with the UA-UCSB Equitable Agriculture and Environmental Management fellowship sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.  

This fellowship is hosted by two AAE faculty members, Profs. Anna Josephson and Jeffrey Michler, in partnership with faculty from the University of California Santa Barbara. During this fellowship, he has been able to strengthen his understanding and skills by working with rigorous applied research, using data to examine externalities and environmental consequences.  

Meanwhile, Tim is also performing research with Profs. Josephson and Michler’s AIDE Lab and working with the CALES Corporate Relations & Advocacy office. In the AIDE Lab, he is advancing his experience in research design and structured analysis. With Corporate Relations, he is supporting the university build initiatives for student opportunities, academic program extension, and stakeholder engagement. 

Tim’s understanding and dedication to student opportunity has provided him a surprise. He has found himself taking on more leadership roles than he expected; serving as a mentor and frequent organizer for study groups with his peers. He said, “Through leading by example and serving as a frequent mentor and organizer in my undergraduate peer group, I’ve found strength and I’ve learned a great deal from my younger peers.” 

His ability to support peers and take on the responsibility of leading reflects his personal and professional goals. Tim’s stated mission is to build “stronger, more resilient, and equitable food systems.” To get there, he is pursuing his master’s degree in the Applied Economics and Policy Analysis program with AAE in Fall 2026, in hopes to build a career around policy and advocacy to strengthen the tools, discipline, and judgement he has gained along the way.