Jeff Felardo

Jeff Felardo(opens in new window), who graduated with a BA in economics in 2005, is associate professor of Economics at Eckerd College(opens in new window), in St. Petersburg, Florida.  After graduation he spent a few months in Thailand on a USAID grant managing an English language library and teaching English as a volunteer at Mukdahan College.

In 2006 Jeff enrolled at the University of Wyoming(opens in new window) (UW) and in 2008 he completed his MS in Economics(opens in new window). He started his research on development and the environment in Thailand while he was working on his MS.  Jeff also worked as a research assistant, working with his professors on literature reviews and statistical modeling.

After graduation from UW Jeff enrolled in graduate school at the University of New Mexico(opens in new window). He wrote his dissertation on forest management in Thailand and the UN's REDD+ program(opens in new window). Jeff earned his PhD at UNM in 2013, and started teaching at Eckerd where he focuses on Environmental Economics.  He was promoted to associate professor in 2019.

 In a recent email he stated that “Eckerd is great, because of the small class sizes and the focus they have on student success. It reminds me of Chico State. I also helped develop a website(opens in new window) which provides assistance and explanations for tricky economics concepts.”

Jeff is writing a book about economic concepts for kids. It's currently on kickstarter(opens in new window).

“My degree/experience from Chico State was crucial in my success because of the mentoring I received from Economics professors Michael Perelman, Barney Hope, James O'Toole, English Professor Thia Wolf, and the study abroad coordinator Tasha Dev. Michael and Thia really introduced to a world larger than Northern California, and they always motivated me to do more. Barney and O’Toole were the chairs of the economics department during my stay and helped me with studying abroad, graduating, and applying for graduate schools. Finally, Tasha Dev introduced me to international programs and helped me focus on the international aspects of my education as well as positioning me to receive that USAID grant which really started my graduate school career.”  (Last Updated 5/14/19)