Current employer:
University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law

Education and work experience:
Education: University of Notre Dame, PhD; Georgetown University, JD; University of Nebraska, BA.
Work Experience: judicial clerkships/internship; litigation associate at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP in Des Moines, IA; short stint at the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.

AALA leadership roles:
Awards committee (2022 to present).

How did you get interested or involved in agricultural law?
I grew up on a family farm near York, Nebraska and so have been around agriculture all of my life. My first direct involvement with agricultural law, however, was during my time as a litigation associate at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP. I now teach agricultural law at the University of South Dakota.

What is your current role and what type of work are you doing?
I work as a law professor teaching agricultural law, constitutional law, and legal philosophy. My academic research focuses on early-American political thought, theories of legal interpretation, and localism.

What are some challenges and opportunities you see in your job and the ag law profession?
One challenge is that, with some notable exceptions, there simply aren’t many agricultural law professors and programs around the nation anymore. Also, agricultural law is an incredibly broad subject. So teaching the course requires brushing up on a host of different sub-disciplines. These challenges also present opportunities. It seems to me that Midwestern schools (and others with an Ag focus) have a comparative advantage in preparing law students to move into important roles in the practice of agricultural law. Also, I am fortunate in South Dakota to have a number of students and alumni who have agricultural backgrounds and expertise and really want to get involved.

How does AALA help or benefit your profession or current role?
The most significant benefits for me have been in networking with others in the agricultural law space and learning more about current problems/trends in the area. It would have been very difficult to teach agricultural law effectively my first few years if not for the help of a number of other academics who graciously shared their syllabi/materials.

What is one of your favorite AALA memories or experiences?
My favorite AALA memories, hands down, have been taking groups of students from South Dakota to AALA’s annual conferences. They (and I) learn a lot from the presenters, and we always have a great time.