Education: PhD in Economics from University of Hawaii

Shawn Arita is the Associate Director of the Agricultural Risk Policy Center at North Dakota State University. Before joining ARPC, Shawn served as Senior Economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Chief Economist, where he led key analyses for USDA farm programs. Additionally, Shawn provided model-based assessments for WTO trade dispute arbitration and evaluations of agricultural markets under trade agreements. He was recognized as USDA’s Economist of the Year for his work on the market disruptions on U.S. agriculture, and his economic analyses have also informed White House offices. Shawn previously served with the U.S. Trade Representative (Agricultural Affairs Office) and, prior to that, was a research economist at the Economic Research Service.

Dr. Arita is widely recognized for his expertise in agricultural policy, agricultural commodity markets, economic modeling, and impact assessment. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and policy briefs—including in journals such as the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Food Policy, and Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy—with 1,500 Google Scholar citations. Dr. Arita holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaii and originally hails from the Aloha State.