Poe

Gregory Poe, professor of applied economics and management, who died March 11 at age 56, was honored June 12 with a posthumous award for his contributions to his field.

The Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association gave Poe its 2017 Distinguished Member Award at its annual luncheon in Washington, D.C.

NAREA members selected for this honor are recognized as having made continuous and outstanding contributions to the association, the region and the profession. Poe was recognized for his significant professional achievements and overall meritorious record.

Poe, who joined the Cornell faculty in 1993, taught environmental and resource economics in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. His research and outreach program focused on applied welfare economics, nonmarket valuation, experimental economics and water pollution policy.

He was an active member of NAREA for his entire career and served on a number of committees, including the association’s board of directors and the editorial board of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review.

Poe was well-known as a mentor, not only to graduate students – he supervised several winners of the NAREA’s Thesis Award – but also to colleagues, said Will Wheeler, who was president of the NAREA at the time of the award presentation.

“Greg was a routine presence at NAREA meetings, where he was known for his helpful comments, sense of humor and kindness; ‘kind’ was the most common word that came up reminiscing about Greg,” Wheeler said. “We will miss him.”

Todd Schmit, M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’03, associate professor of applied economics and management, accepted the award on Poe’s behalf. Schmit knew Poe first as a teacher, then as a mentor and a colleague.

“I was humbled to accept the award in Greg’s spirit, a man who provided me with so much professional inspiration, a wealth of meaningful conversations and guidance, and a fun spirit with whom I could always laugh and enjoy each other’s company over a pint of suds,” Schmit said.

“While it was a bittersweet experience for me to accept Greg’s award, it also allowed me the opportunity to reflect on all the good times we had together over the years,” Schmit said.

The award came with a commemorative plaque, which Schmit has given to Poe’s widow, Ann.