Ray Rasker, Ph.D.

Ray enjoys working with people in rural communities who are passionate about their place. He grew up in Mexico City in a Dutch household and came to the U.S. as a student. After obtaining B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Washington and Master’s in Agriculture from Colorado State University, he went on to study economics, earning a Ph.D. from the College of Forestry (economics), Oregon State University. He has written widely on rural development and the role of environmental quality in economic prosperity and is well known in policy circles in the U.S. and Canada. Ray retired in 2021 and can be reached at rayrasker@gmail.com or 406 570-7044