Joe Outlaw, Ph.D. is a regents fellow, professor and Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He also serves as the co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, AFPC, at Texas A&M University. In this role, Outlaw frequently interacts with members of Congress and key agricultural committee staff to provide feedback on the likely consequences of agricultural policy changes. His extension education and applied research activities are focused on assessing the impacts of farm programs, risk management tools, renewable energy, and climate change legislation on U.S. agricultural operations. Outlaw has received numerous awards in excellence for his policy education. In 2015 he received the National Excellence in Extension award from the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA for excellence in leadership, scholarship and innovative programming.