Columbus, Ohio — Valentina Hartarska, a PhD alumna of The Ohio State University, has been appointed chair of the Finance Committee for the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA). Hartarska completed her doctorate in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, part of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Hartarska’s research focuses on economic development, finance, and policy impact. Her current work explores diverse areas such as the impacts of fintech, opportunity zones and broadband use on poverty, education and business activity. She is also leading funded research projects that focus on efficiency and productivity of beginning farmers and women farmers in the United States.
After earning her PhD, she joined Auburn University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, where she teaches and advises PhD students. Hartarask was promoted to full professor in 2012 and, in 2014, received a joint appointment in Auburn’s Department of Finance.
During her tenure at Auburn, Hartarska has been recognized for both scholarship and service. She received the University Alumni Professorship from 2014–2019 for outstanding research and outreach. In 2015, she completed a Fulbright sabbatical in Belgium, where she contributed to the development of microfinance programs at Agder University in Norway and the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels.
“In 2023, I was happy to edit the Handbook of Microfinance, Financial Inclusion and Development,” Hartarska said. “I also work hard to help graduate students from development to publication of their work.”
Hartarska plays an active leadership role at Auburn University, serving on the Promotion & Tenure Committee and the inaugural “Path to Full Professor” mentorship initiative. She also chaired the University Senate’s faculty salary committee and contributed to both the Multicultural Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on Auburn University Internationalization.
A fun fact: Hartarska is ranked the No. 3 most cited microfinance researcher in the world (lifetime) according to META-backed algorithms at ScholarGPS. She and her husband, Denis Nadolnyak, a 2003 Ohio State AEDE Economics graduate, love jet skiing on Lake Martin (Alabama).
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