Michael S. Yoder (Ph.D.) is an academic geographer with 28 years of teaching experience in the discipline, and 34 years of research experience in the geography of economic development, agricultural geography, urban geography, transportation, and community assessments. Michael holds doctoral and master’s degrees in agricultural geography from Louisiana State University and the University of South Carolina, respectively, and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Houston. His published academic articles and book chapters are primarily case studies involving field and archival research on suburbanization in the U.S. and Mexico, social housing and industrial development in Mexico, transportation corridors and interior ports in the U.S and Mexico, and policy related to economic development. Michael’s regional specializations include the American South, northern Mexico, South Texas, the U.S.-Mexico border, and Central America. His teaching focuses on urban planning, political geography, the geography of Latin America, economic development, and world regional geography. He has served on several municipal and county advisory boards in Texas and Arkansas related to transportation infrastructure and urban planning.