Wynne Wright

Wynne Wright serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Sustainability within the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources at Michigan State University, where she has held a faculty position since 2006 after previous appointments at the University of Northern Iowa and University of Minnesota.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Kentucky (1999)

Her research examines social transformations in agri-food systems with emphasis on agricultural restructuring impacts on farm families and rural communities. Domestically, she has conducted social impact assessments of confined animal feeding operations, analyzed tobacco system transformations, and studied BSE social construction. Current work investigates food system localization and civic agriculture potential, while internationally she tracks post-Soviet agrarian transitions in east-central Europe and European Unification effects.

Recent publications demonstrate applied research in sustainable agriculture including Michigan lavender cultivation and community engagement initiatives, alongside international development work with East African agricultural fellows.

Awards:

• Fulbright Scholarship (2006) for teaching environmental sociology at Szent István University, Hungary

Dr. Wright actively contributes to public outreach through extension programs and interdisciplinary collaboration with MSU centers including the Center for Regional Food Systems and Guyer-Seevers Program in Natural Resource Conservation, addressing practical challenges in community sustainability and agricultural development.

She maintains ongoing academic relationships with Szent István University in Hungary and engages with multiple research networks focusing on regional food systems and natural resource conservation.