Alice Louise Kassens, Ph.D., is the dean of the School of Business, Economics and Analytics, the John S. Shannon professor of economics, and the director of the Center for Economic Freedom at Roanoke College. She is also a community development research fellow with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, a senior analyst with the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research, an associate editor for Journal of Economics Teaching, and a former member of the Governor’s Joint Advisory Board of Economists.
She has been published in several journals and edited volumes. Her recent work focuses on the disparate health outcomes and the impact of social determinates of health. Her book, Intemperate Spirits: Economic Adaptation During Prohibition, was published in August 2019.
At Roanoke College, a small liberal arts college in Virginia, Alice teaches numerous courses, including labor economics, health economics, econometrics and data visualization. At the College, Alice is active with student organizations, including advising the Women in Economics Club, and was awarded the 2023 Dean’s Exemplary Professional Life Award.
Alice earned her B.A. in economics and history from the College of William and Mary and her Ph.D. in economics from North Carolina State University. Her areas of specialty are labor and health economics.