Roberto Gallardo Ph.D.

Director, Purdue Center for Regional Development
Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economic, Purdue University

Dr. Roberto Gallardo, director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and an agricultural economics associate professor, has worked with rural communities over the past 17 years, conducting local and regional community economic development, including use of technology for development. He has authored more than 100 articles and reports regarding rural trends, socioeconomic analysis, industrial clusters, the digital divide, and leveraging broadband applications for community economic development and is also the author of “Responsive Countryside: The Digital Age & Rural Communities,” which highlights a 21st century community development model that helps rural communities transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age.

Gallardo is a TEDx speaker and his work has been featured in WIRED magazine, a MIC.com documentary, and an RFDTV documentary. He holds an electronics engineering undergraduate degree, a master’s in economic development, and a Ph.D. in public policy and administration and lives in West Lafayette, Ind., with his wife and two daughters.