Travis Mountain, assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist, has received two national awards for his outstanding work that examines family and consumer finances.

Mountain was presented the 2016 Robert O.Hermann Ph.D. Dissertation Award and the AARP Public Policy Institute's Financial Services and the Older Consumer Award, both from the American Council on Consumer Interests.

His area of concentration is the financial and economic well-being of the households and communities of Virginia. His research interests include life insurance adequacy, food security, and mortgage selection decision behavior.

“This recognition is very humbling,” said Mountain. “Consumers in the United States face challenges at every step of their financial lives and it is a great privilege to be allowed to educate consumers on personal financial management as well as be recognized for my research.”

He won the AARP and Robert O. Hermann awards for his paper entitled “Life Insurance and Financial Vulnerability.”

ACCI is the leading consumer policy research and education organization consisting of a world-wide community of researchers, educators, and related professionals dedicated to enhancing consumer well-being.

Mountain received his bachelor's degree in consumer science and his master's degree in consumer behavior and family economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Ph.D. in family resource management from Ohio State University. He has been a faculty member and Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences since the fall of 2015.

He is also a member of the NC 2172 multistate research team focusing on “behavioral economics and financial decision making and information management across the lifespan." The team is currently working on a post-secondary education financing project and has future plans to examine Social Security and retirement.

He is the recipient of the Ruth Jane Yauger Scholarship 2014-2015 and placed third in the Hayes Forum Research Competition in 2014. He is a member of the American Council of Consumer Interests and the Academy of Financial Services.

Written by Amy Loeffler

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