Dr. Joni Charles is an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Economics at Texas State University. She graduated from Howard University with a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Economics and from Purdue University with an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Economics. Dr. Charles is an applied economist whose recent research intersects groundwater governance, groundwater management, and sustainable groundwater use by rural and urban communities. She works with interdisciplinary teams and individual researchers to apply the analytical tools of environmental economics and qualitative methods to understand socio-economic factors, perceptions, attitudes and behaviors that drive community use of resources and resource user behavior. Her publications are practitioner-oriented and meant to guide resource policy and direct education outreach to, and collaborative partnerships with, communities. Dr. Charles aims to have her research and teaching be community-oriented. Her professional organization memberships include the Western Economic Association International (WEAI) and the National Economic Association (NEA). She has been honored, recognized for, and received several awards for teaching and service.