Rate My Professor Geri Mason

Geri Mason is an Associate Professor of Economics in the Division of Business and Government within the College of Business and Technology at Seattle Pacific University. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaii in 2010, M.A. in Economics from the same institution in 2006, B.A. in Economics magna cum laude from Whitworth University in 2002, and A.A.S. in Business from Spokane Falls Community College in 2001. Mason joined Seattle Pacific University in 2010 as Assistant Professor of Economics, progressing to her current associate professor role. Prior to this, she served as Adjunct Professor of Economics at the University of Puget Sound from 2008 to 2009, teaching courses such as Contemporary Economics and Health Economics, and as Instructor of Intermediate Microeconomics at the University of Hawaii in 2006. Her teaching portfolio at Seattle Pacific University includes Principles of Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, Managerial Economics, and Community Economic Development. She also contributes as Honors Core Faculty and serves on faculty committees, including the Faculty Development Committee since 2012 and the Undergraduate Committee since 2010.

Mason's research specializes in development economics, human resource economics, applied microeconomics, and macroeconomics, with a focus on poverty alleviation, microfinance, and sustainable development. Her dissertation, "Essays on Microfinance: Group Lending and Online Development Finance," reflects her expertise. Key publications include "Competition Between Microfinance NGOs: Evidence from Kiva" co-authored with Pierre Ly (World Development, 2012), "Individual Preferences over Development Projects: Evidence from Microlending on Kiva" with Pierre Ly (Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2012), and a review of Reducing Poverty in Rural Asia with Jim Roumasset (Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2009). More recently, she co-authored "Truth in Lending in Microfinance: Antecedents for Price Transparency" with Kenman Wong in The Journal of Alternative Finance. Mason has received awards such as the 2012-2014 Calvin Seminar on the Economics of Global Poverty, 2011 Blended Learning Exploratory Grant, and the 2005 University of Hawaii Seiji Naya Outstanding First Year Student Award. She plays a pivotal role in Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), supporting Seattle Pacific University's designation as a PRME Champion school since joining post-2010, leading initiatives like the "One Week to Save the World" global studio project, and contributing to the PRME Working Group on Anti-Poverty. Her work integrates faith-informed business practices with sustainable development goals, enhancing student engagement through curricular innovations, research collaborations, and international partnerships with institutions such as the University of Limerick, Meiji University, and Lancaster University.