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Catherine Chan-Halbrendt
CTAHR Associate Dean and Director for Research
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Catherine Chan-Halbrendt Manages CTAHR’s Research Programs
Catherine K. Chan-Halbrendt became CTAHR’s associate dean and associate director for research in October 2000. She succeeded Catherine Cavaletto, who had served in an interim capacity since July 1999.

This CTAHR administrative position carries responsibility for stimulating, developing, expanding, and managing high-quality, high-priority research programs that meet the needs of Hawaii’s families, communities, and agricultural industries. These programs are addressed with both federal and state research funds.

Chan-Halbrendt brings a diverse academic background and a wealth of international experience to CTAHR. A native of Hong Kong, she received all her post-secondary education in the United States. Her career has taken her to Slovakia, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Egypt, Norway, China, and Australia.

Before coming to CTAHR, she was professor and chair of the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont, Burlington, a position she held from 1995 until 2000. From 1987 to 1995, she was on the faculty at the University of Delaware and held a dual appointment in the Department of Animal Science and Biochemistry and the Department of Food and Resource Economics.

Chan-Halbrendt came to the United States in the late 1960s. An undergraduate at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, she earned a BA in microbiology in 1972. For her MS (1975, Southern Illinois), she changed disciplines to plant and soil sciences. She made yet another discipline change when, in 1986 at the University of Missouri, she earned her doctorate in agricultural economics with a concentration in international development.

One of the CTAHR’s highest priorities and Hawaii’s most urgent needs is to assess the profitability and market potential of our various agricultural products. Chan-Halbrendt’s command of economic analysis over a wide range of topics and in a number of countries is well suited to help meet that need. Her background is also well suited to the college’s role in community and human resources. She has worked extensively on economic development projects that looked at the most desirable industries for a particular community based upon its economic, social, and environmental goals.

Chan-Halbrendt has been at CTAHR for a full year now. She has this to say: “Thanks to the talented and dedicated faculty and staff for your support this year. I am confident that CTAHR will provide the critical support and underpinnings to enhance the role of agriculture in the state’s economy, to maintain and preserve the environment and natural resources, and to help strengthen communities.”
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Posted October 2001