Belay Kassa is a longtime professor of Agricultural Economics with a passion for exploring the world—he’s visited nearly 80 countries. Married for almost 40 years to his wife, Melat, he’s the proud father of four children, including a medical doctor, a PhD engineer, a diplomat representing Ethiopia in the U.S., and another engineer pursuing a PhD. His professional work focuses on rural development and agricultural advisory services, along with supporting the growth of Ethiopia’s academic community. Belay loves walking, collecting old books, reading, and writing poems. He has over 130 publications to his name and continues to shape the future of Africa one step—and one country—at a time.