Dr. Olugbenga Ajilore is an economist whose work focuses on the economy of rural America. Currently, he is a senior advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. He is a frequent media commentator on the labor market, particularly for Black Americans. Previously, Ajilore was a senior economist at the Center for American Progress and former associate professor of economics at the University of Toledo. He is also a past president of the National Economic Association. Ajilore received his B.A. in Applied Mathematics and Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Economics from the Claremont Graduate University.